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 [1/1/2025 7:51 PM, Jesse Dougherty, Maria Sacchetti and Mark Berman, 40736K, Negative] reports a man plowed a pickup truck bearing an Islamic State flag into revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning, killing at least 15 people and injuring many others in a grisly terrorist attack, officials said. The FBI identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old American citizen and Army veteran born in Texas. After ramming through crowds of people who had been celebrating New Year’s Eve just hours earlier, he crashed the truck and got into a shootout with responding officers, authorities said. He was pronounced dead soon after, and authorities warned that they believed others had a hand in the attack. “We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible,” Alethea Duncan, FBI assistant special agent in charge in New Orleans, said at a news briefing Wednesday afternoon. “We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates.” The FBI said that in addition to the Islamic State flag, they found weapons and a potential improvised explosive device in the attacker’s truck, which appeared to be a rented Ford. Other explosive devices were located elsewhere in the French Quarter, the FBI said, and bomb technicians were deployed to examine all of them. The eruption of violence marked a dreadful start to the new year for New Orleans, a city known for public revelry and celebration that was plunged into a state of chaos, horror and mourning. Bourbon Street, famed for its central place in the city’s tourism industry and nightlife, was transformed into an expansive crime scene strewn with brutalized bodies. College football’s Sugar Bowl, which had been scheduled for Wednesday night, was pushed back a day. Officials faced mounting questions about the security measures they had in place for a city that frequently draws throngs of tourists and hosts large public gatherings, major games and events — including the Super Bowl next month. New Orleans is not alone in facing a deadly attack in which a speeding vehicle was wielded as a weapon. Last month, a car sped into families at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing at least five people and injuring more than 200 others. Previous attacks have also mowed people down on a New York bike path, on a Las Vegas sidewalk, on a French promenade and at a college homecoming parade in Oklahoma. CBS Boston [1/1/2025 8:07 PM, Tucker Reals and Kerry Breen, 52225K, Neutral] Video: HERE reports that a black ISIS flag was flying from the truck’s rear bumper, and the attack is being investigated as an act of terrorism, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said. The man driving the vehicle has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, the FBI said. In televised remarks Wednesday evening, President Biden said the FBI has determined that just hours before the attack, Jabbar "posted videos to social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill." The vehicle was an electric Ford pickup truck that appears to have been rented, the FBI said. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said on social media Jabbar rented the truck on Dec. 30, while living in the Houston area, before heading to New Orleans. FBI special agent Alethea Duncan said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that investigators "do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible" for the attack, and the FBI believes he may have had help carrying it out. Duncan said the FBI is looking at a "range of suspects" and does "not want to rule anything out" at this stage of the investigation. The FBI is also working to determine his potential affiliations or associations with terrorist associations. A person familiar with the investigation told CBS News that at this point, neither ISIS nor any other foreign terror organization has claimed responsibility for the attack. The attacker drove around barricades and up onto the sidewalk of Bourbon Street, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said, avoiding barriers that had been placed by police. Kirkpatrick said the man "was trying to run over as many people as he could." USA Today [1/1/2025 8:00 PM, Mike Snider, 89965K, Neutral] Video: HERE reports that, while police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continue their investigation into a terrorist act that killed at least 15 and injured more than 30 on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, investigators are looking into a possible link to the attack in Houston. The FBI and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office are conducting an investigation "related to this morning’s New Orleans attack," the FBI’s Houston office said Wednesday in an post on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [1/1/2025 2:11 PM, Devlin Barrett, 161405K, Negative]
CNN [1/1/2025 5:28 PM, Leah Thomeer, 22417K, Neutral]
FOX News [1/1/2025 10:14 AM, Staff, 49889K, Negative] Video: HERE
Yahoo! News [1/1/2025 3:04 PM, Daniel Hardaker, 57114K, Negative]

The New York Times [1/1/2025 10:29 PM, Glenn Thrush, 161405K, Neutral] reports investigators are looking into whether the deadly terrorist attack in New Orleans on Wednesday is linked to the detonation of a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas later in the day, but they have yet to find any connection between the two episodes, President Biden said. Local and federal law enforcement officials are trying to determine if the man who drove a truck into a crowd in the French Quarter just after 3 a.m. on Wednesday and the man who rented the Tesla that exploded in Nevada are connected beyond superficial similarities: Both men chose soft targets on New Year’s Day and rented trucks through the same budget car rental app, Turo. “Law enforcement, the intelligence community are investigating” the Las Vegas explosion, “including whether there is any possible connection to the attack in New Orleans,” Mr. Biden said in a brief statement to reporters at Camp David. “I directed my team to make sure every resource is made available to the federal, state and local law enforcement, to complete the investigation in New Orleans quickly, and make sure there’s no remaining threat to the American people,” he added. Mr. Biden’s statement reflected the heightened sense of alarm among federal law enforcement officials who are investigating whether the New Orleans attack involved a larger cell of ISIS sympathizers — a scenario the F.B.I. and intelligence officials have warned was a growing threat. Officials emphasized there was no reason to believe the two episodes were connected despite Mr. Biden’s comments. ABC News [1/1/2025 11:46 AM, Alexandra Hutzler, 33392K, Neutral] reports "I have been continually briefed since early this morning by federal law enforcement leadership and my homeland security team, including Secretary of Homeland Security Ali Mayorkas, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, and the Mayor of New Orleans regarding the horrific incident that occurred there overnight," Biden said in a written statement. Bloomberg [1/1/2025 7:47 PM, Akayla Gardner, 1450K, Negative] reports President Joe Biden said law enforcement officials were looking for any additional people who may have played a part in the attack in New Orleans that left at least 15 people dead. Biden said initial indications — including social media videos posted by the suspect in the hours ahead of the attack — suggested he had been influenced by Islamic State, but urged Americans to allow the investigation to proceed before drawing their own conclusions. The president also said law enforcement was examining if there was any link with the explosion of a Tesla Inc. Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas. "The FBI is leading the investigation to determine what happened, why it happened, whether there was any continuing threat to public safety," Biden said on Wednesday evening from Camp David, calling the violence in New Orleans a "despicable attack.” The president said the law enforcement and intelligence communities would "continue to look for any connections, associations, or co-conspirators," and urged that "no one should jump to conclusions.” Biden said the dead suspect — identified by the FBI as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old man — was an American citizen who was born in Texas and who had served in the US Army. Biden said Jabbar had posted videos on social media expressing a desire to kill. The incidents in New Orleans and Las Vegas have thrust questions about national security and terrorism to the forefront with just weeks before Trump is set to be inaugurated for his second term. Trump vowed to support New Orleans as officials and residents "investigate and recover from this act of pure evil," in a statement earlier Wednesday on his Truth Social platform. But he also used the incident to assail border security and crime, appearing to suggest — before the suspect was identified — that he may have been a migrant. "When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true. The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform earlier Wednesday. The president on Wednesday called the situation "fluid" and cautioned that the investigation was still in its early stages. NBC News [1/1/2025 7:26 PM, Megan Lebowitz, 50804K, Neutral] reports "I want you to know I grieve with you. Our nation grieves with you. We’re going to stand with you as you mourn and as you heal in the weeks to come," Biden said at Camp David, Maryland. He said the FBI told him that just hours before the attack, the suspect posted videos to social media "indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill.” Biden also said that "the investigation is continuing to be active, and no one should jump to conclusions." He said he would keep the country "fully, contemporaneously informed.” "So many people around the world love New Orleans because of its history, its culture and, above all, its people," he said. "So I know while this person committed a terrible assault on the city, the spirit of our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated. It always will shine forth.” Biden thanked first responders, as well as homeland security and law enforcement officials. Biden also briefly addressed an incident in Las Vegas, where a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel.

Reported similarly:
Newsweek [1/2/2025 5:11 AM, Monica Sager, 56005K, Negative]
USA Today [1/1/2025 12:06 PM, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, 89965K, Neutral]

The Miami Herald [1/1/2025 8:15 PM, Ben Myers and Jerry DiColo, 6595K, Negative] reports at least 15 people were killed and dozens were injured after a man barreled his truck down Bourbon Street in New Orleans during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day. The FBI is investigating the mass casualty attack as a potential “act of terrorism.” Mayor LaToya Cantrell and New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick have called the incident an intentional attack. The perpetrator, who has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, also shot at police officers, injuring two of them before he was shot and killed by police. Investigators are still working to piece together details of the attack. Jabbar is a U.S. citizen from Texas and Army veteran. The agency said he was carrying an ISIS flag in the Ford pickup truck, and that agents were working to determine his “potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.” The deceased 42-year-old man who law enforcement said is responsible for the New Year’s Day mass killings on Bourbon Street is a former real estate agent and U.S. citizen from Texas who spent time in the military, records show. Jabbar recently told his Houston landlord that he was planning to move to New Orleans, the landlord said in an interview Wednesday. The FBI also said it was investigating how Jabbar came into possession of the truck with Texas plates, which appeared to be rented. Court and property records show Jabbar lived in Fresno, Texas — about 20 miles south of Houston — with his wife before they divorced in August 2022. He held a real estate license from 2019 to 2023 and worked for Deloitte, one of the nation’s largest financial services companies, records show. Jabbar started renting a mobile home in Houston two years ago after reaching out about the posting on Facebook, said his landlord, Asia Maryam. Maryam, who said she was “shocked” at the news, said Jabbar never gave her or the neighbors any problems and paid his rent in cash on time every month. Jabbar didn’t work alone, FBI officials said Wednesday. The FBI is taking lead on the investigation into 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran from Texas who was fatally shot by police after he mowed people down on Bourbon Street in a pickup truck that carried an Islamic State group flag. FBI Special Agent Alethea Duncan said others involved in the attack are likely still on the loose. “We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including of those of his known associates,” Duncan said. The CNN [1/1/2025 10:53 PM, Casey Tolan, Curt Devine, John Miller and Paul P. Murphy, 987K, Negative] reports that, in a series of videos, the suspect in the deadly New Year’s attack in New Orleans discussed planning to kill his family and having dreams that helped inspire him to join ISIS, according to multiple officials briefed on the investigation. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old man who police suspect drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more, made the chilling recordings while driving from his home in Texas to Louisiana, authorities believe. Jabbar, a US citizen and Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, made reference in the videos to his divorce and how he had at first planned to gather his family for a “celebration” with the intention of killing them, two officials who had been briefed on the recordings said. But Jabbar said in the videos that he changed his plans and joined ISIS, and referenced several dreams that he had about why he should be joining the terrorist group, according to the officials. The videos, which CNN has not reviewed, appear to have been recorded while he was driving at night, the officials said, although the exact timing is unclear. Washington Post [1/2/2025 3:32 AM, Frances Vinall, 40736K, Negative] reports Jabbar deployed to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010 while on active duty as a human resources specialist, according to brief service details provided by the Army. He left active duty in January 2015 and continued to serve part-time in the Army Reserve, switching careers to information technology. A man identified as Shamsuddin (also Shamuddin) Bahar Jabbar said in court records that he was honorably discharged from the Army after he was caught driving while intoxicated on base. He was charged in February 2015 and pleaded guilty about three months later to drunken driving in November 2014 on the Fort Bragg Military Reservation in North Carolina, an Army base that has since been renamed Fort Liberty. He left the military in July 2020 as a staff sergeant, the Army said, having served for a total of 13 years, including five in the Reserve. His two military jobs, which are not combat-related, do not indicate any specialized weapon or explosive experience. A man with Jabbar’s name held a real estate license from 2019 until it expired in 2023 in Texas, according to an online database at the Texas Real Estate Commission. In a 2020 YouTube video, which has been taken down, a man named Shamsud-Din Jabbar introduced himself as a property manager and real estate salesman, calling himself a “fierce negotiator” who would “brilliantly” market property. Jabbar had also worked in a staff-level role since 2021 for Deloitte, a spokesperson for the consulting company confirmed. Jabbar was a U.S. citizen from Texas, the FBI said, contradicting a statement made by President-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform that appeared to link Wednesday’s attack to “criminals coming in” to the United States. Newsweek [1/1/2025 4:52 PM, Hannah Parry AND Jenni Fink, 56005K, Neutral] reports the truck that was driven into a crowd in New Orleans had been privately rented in Texas before being driven up to Louisiana ahead of New Year’s Eve. The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning had been hired through Turo, a peer-to-peer online marketplace that allows customers to rent cars from other users. Newsweek has reached out to Turo via email for comment. The electric truck was used as a weapon to mow down crowds of revelers along Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day. At least 10 were killed and more than 30 were injured.

Reported similarly:
Newsweek [1/1/2025 6:13 PM, Jenna Sundel, 56005K, Negative]
Reuters [1/1/2025 6:31 PM, Staff, 48128K, Negative]

New York Times [1/1/2025 7:21 PM, Eric Schmitt, 161405K, Negative] reports an Islamic State flag, weapons and a “potential” improvised explosive found in the truck that plowed through crowds in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people, have raised the specter that the international terrorist group played a role in the attack. President Biden said on Wednesday night that he was told by the F.B.I. that before the attack, the driver posted videos on social media “mere hours” beforehand “indicating that he was inspired by ISIS — especially the desire to kill.” Law enforcement officials said on Wednesday that they were trying to determine the suspect’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State. Counterterrorism specialists pointed to several telltale signs. “By carrying an ISIS flag with him during the attack, the suspect wanted to show that he was a true believer, aligned with the ISIS cause, and perhaps hoping to trigger others into following suit,” said Colin P. Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst at the Soufan Group, a security consulting firm based in New York. Mr. Clarke said the attack was a fairly sophisticated assault, given the multiple layers involved: truck ramming, firearms and improvised explosive devices. “This horrific attack is a painful reminder of how effective ISIS propaganda is at inspiring violent extremists, including many living in the West,” he said. U.S. officials have been warning for months that the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as unrest in Central Asia, could spill into the United States, most likely in the form of small radicalized groups acting on their own initiative or lone-wolf terrorists inspired by ISIS. Authorities have voiced particular concern about the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan called Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K. The group carried out deadly bombings in Iran and Russia last year, and eight Tajik men were detained last year after crossing the southwestern U.S. border when authorities learned they might have ties to the Islamic State. “At a time when the terrorism threat was already elevated, the ongoing war in the Middle East has raised the threat of an attack against Americans inside the United States to a whole ‘nother level,” Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, said in a speech in April.

Reported similarly:
AP [1/1/2025 8:07 PM, Eric Tucker, Jim Mustian, Kevin McGill and Jack Brook, 4368K, Negative]

Newsweek [1/1/2025 8:32 PM, Monica Sager, 56005K, Negative] reports an Airbnb where the suspect who allegedly drove into a crowd at a New Year’s celebration in New Orleans was staying burned down, according to local news reports. Newsweek reached out to the New Orleans Fire Department via phone and email for comment. Newsweek also reached out to the Airbnb communication team via email. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, has been named the suspect in the New Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street that killed at least 10 people and injured 30 early Wednesday morning. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. A key line of inquiry is whether the attack was orchestrated or inspired by a foreign terrorist group. Nola.com reported that people were evacuated from the St. Roch area in New Orleans Wednesday morning after a fire broke out at an Airbnb. The site reported that law enforcement officials, as well as bomb squad detectives, were called to 1329 Mandeville Street. The Airbnb is about a mile and a half from where the attack took place. Newsweek did not find a listed Airbnb at this address, but there are multiple in the area, including one across the street. Local news station WDSU reported that a woman who lived near the fire arrived home around 5 a.m., and the fire department was already in the area. The attack occurred around 4:15 a.m. EST in the French Quarter, one of New Orleans’ busiest areas, during the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. The New Orleans Police Department said the suspect opened fire on officers after the vehicle came to a stop. He was driving a Ford pickup truck, which officials said appeared to be rented. Officers returned fire, and the suspect was struck, police said in a news release. He was subsequently pronounced dead. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [12/31/2024 7:23 PM, Christopher Weber, Jeff Martin and Kevin McGill, 30936K, Neutral] reports that, seven years ago, New Orleans officials began installing adjustable barriers at intersections in the famed French Quarter to temporarily prevent vehicles from entering the tourist area where the narrow streets are typically teeming with pedestrians every night. But the steel columns known as bollards were in the process of being replaced and were not engaged early on New Year’s Day when a motorist rammed a pickup truck through a crowd of revelers, killing at least 15 people. The project to remove and replace the bollards along about eight blocks of bustling Bourbon Street, from St. Ann Street to Canal Street, began Nov. 18, city records show. Temporary asphalt patches were installed in the spots where the steel columns were removed, according to the documents. City officials have not confirmed whether the intersection the truck sped through was actively under construction or said if the replacement project created a vulnerability. Some of the old bollards had “proved unreliable and have been non-operational,” the city said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “In the interim, white gate barriers have been used in these areas, managed by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) to secure the street and regulate vehicle access for safety purposes.” One day before New Year’s Eve, New Orleans officials issued a traffic advisory about its vehicle barrier replacement project, stating that crews would work until 2 p.m. on Monday and try to “minimize road closures as much as possible to reduce impacts” during the celebration. “Currently, Bourbon Street is fully open from Canal Street to Toulouse Street,” the city said in its Dec. 30 advisory. The intersection of Bourbon and Canal is where the pickup swerved around a police blockade and rammed into the mass of people. The driver was shot to death by police and the FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism, authorities said.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [1/1/2025 5:08 PM, Daniella Silva and Tom Llamas, 50804K, Negative]

AP [1/1/2025 6:33 PM, Staff, 11K, Negative] reports an 18-year-old girl dreaming of becoming a nurse, a single mother, a father of two and a former Princeton football star suffered fatal injuries when the driver of a white pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street, packed with holiday revelers early Wednesday morning. Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year’s Day truck attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories. New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement late Wednesday that they will release the names of the dead once autopsies are complete and they’ve talked with the next of kin. About 30 people were injured. Zion Parsons of Gulfport, Mississippi, had been celebrating New Year’s Eve at his first night on Bourbon Street when a vehicle appeared and plowed into his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux, who he said had dreamed of becoming a nurse. “A truck hit the corner and comes barreling through throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air,” Parsons, 18, told The Associated Press. “It hit her and flung her like at least 30 feet and I was just lucky to be alive.” As the crowd scattered in the chaos he ran through a gruesome aftermath of bleeding and maimed victims, hearing gunshots and explosive sounds. “Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering” Parsons said. “People crying on the floor, like brain matter all over the ground. It was just insane, like the closest thing to a war zone that I’ve ever seen.” A 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge was among the 10 people killed early Wednesday when a pickup truck careened down Bourbon Street in what officials called an act of terror. Reggie Hunter had just left work and headed to celebrate New Year’s with a cousin when the attack happened, his first cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com. Hunter was killed and his cousin was injured, Jackson said. A former high school and college football player from Louisiana was among those who died after a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter, according to an education official. Tiger Bech, 28, died late Wednesday morning at a New Orleans hospital, according to local media outlets citing Kim Broussard, the athletic director at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette. Bech attended the high school, where he played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner and defensive back, NOLA.com reported. Bech’s LinkedIn profile said he played football at Princeton University before graduating in 2021. Most recently he was working as an investment trader at a New York brokerage firm.

Newsweek [1/1/2025 4:48 PM, Hannah Parry, 56005K, Neutral] reports Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, pledged to "raise fresh hell" if the FBI don’t share its investigation into the New Orleans terror attack with the public. "Once the FBI has a chance to investigate all of this, working with state police, working with Homeland Security, working with the City of New Orleans, they are going to tell you what happened. I can promise you that. Or I’m going to raise fresh hell," he told reporters at a press conference Wednesday. "But right now they’re in the process of trying to catch the other bad guy, and I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt." Trust in the FBI is at its lowest in a century, according to Gallup poll numbers. Just 41 percent of Americans think the agency is doing a good job after support dropped by 18 percent in the past decade. Historically, Republicans have been more in favor of the FBI, with Democrats less likely to have a positive view of the agency. But in recent years, the Mueller report, the Steele Dossier, the search of Donald Trump’s Florida compound of Mar-a-Lago and the criminal prosecutions against Trump have shifted Republicans’ opinions of the FBI and Department of Justice. Many have also accused the Secret Service of fumbling their protection of Trump after the assassination attempt. "We are speaking of a failure," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN at the time. "We are going to analyze through an independent review how that occurred, why it occurred, and make recommendations and findings to make sure it doesn’t happen again." Ten people were killed and more than 30 were injured when the truck plowed into crowds of New Year’s Eve revelers in the French Quarter, one of New Orleans’ busiest areas, at around 4:15 a.m. EST. The New Orleans Police Department said the suspect, Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, opened fire on officers after the vehicle came to a stop. Officers swiftly returned fire and Jabbar was pronounced dead at the scene. The FBI, which is leading the investigation into the attack, called it an act of terrorism and confirmed an ISIS flag was found on Jabbar’s rented truck. Sen. Kennedy told reporters, earlier today, "The attack on Bourbon Street this morning was evil. I’m praying for every victim of this violence and am grateful to all the first responders who rushed toward danger to help the innocent today. "Every resource that law enforcement needs to get answers about this barbaric act should be made available. The FBI is not going to be able to answer those questions. They will eventually, I promise you, OK?" Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a press conference on Wednesday: "This abhorrent attack is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism. Our hearts break for the families of those whose lives were lost and our prayers are with those recovering from injuries they suffered. We are grateful to the first responders for their bravery and urge the public to be vigilant." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Newsweek [1/2/2025 5:11 AM, Monica Sager, 56005K, Negative] reports President-elect Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News’ Tammy Bruce that the incidents in New Orleans and Las Vegas on New Year’s Day were "suicide missions." "Both of these incidents—Las Vegas and New Orleans—they’re both going to be U.S. citizens. They’re both going to have recent U.S. travel," Homan said. "They both were on a suicide mission. Neither one felt they were going to go home, and I think you’re going to see ISIS affiliation on both of them." Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, has been named the suspect in the New Year’s attack on Bourbon Street that killed at least 15 people and injured 30 early Wednesday morning. Later on Wednesday in Las Vegas, a Cybertruck exploded in front of the Trump International Hotel, killing the driver and injuring seven others. The suspect’s name has not been released. Both incidents are being treated as an act of terrorism. Both cars were rented using the Turo app, according to the Associated Press. At a press conference on Wednesday evening about the New Orleans attack, President Joe Biden also mentioned the Las Vegas incident, noting that law enforcement and the intelligence community are looking into whether there’s "any possible connection." The attack in New Orleans occurred around 4:15 a.m. EST in the French Quarter, one of New Orleans’ busiest areas, during the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. Four victims have been identified by their families: Reggie Hunter, Nikyra Dedeaux, Tiger Bech and Nicole Perez. An ISIS flag, weapons and a potential IED were found in the suspect’s rented truck, according to the FBI. Two additional IEDs were found earlier Wednesday morning. Biden said that the suspect had posted videos to social media in connection with the terrorist organization ISIS "mere hours" before the incident. President-elect Donald Trump said earlier in the day that the New Orleans incident proved he was right about criminals "coming in" to the United States, though law enforcement said the suspect was born in the U.S. In his interview with Fox, Homan shared Trump’s sentiment, saying that even though Biden "bragged today" that U.S. citizens committed both incidents, "he shouldn’t hang his hat on that." "We allowed this stuff to happen. This administration took a weak stance on this stuff," Homan said. "Nothing’s going to change tomorrow. This administration has not taken action against the criminal cartels and terrorist organizations or try and secure our southern border. You can’t have national security if you don’t have border security. I don’t understand why they don’t get that. It’s common sense."

New York Times [1/1/2025 7:16 PM, Maggie Haberman, 161405K, Negative] reports that, on Wednesday morning, hours after a man drove a pickup truck into New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans, killing 10 people, President-elect Donald J. Trump falsely suggested on social media that his condemnations of undocumented immigrants had been validated. “When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,” Mr. Trump said on his website, Truth Social. “The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before,” he added falsely. “Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department.” Mr. Trump, who will be sworn in on Jan. 20, added in his post, “The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!” Some early reports about the attack said the truck was driven across the border from Mexico into the United States. Officials have since identified the suspect as a U.S.-born citizen and Army veteran who lived in Texas, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar. He drove what appeared to be a rented truck that carried an Islamic State flag, officials said. He died after exchanging gunfire with authorities. Mr. Trump made concerns about undocumented immigrants crossing the border central to his 2024 campaign, and has promised the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history once he takes office. A Trump transition spokesman did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment after the suspect’s history was made public. Federal officials said they were investigating whether anyone else was connected to the attack and were running down leads about the suspect’s associates.

The Washington Post [12/31/2024 12:15 PM, Jeff Stein, 40736K, Negative] reports that Treasury Department announced new sanctions Tuesday on Iranian and Russian entities accused of trying to interfere with the U.S. 2024 elections, including by allegedly using artificial intelligence to disseminate false information. In its statement, Treasury said it was imposing sanctions on both a subsidiary of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and an affiliate of Russia’s military intelligence agency over their efforts to “stoke sociopolitical tensions and influence the U.S. electorate during the 2024 election.” Treasury’s statement also said the Russian entity used AI tools to “quickly create disinformation that would be distributed across a massive network” of fake news websites and produced “baseless accusations” about a 2024 vice-presidential candidate, whom Treasury declined to identify. Although the sanctions target relatively minor entities and are unlikely to have major economic effects, they reflect the deteriorating relationship between the United States and two of its chief geopolitical adversaries. President Joe Biden is weighing much more far-reaching sanctions against Russia’s energy sector, while President-elect Donald Trump is expected to try to significantly increase economic pressure on Tehran. The AP [12/31/2024 2:34 PM, David Klepper, Neutral] reports that authorities said the Russian group, the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise, oversaw the creation, financing and dissemination of disinformation about American candidates, including deepfake videos created using artificial intelligence. In addition to the group itself, the new sanctions apply to its director, who authorities say worked closely with Russian military intelligence agents also overseeing cyberattacks and sabotage against the West. The Iranian group, the Cognitive Design Production Center, is a subsidiary of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, U.S. officials said, which the United States has designated a foreign terrorist organization. Officials say the center worked since at least 2023 to incite political tensions in the United States. The Hill [12/31/2024 11:52 AM, Rebecca Beitsch, 57114K, Neutral] reports "The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns," Bradley T. Smith, the acting under secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement. "The United States will remain vigilant against adversaries who would undermine our democracy." The sanctions target the Cognitive Design Production Center, a division of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Center for Geopolitical Expertise and its director Valery Mikhailovich Korovin, both affiliates of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate, also known as the GRU. "These actors sought to stoke sociopolitical tensions and undermine our election institutions during the 2024 U.S. general election," the State Department said in a release announcing the sanctions. Both build on existing sanctions leveled against the two countries and come after U.S. intelligence agencies identified campaigns from each nation to undermine the 2024 election by dividing Americans and promoting misinformation.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [12/31/2024 11:14 AM, Kathryn Watson, 52225K, Negative]
Newsweek [12/31/2024 6:18 PM, Natalie Venegas, Negative]
USA Today [12/31/2024 1:15 PM, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, 89965K, Negative]

The Washington Post [12/31/2024 1:53 PM, Dan Lamothe, 40736K, Negative] reports that the U.S. government’s controversial plea deals with three men accused of orchestrating the 9/11 terrorist attacks may proceed, a Defense Department appeals court has ruled, after the Biden administration sought to thwart an agreement that would spare the lives of those who have admitted guilt in the deadliest crime perpetrated on American soil. The unanimous decision, released Monday night by the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review, is a rebuke of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who intervened in the cases in August after the agreements were approved by a judge he had appointed to oversee the cases against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the attacks’ alleged mastermind, and Mohammed’s suspected accomplices. At the time, Austin said he believed that the families of those killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and as a result of the ensuing wars deserved to see them stand trial. The appeals court ruled that while Austin had authority to restrict the judge, Susan K. Escallier, from entering into future pretrial agreements on behalf of the U.S. government, he could not rescind them after the fact. Mohammed and other defendants have already acknowledged their guilt, undermining any other proceeding against them, the appeals court found. It was not immediately clear whether the administration intends to challenge the matter further. The AP [12/31/2024 2:00 PM, Ellen Knickmeyer, 12036K, Negative] reports that the decision puts back on track the agreements that would have the three men plead guilty to one of the deadliest attacks ever on the United States in exchange for being spared the possibility of the death penalty. The attacks by al-Qaida killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001, and helped spur U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in what the George W. Bush administration called its war on terror. The military appeals court released its ruling Monday night, according to the U.S. official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Military prosecutors and defense attorneys for Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the attacks, and two co-defendants reached the plea agreements after two years of government-approved negotiations. The deals were announced late last summer. Supporters of the plea agreement see it as a way of resolving the legally troubled case against the men at the U.S. military commission at Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. Pretrial hearings for Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi have been underway for more than a decade. CBS News [12/31/2024 12:00 PM, Eleanor Watson and Melissa Quinn, 52225K, Negative] reports Khalid Sheikh Mohammed could plead guilty as early as next week at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, if the Pentagon does not appeal the decision to the federal appeals court in Washington. As of Tuesday morning, the Pentagon had not submitted any filings to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, according to this official. If the plea agreements do go through, the three men will plead guilty in separate hearings, and in exchange, the death penalty will be taken off the table. Military prosecutors reached the plea deals with Mohammed and two alleged accomplices, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin ‘Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, in late July following more than two years of negotiations. The agreements were approved by a senior Pentagon official who oversees the military court at Guantanamo Bay. But days after the deals were announced, Austin said he was rescinding the pretrial agreements. The defense secretary wrote in a memo that "in light of the significance" of the deals, "responsibility for such a decision should rest with me.” Defense attorneys, meanwhile, argued the plea agreements still stood and questioned whether Austin exercised undue or unlawful command of influence.

Reported similarly:
Los Angeles Times [12/31/2024 11:42 AM, Ellen Knickmeyer, 17996K, Negative]
Reuters [12/31/2024 3:32 PM, Kanishka Singh, 48128K, Negative]
Washington Examiner [12/31/2024 11:38 AM, Jenny Goldsberry, 2365K, Negative]

Newsweek [1/1/2025 5:00 AM, Staff, 56005K, Neutral] reports Democrat-run cities and states are experiencing growing uncertainty over how effective sanctuary policies, designed to combat deportations of undocumented immigrants, will be under President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration, party insiders have told Newsweek. One Democratic Party donor, who supports those vulnerable to federal immigration policies, shared unease within Democratic circles that sanctuary cities, where local governments limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, could be targeted.Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the Democrat from California, meanwhile, suggested local law enforcement’s lack of desire to look for undocumented immigrants could be more influential in stemming deportations than sanctuary cities’ rules. Senator Bill Cassidy, the Republican from Louisiana, who has proposed legislation to prevent sanctuary states from offering Medicaid coverage to undocumented immigrants vowed: "We will close the border.” Immigration is at the forefront of the new administration’s agenda, with Trump having promised American voters he will conduct the largest deportation program in U.S. history starting on ‘Day 1’ of his second term. Many Democrats see sanctuary cities as a human rights issue, but for conservatives the locations are often touted as safe havens for undocumented immigrants. The Democrat donor, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear those he helps could be targeted, told Newsweek: "I cannot speak to the broader Democratic ecosystem but in my circles there is little doubt that sanctuary cities will be targeted. The party insider also warned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could first focus on "areas that offer less resistance to show early ‘wins.’". Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, has proposed banning sanctuary cities and has unveiled a budget proposal that would mandate that local law enforcement fully comply with ICE detainers and notify officials 48 hours before releasing an undocumented immigrant who has committed a crime. "Virginia is not a sanctuary state, and we must be clear that we will not allow localities to become ‘sanctuary cities.’ If local governments turn their backs on their citizens in order to pander to pro-illegal immigrant groups, we will cut off their funding," he said.

The Washington Examiner [12/31/2024 10:43 AM, Emily Hallas, 2365K, Negative] reports that Javier Villalobos, the Republican mayor of McAllen, Texas, expressed concern that President-elect Donald Trump’s stance onillegal immigration could cause economic damage to the United States. While the mayor indicated that he favored Trump’s push to first remove violent criminals who have come into the country illegally, he worried that many of the people who could face deportation are "productive" workers helping "our economy stay strong." "I’ve always said it: There’s a lot of people that can be very productive, and we should try to help them come here and produce for us and assist their families," Villalobos said during a recent interview with WFAA, a local Texas news outlet. "Now, if it’s people that have issues, criminal or otherwise, then we definitely don’t want that. But there’s a lot of people that I know can help us, that can help our economy stay strong." Villalobos became mayor of Hildago County’s majority-Hispanic city of McAllen, which lies in the Rio Grande Valley, a border hot spot, over three years ago, marking a stark political shift in the once-impenetrable Democratic bastion. Villalobos is the first registered Republican elected mayor of the south Texas city this century.The Miami Herald [12/31/2024 5:00 AM, Jamiles Lartey, 6595K, Neutral] reports that a study by the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration advocacy group, calculated that the deportation effort would require hundreds of new detention facilities, and hundreds of thousands of new immigration agents, judges and other staff. Fiscal analyses have concluded that mass deportation on this scale could cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Even at its current rate of enforcement, detention, and deportation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is already hindered in its "ability to maintain a safe and secure environment for staff and detainees," at its facilities according to a Department of Homeland Security watchdog report released in September. Many of those detention locations are run by private companies on former prison grounds. Bloomberg News reported in October that Trump’s deportation plan could mean a huge financial opportunity for operators like CoreCivic and GEO Group.

Reported similarly:
Miami Herald [12/31/2024 5:00 AM, Jamiles Lartey, 6595K, Neutral]

The Hill [12/31/2024 4:17 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 16346K, Neutral] reports Connecticut Attorney General William Tong threatened to file a lawsuit against President-elect Trump if he moves to remove birthright citizenship from the Constitution under mounting deportation efforts. Trump has promised to conduct the largest deportation in the country’s history during his second term in office with the help of Tom Homan as "border czar" and Kristi Noem, who was nominated to serve as secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. Tong is determined to maintain the pathway to citizenship for children born to immigrants in the country illegally despite Republicans’ dedication to harsher border security laws and punishments.

Los Angeles Times [12/31/2024 4:21 PM, Summer Lin, 57114K, Positive] reports the federal Real ID Act will take effect May 7, meaning a standard state-issued driver’s license or identification card will no longer get people through airport security or into federal buildings. Instead, they will need to get the enhanced driver’s license known as the Real ID. The planned implementation date was originally announced for 2008 but has since been pushed back several times.

Federal News Network [1/1/2025 3:04 PM, Justin Doubleday, 470K, Positive] reports agencies over the next year are being tasked with ensuring they own their custom software code and share it across government under a new law signed by President Joe Biden last week. Biden signed the "Source Code Harmonization And Reuse in Information Technology Act" on Dec. 23. Known as the "SHARE IT Act," the bill was first introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) in January 2024. In introducing the legislation, lawmakers pointed to the $12 billion agencies spend on software annually. That figure includes both commercial software and custom-developed products. The goal of the legislation is to minimize duplicative software development, while boosting efficiency and security. "Ensuring the federal government is sharing code across agencies will save taxpayers money, increase digital efficiency for government services, strengthen security and enable innovation in software," Peters said in a statement last January. "This bipartisan bill is a critical step forward in advancing the digital capacity of the federal government and will benefit Americans as they access government services online.” The new law gives agencies 210 days — until mid-July — to publish their custom-developed software in a public repository or a private listing that can be accessed by other federal agencies. Agencies also have the same amount of time to make the metadata for any custom-developed code publicly accessible. Agencies can choose to share their code using existing tools like Code.gov, open-source tools like Git, or commercial platforms like GitHub or Bitbucket. The law additionally mandates that agencies "shall acquire and exercise rights sufficient to enable the governmentwide access to, sharing of, use of, and modification of any custom-developed code created in the development of such software.”

AP [12/31/2024 6:23 PM, Staff, Negative] reports the woman who died after being set on fire in a New York subway train this month was a 57-year-old from New Jersey, police announced Tuesday. The woman, Debrina Kawam, had worked at the pharmaceutical giant Merck in from 2000 until 2002, but her life at some point took a rocky turn. She had briefly been in a New York homeless shelter after moving to the city recently, the Department of Social Services said. It did not say when. In Karam’s case, prosecutors have said she was asleep on a subway train that was stopped at a station in Brooklyn’s Coney Island when her clothes were set ablaze by a stranger, Sebastian Zapeta. Zapeta, 33, allegedly fanned the flames with a shirt, engulfing her in the blaze, before sitting on a platform bench and watching as she burned. Identifying the victim proved to be a challenge, and authorities said Friday that they were still using forensics and video surveillance to trace her. Zapeta has been indicted on murder and arson charges. He has not entered a plea, and his lawyer has declined to comment outside court. Federal immigration officials say Zapeta is from Guatemala and entered the U.S. illegally. An address for him given by police matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support. CBS News [12/31/2024 1:19 PM, Renee Anderson, 52225K, Negative] reports New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters the victim briefly spent time in the city’s shelter system, adding his heart goes out to her family. "Horrific incident to have to live through. Watching that tape, I couldn’t even watch it all the way through. Just a bad incident, and it impacts on how New Yorkers feel," Adams said. "It really reinforces what I’ve been saying, people should not be living on our subway system, they should be in a place of care. And no matter where she lived, that should not have happened." Sebastian Zapeta is accused of setting the 57-year-old woman on fire while she was sleeping inside a train car at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn. Prosecutors say he used a lighter to start the fire on Dec. 22 and then used a shirt to fan the flames. The 33-year-old is facing one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson. "These are significant counts. Murder in the first degree carries the possibility of life without parole. It’s the most serious statute in New York state law, and my office is very confident about the evidence in this case and our ability to hold Zapeta accountable for his dastardly deeds," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said when he announced the charges last week. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
CBS Austin [12/31/2024 1:03 PM, Alexx Altman-Devilbiss, 581K, Neutral]

Reuters [1/2/2025 5:01 AM, Devika Nair and Kanjyik Ghosh, 48128K, Negative] reports multiple people were injured in a mass shooting in the New York City borough of Queens late on Wednesday evening but no deaths were reported, a detective at the New York Police Department confirmed to Reuters. An investigation into the incident at a nightclub on New Year’s Day was underway, the detective said. Users took to social media expressing their shock at the incident and sharing pictures of police deployment at the site. Earlier on New Year’s Day, a truck plowed into a crowded street in New Orleans, killing 15 people, and in Las Vegas, a Tesla truck exploded outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing one person and injuring seven others. Authorities have been scrambling to track down suspects related to the New Orleans and Las Vegas incidents and also investigating possible terrorism angles.

CBS Philadelphia [12/31/2024 10:33 PM, Katie Houlis, 52225K, Negative] Video: HERE reports the Federal Aviation Administration has expanded temporary drone flight restrictions in New Jersey. This comes after the FAA issued a ban on most drones over nearly two dozen towns and municipalities earlier this month. The new restrictions went into effect Monday and last through Jan. 18. Drone flight restrictions have been issued in parts of New York, as well, many near area airports. On Dec. 14, drone activity forced runways at New York’s Stewart Airfield to shut down. Under the FAA order, no unmanned aircraft can operate below 400 feet within one nautical mile of the airspace specified in each town. The order makes some exceptions for first responders and certain commercial drones. The ban was prompted by numerous drone sightings across the East Coast. Federal officials have said there is no known threat and many of the reported sightings are manned aircraft that are being mistaken for drones. Despite this, a recent CBS News poll found 78% of Americans think the government is keeping information about the drones from the public, and 53% of Americans believe the drones are a threat to the country.

CNN [1/2/2025 4:13 AM, Hanna Park, Chelsea Bailey, Brynn Gingras, John Miller and Lauren Mascarenhas, 22417K, Negative] reports the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday could have been significantly worse, if not for the vehicle’s body construction, which helped contain the blast, police said. The driver of the Cybertruck was killed and seven others nearby were injured when a combination of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel in the bed of the vehicle were detonated by a device controlled by the driver, police say. “The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast. Up through the truck and out,” Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said Wednesday. “You’ll see that the front glass doors at the Trump hotel were not even broken by that blast which they were parked directly in front of.” The FBI is investigating whether the explosion is tied to terrorism. The Cybertruck was rented on the same platform used to obtain the truck involved in a vehicle attack in New Orleans earlier Wednesday. Authorities are investigating possible links between the two incidents. The truck was rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, McMahill said. About an hour later, after driving up and down Las Vegas Boulevard, the truck arrived at the Trump Hotel and detonated, according to authorities. Surveillance footage captured the driver passing the Trump Hotel about an hour before the explosion. The driver is then seen circling back and stopping in front of the hotel just moments before the car blast, according to a law enforcement official involved in the investigation. A CCTV video shown by the police captured the moment the truck exploded. In related social media footage, the vehicle is engulfed in smoke while being doused with water. Authorities suspect that the driver had a background in military service, according to several law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation. While police confirmed they know who rented the truck, they are not disclosing the name of the driver until they can verify the individual’s identity. The New York Times [1/2/2025 2:46 AM, Alexandra E. Petri, Emmett Lindner and Pashtana Usufzy, 161405K, Neutral] reports Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said during a news conference that the authorities “believe this to be an isolated incident,” but have not yet ruled out a connection to the Wednesday morning attack in New Orleans that killed at least 15 people. Sheriff McMahill said the authorities had found gas canisters, camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars in the back of the truck. It was unclear how they had been ignited, Sheriff McMahill said. “There is no further threat to the community,” Sheriff McMahill said. As of Wednesday afternoon, there was no indication that the explosion was connected to ISIS, which President Biden said had inspired the New Orleans attack, but the investigation remains ongoing, he said. At a news conference on Wednesday, Jeremy Schwartz, the acting F.B.I. special agent in charge in Las Vegas, said the agency is investigating whether the explosion “was an act of terrorism or not.” “I know everybody’s interested in that word and trying to see if we can say, ‘Hey this is a terrorist attack,’ “ Mr. Schwartz said. “That is our goal, and that’s what we’re trying to do” The Las Vegas Police Department received a report of an explosion at the Trump Hotel at about 8:40 a.m. local time. Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, said in a statement on X that “the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck,” and said the vehicle was functioning properly. Police were told that a 2024 Cybertruck “pulled up to the last entrance doors of the hotel,” Sheriff McMahill said earlier, at a news conference. The driver was the only person in the truck, Mr. McMahill said, and had been killed inside the vehicle. At least seven others were reported to have sustained minor injuries. The person’s body remained in the truck on Wednesday afternoon, Sheriff McMahill said, and the authorities were working on identification. The authorities said that the truck had been rented in Colorado using Turo, the same car rental app used in the New Orleans attack. The authorities had been able to trace the car back to Colorado using video footage captured at charging stations, Sheriff McMahill said.

Reported similarly:
Los Angeles Times [1/1/2025 4:48 PM, Laura J. Nelson and Melody Gutierrez, 17996K, Neutral]

Reuters [12/31/2024 7:31 AM, Staff, 89965K, Negative] reports that three suspects were arrested on Monday in the death of a Mexican migration agent who was found earlier in the day with no signs of life, state security and migration officials said. The death of the agent marked a rare case of deadly violence against agents weeks before an expected crackdown on immigration once U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office. State investigators confirmed that the migration agent suffered a head injury and was found with no vital signs. His body also showed "signs of violence," according to a statement from public security officials with northern Chihuahua state. The statement said that two Venezuelan men had been taken into custody. Mexican migration agency INM said in a separate statement that a third suspect, a Colombian national, was also detained. The slain agent was attacked at a checkpoint just south of Ciudad Juarez, which is across the border from the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas, when he asked an unspecified number of foreign nationals for their identification documents, according to INM. The death of the migration official comes as would-be migrants await an expected tightening on entry to the United States once Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Newsweek [1/1/2025 12:26 PM, Andrew Stanton, 56005K, Neutral] reports claims that Mexico is sending hundreds of lawyers to the United States to defend migrants in court have spread across social media, but Mexico has not said it plans to do so. Immigration remains a divisive political issue in the U.S., with critics raising concerns about a high number of migrant border crossings in recent years. There were about 2.13 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in Fiscal Year 2024, down from 2.48 million in FY2023, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. President-elect Donald Trump rode a wave of border outrage to victory in the 2024 election, when he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris. When he returns to the White House this month, immigration and border security will be one of his top priorities and may be a sticking point with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as Trump campaigned on mass deportations of undocumented migrants. Mexico announced new efforts to defend the "human rights" of Mexican migrants living in the United States at the end of December, including a new mobile app that would alert a Mexican migrant’s family and their nearest consulate if they are being detained by U.S. authorities, according to a press release. The app will be used to monitor due process and ensure consulate notification. Foreign Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente announced the app during a December 27 press conference in which he discussed an existing legal assistance program that works with 329 legal advisors. "The Mexican government, through its consular network in the United States, will defend the human rights of its citizens in accordance with international law," the press release said.

CBS News [12/31/2024 9:36 AM, Staff, 52225K, Neutral] reports that Mexican authorities said they recovered a total of 31 bodies from pits in a southeastern state plagued by cartel violence since they began excavating the improvised graves at the weekend. Chiapas State Governor Eduardo Ramirez over the weekend announced an operation to restore stability to Frailesca, an agricultural region near Guatemala where rival drug cartels have been involved in a turf war. "As of today (Monday), we have found a total of 25 clandestine graves, 31 bodies found, 29 of them male and two female," said Jorge Luis Llaven, the state prosecutor of Chiapas in a statement. The Chiapas state government initially said it had discovered 15 bodies on Saturday. A further two were found on Sunday and 14 more on Monday. Gov. Ramirez posted images of the scene over the weekend on social media. The prosecutor said his office and the state security secretariat will continue investigating until they find "each one of the bodies of the people who have been reported missing." Collectives searching for missing persons say that drug trafficking cartels and other organized crime gangs sometimes use ovens to incinerate their victims and leave no trace. Mexico’s cartel-related violence is concentrated along drug trafficking routes, borders and ports of entry.

Wall Street Journal [1/2/2025 7:52 PM, David Shepardson, Negative] reports the motives of the murderous driver who killed at least 15 and injured 30 or more in the French Quarter in New Orleans early Wednesday aren’t entirely clear as we write this. But officials say they are investigating the rampage as an act of terrorism, and emerging evidence suggests the killer may have been a jihadist radical who had accomplices. Police sources identified the driver as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran from Texas. His truck crashed into a crane after it sped along Bourbon Street aiming at pedestrians with deadly intent. He shot at police from his car, wounded two officers, and was killed in return fire. Police say they found other weapons and improvised explosive devices in the truck and IEDs elsewhere in the French Quarter, and the FBI says a flag associated with Islamic State was found with the vehicle. Islamic State, or ISIS, is the jihadist group that created a caliphate in Syria and Iraq during the Obama Administration until U.S. bombing eliminated its last sanctuary in the first Trump term. More ominously, the FBI said it believes Jabbar didn’t act alone. Conflicting reports said four others may have been observed on video planting IEDs elsewhere in the city. “We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible,” FBI assistant special agent in charge Alethea Duncan said. “The FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.” Domestic acts of terrorism inspired from abroad aren’t uncommon, though they have been rare of late in the U.S. Last month a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia rammed a car into a Christmas market in the eastern German town of Magdeburg, killing five and wounding dozens. But the possible existence of a broader terror plot raises concerns about other potential attacks, and not merely in New Orleans. That city was supposed to host college football’s Sugar Bowl Wednesday evening, and the game was postponed until Thursday. It will also host the Super Bowl in February, and jihadists know big public sporting events are vulnerable.

Washington Examiner [1/1/2025 7:31 PM, Tom Rogan, 2365K, Neutral] reports at least temporarily on Wednesday, the FBI was clearly concerned that the ISIS-inspired/-directed attack in New Orleans may have been the work of a broader cell of terrorists. Early on Wednesday morning, a U.S. citizen, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove a truck at high speed into New Year’s Eve revelers celebrating on New Orleans’s famous Bourbon Street. At least 15 people were killed. Vehicle ramming attacks are an ISIS hallmark. Later came media reports that the FBI believed three or four individuals other than Jabbar were caught on security cameras laying explosive devices. These reports may have been mistaken. Still, one key indication that the FBI had at least some credible intelligence to indicate a sustaining threat was the deployment of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team to New Orleans. As I noted earlier, a Department of Justice Boeing 757-200 aircraft flew from Richmond, Virginia, to New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon. HRT deployments on these aircraft operate under call signs JENA1 and JENA2. It is probable that elements from the FBI’s counter-IED section and crisis negotiation unit joined HRT on the flight. All three of these units belong to the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group based out of the bureau’s presence at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. The HRT deployment here is highly notable. There are certain assets that the FBI will deploy following terrorist attacks or other incidents in order to reassure the public that their safety is paramount even where the FBI believes the threat has been addressed. These include public disclosure of the deployment of evidence response teams, additional agents from other FBI field offices, etc. HRT deployments are never made simply for reassurance. HRT operates three tactical assault/sniper teams, Gold, Silver, and Blue, which rotate through training, support, and crisis contingency deployments. A small number of HRT operators from the team on support duty are regularly deployed nationally and globally as advisers or on temporary missions such as high-threat reconnaissance, close protection, and cross-training operations with other tactical units. One thing is certain: This won’t be the last time HRT is deployed against a terrorist threat.

WSOCTV.com [12/31/2024 8:54 PM, Staff, Negative] reports a man wanted in connection with an international investigation spanning several years has been apprehended, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office. In 2020, Baldomero Hernandez-Jimenez was charged with multiple serious sexual offenses, including several counts of statutory rape, statutory sexual offense, and indecent liberties with a child during an extensive assault investigation. In October of that year, Hernandez-Jimenez was arrested and placed under a $500,000 secured bond. He would later bond out and fail to appear for his court date, causing a warrant to be issued for his arrest. With assistance from the U.S. Marshals and the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, Hernandez-Jimenez was located in Mexico and taken into custody. Deputies said Hernandez-Jimenez was then extradited to the United States and processed at the Union County Detention Center. He is being held under a new secured bond of $300,000. A hold has also been issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prevent his release.

WKBN [12/31/2024 9:47 PM, Madison Meeker, Negative] reports a processed meat production company will pay a $3.7 million penalty after a Salem, Ohio hiring manager’s involvement in an identity theft scheme. Yelwin Omar Munoz-Solis, 43, of Salem, Ohio was a hiring manager at Fresh Mark’s Salem facility. According to a release from the US Attorney’s Office Tuesday, he conspired with others to steal the identities of U.S. citizens and gave them to illegal job applicants. He also certified I-9 documents. Munoz-Solis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements on immigration forms submitted to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

FOX News [12/31/2024 2:44 PM, Adam Shaw, 49889K, Neutral] reports that a controversial immigration program that has been in place for decades has recently become a hot-button issue as it looks likely to be axed or severely limited by the incoming Trump administration, and Democrats are calling on President Biden to take moves to preserve it. Temporary Protected Status is a program established in the 1990s that allows the government to designate countries unsafe for nationals to return to, granting nationals already in the U.S. work permits and protection from deportation if they are here illegally or if their legal status expires. The Biden administration designated or re-designated a number of countries for TPS, including Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan and others, allowing hundreds of thousands of nationals to remain in the U.S. as a result. There are currently 17 countries designated for TPS. The first Trump administration sought to wind down TPS for a number of countries, but it was caught up in a yearslong court battle launched by left-wing civil rights groups on the matter. With that looming, Democrats have been urging Biden to extend protections under TPS and other programs to blunt the impact of the incoming administration. So far, however, there’s been no movement on TPS by the Biden administration nor any indication that redesignations or extensions are imminent.

CBS News [12/31/2024 2:21 PM, Kate Gibson, 52225K, Neutral] reports that in helping instigate a heated debate over H-1B visas, Elon Musk is speaking both from personal experience and as a business owner. That’s because his company, electric car maker Tesla, is among the U.S. companies that bring thousands of foreign engineers and other skilled workers into the U.S. each year. After not placing in the top 25 H-1B visa employers in prior years, Tesla now ranks No. 16, according to the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) a nonpartisan think tank focused on trade and immigration issues. Amazon. The e-commerce company had the most approved H-1B petitions for initial employment in 2024, with 3,871. That figure was down from more than 4,000 H-1B visas in 2023 and nearly 6,400 in 2022. Cognizant. The information technology services firm had the second most H-1B petitions approved in 2024, tallying 2,837. Infosys. The digital services and consulting company had 2,504 petitions approved in fiscal-year 2024. IBM. The technology company nicknamed Big Blue tallied 1,348 petitions. Microsoft. The technology conglomerate saw 1,264 petitions approved. Google. The search engine ranked No. 8, with 1,058 H-1Bs. Meta Platforms. Formerly known as Facebook, Meta was behind 920 approved petitions. Apple. The iPhone and laptop maker accounted for 864. Intel. The semiconductor company’s count came to 851.

Yahoo! News [12/31/2024 2:36 PM, Salvador Hernandez and Ruben Vives, 57114K, Negative] reports that unlawful border crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped to a four-year low, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with 46,610 people stopped between ports of entry in November. The number of illegal crossings that month marked an 18% decrease from the previous month, and the lowest level since July 2020, the agency said. "Our enhanced enforcement efforts, combined with executive actions and coordination with Mexico and Central American countries in recent months, are having a sustained, meaningful impact," said Troy A. Miller, the acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Between June and November, the Department of Homeland Security removed more than 240,000 people, according to the agency. In fiscal year 2024, the department also removed more than 700,000 from the country, more than any prior year since 2010. The numbers represent something of a turnaround for the Biden administration, which faced major political backlash for a surge in illegal crossings earlier in Biden’s term. Trump slammed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the increases. Immigration experts attribute the drop in border encounters — people stopped trying to cross in areas between ports of entry — to multiple factors, including what they said is the current administration’s "carrot-and-stick" approach.

Newsweek [12/31/2024 11:46 PM, Anna Commander, 56005K, Neutral] reports President-elect Donald Trump was asked by a reporter on Tuesday night at his New Year’s Eve party, "Why’d you change your mind on H-1B visas?" and he responded in part, "I didn’t change my mind.” An H-1B visa is a tool in an immigration program designed for highly skilled workers and the Biden administration said this month that it plans to speed up applications in an overhaul of the program, and that it would punish companies that may be abusing it. Trump has previously denounced the program, calling it "unfair" to American workers and "very bad," according to the Associated Press. At Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Palm Beach estate and resort, the president-elect on Tuesday night replied to a reporter asking him about his stance on the program: "I didn’t change my mind. I always felt we have to have the most competent people in our country. We need competent people. We need smart people coming into our country. We need a lot of people coming in. We’re going to have jobs like we’ve never had before," Trump said. Trump also spoke about the visa program in a comment to the New York Post on Saturday, saying in part, "I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them," he said via phone call. Trump aligned himself with his billionaire supporter Elon Musk, who has also praised the program amid backlash from MAGA.

Reported similarly:
Newsweek [1/1/2025 8:59 AM, James Bickerton, 56005K, Neutral]

Telemundo [12/31/2024 5:49 AM, Eduardo Orbea, 34K, Negative] reports thousands of immigrants are awaiting Donald Trump’s inauguration as president of the United States with some trepidation, as he promised massive deportations across the country, including places like churches and schools. In light of this situation, the US Federal Trade Commission is warning the community of possible scams by people posing as lawyers, to get money out of people. These scams are very common and target the immigrant community, an easy prey of false promises, which even include virtual appointments with Immigration agents. The warnings also point to notarios, who offer assistance with immigration cases, but who cannot actually represent you before the USCIS because they are not lawyers. They also warn that the government does not use Facebook and does not call you directly by phone, as many scammers pretend it does. And if you receive any communication via the Internet, make sure the website is official and that its last letters are .gov.

The Hill [12/31/2024 5:45 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 16346K, Neutral] reports U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) announced a new low for border level crossings during the month of November ahead of President Biden’s exit from the White House. Statistics released by the agency show a 4.5 percent drop in field operations and encounters at the southwest border. Single adults consistently ranked the highest for crossings over the past two month, totaling 64,004 encounters with Border Patrol during the time frame. Individuals in a family unit trailed with 27,488 encounters, followed by single minors at 11,646. The decrease in encounters comes months after a July asylum order that limited border crossings. Weeks later, crossings were down by 40 percent.

Newsweek [12/31/2024 1:11 PM, Billal Rahman, 56005K, Neutral] reports that the National Border Patrol Council issued a stark warning to Democratic leaders and sanctuary cities as the incoming Trump administration gears up to carry out mass deportations. Council President Paul Perez cautioned Democratic officials against resisting the deportations, emphasizing that President-elect Donald Trump is assembling "the best legal minds" to ensure enforcement and impose consequences. Immigration is a priority for the incoming administration, with Trump pledging to launch the largest deportation program in U.S. history on the first day of his second term. Trump has also promised to shut down the CBP One app, end the catch-and-release policy, and reinstate the Remain in Mexico program as part of his rigid immigration strategy. Following the 2024 election, several Democrats have been laying the groundwork to prevent the incoming administration from deporting undocumented immigrants. That led Tom Homan, Trump’s "border czar," to warn them to "get out of the way.” In response to officials and sanctuary cities planning to oppose the administration’s efforts, Perez emphasized that "federal law supersedes state law." Homan has vowed to send "twice as many" Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to Los Angeles to enact mass deportations.

Yahoo! News [12/31/2024 6:51 AM, Jeff Arnold, 57114K, Negative] reports immigration officials and agents at the U.S.-Mexico border insist there is still time for a potential surge of immigrants to cross into the country illegally before President-elect Trump takes office and cracks down on border entries. Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, have pledged to begin mass deportation efforts on Day 1 of Trump’s second White House term. But with three weeks before Trump’s inauguration, federal immigration officials believe they could be facing an influx of migrants who attempt to find safety in the U.S. before the border is closed. Homan, however, is warning them not to come. Several caravans of immigrants have broken free from Mexico’s southernmost point in Tapachula near the Guatemalan border. However, those groups of migrants have not yet reached the U.S.-Mexico border. Instead, smaller segments of those caravans have arrived in Eagle Pass, Texas, before Trump takes office. Since President Biden took office in 2021, more than 8 million migrants have been encountered at the southern border. The majority were given a court date to appear at an immigration hearing, which can take years to materialize. Homan recently told NewsNation that immigrants who cross illegally and then enter the process seeking asylum should not get comfortable living in the United States. "They need to hear, they need to understand, ‘Do not sell everything you own to give it to the criminal cartels to be smuggled into the United States because you’re not going to stay,’" Homan said. He added that the Trump administration will be ending the federal "catch and release" program, which allows immigrants who entered the country illegally to remain in the country as long as they are in the process for asylum. "Stay in your homeland," the incoming border czar told NewsNation. "Be safe. Crossing into this country illegally is very dangerous.” Homan also noted that a record number of migrants have died attempting to cross into the U.S. and that a record number of Americans are dying from fentanyl. Homan blamed both the migrant and American deaths on the Biden administration and its approach to the border.

Newsweek [12/31/2024 4:08 PM, Dan Gooding, 56005K, Negative] reports that Border patrol officers announced the capture of another suspected member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in California, who was sporting signature tattoos linked to the notoriously violent group. The unnamed suspect was found by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Imperial, with star tattoos similar to those seen on other members of the gang that has slowly spread across the U.S. in recent years. Tren de Aragua (TdA) members have been linked to several high-profile crimes in 2024, including the murders of Laken Riley in Georgia and Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas. Law enforcement officials recently put out a bulletin noting that the alleged gang members’ distinctive tattoos in the hopes they could lead the public to identifying other suspects. U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the capture of the Venezuelan who had an outstanding warrant for attempted homicide in Redwood City and was previously arrested for grand larceny in New York. The man had stars on either shoulder, similar to others seen on TdA members, which indicate rank, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Newsweek reached out to CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for further comment Monday afternoon via email.

BorderReport [12/31/2024 7:33 PM, Fernie Ortiz, 153K, Neutral] reports Border officers seized millions of dollars worth of drugs during the weekend, including over a ton of pot. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the drug seizures occurred Friday and Saturday at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas. One involved what was supposed to be a commercial shipment of buckets of roof sealant in a tractor-trailer. After border officers X-rayed the truck and had a drug-sniffing dog inspect it, they found 30 pounds of meth in the buckets. The drugs had a street value of $266,000. On Friday, officers referred to a secondary inspection a tractor-trailer that was supposed to be carrying mechanical appliances. With the help of a dog and X-rays, officers found 2,700 pounds of marijuana in the trailer. CBP said the pot had a street value of more than $6 million, adding that both seizures had a combined street value of $6,324,920. Laredo Port Director Alberto Flores said the drug seizures exemplify ongoing operational efforts to detect high-risk shipments at cargo facilities. "CBP is proud of the work our frontline officers do to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our communities," he said.

Washington Examiner [12/31/2024 8:20 AM, Bethany Blankley, 2365K, Neutral] reports "I’ve told you this before, the Biden administration created an unmitigated disaster," outgoing Jackson County Sheriff Kelly Janica told The Center Square, repeating a claim he first made in 2022 about the border crisis. Cartel operatives, human and drug smugglers take Highway 59 to and from Houston, which runs right through Jackson County. Janica was one of the first to join the OLS task force, coming out of retirement to lead the sheriff’s office after serving decades in public service. He and incoming sheriff Rick Boone sat down with The Center Square at Janica’s retirement celebration – his final one this time – to discuss the success of the OLS Task Force. "Roy Boyd had the right idea and put together this coalition of all these agencies of like-minded sheriffs, deputies and willing to work criminal law enforcement officers. That’s the bottom line. And after January 20th, I think that’s going to play a major part on what we’re going to do about taking our state back," he told The Center Square. "Operation Lone Star was one of the best things in my career that ever happened to Texas.” The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has played a major role in apprehending fugitives, human and drug smugglers, finding and seizing stolen cars and contraband. Janica was also among the first to sound the alarm of alleged smugglers transporting illegal foreign nationals with what appear to be brand new U.S. passports and court dates scheduled for years into the future, The Center Square reported. His deputies have helped track down 18-wheeler smuggling operations and major human smuggling operations, The Center Square exclusively reported. Three years into the border crisis, Janica and Wharton County Sheriff Shannon Srubar highlighted OLS successes, explaining their counties are the "last two links in the enforcement chain on U.S. 59. "We’re committed to criminal law enforcement in our counties. We will not give the cartels a foothold. We will not allow them to use our county for stash houses and staging areas. We will not allow them free passage through our counties so they can prey upon other Texans," The Center Square reported. Border-related crime in the county isn’t new, the sheriffs acknowledged. "Ever since I’ve been in law enforcement, there’s been a trickle. And I’m talking back from the seventies," Janica said. "But in 2022, 2023 it just exploded.” The difference is this time, counties received support through OLS, created by Gov. Greg Abbott and funded by the Texas legislature.

Newsweek [1/2/2025 5:06 AM, Billal Rahman, 56005K, Neutral] reports an investigation has been launched after a viral social media post allegedly showed a Border Patrol agent mistreating a K9 at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in Texas. Newsweek has contacted Customs and Border Protection for further comment via email outside of normal office hours. The video, which was recorded by Jessica Pena on New Year’s Day, shows what appears to be a Border Patrol agent allegedly abusing a dog, raising serious concerns about the treatment of animals used in law enforcement. While the U.S. Border Patrol has committed to a thorough investigation, this incident highlights issues of misconduct within the agency, as Newsweek has previously revealed at least 211 Border Patrol agents are currently under investigation for alleged wrongdoings. The video was published on Wednesday and shows the alleged abuse at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in Texas. Jessica Pena, who was at the checkpoint just before 3 p.m. CST on New Year’s Day, witnessed a Border Patrol agent reportedly kneeing and kicking a K9 in an apparent disciplinary action, footage appears to show. The footage, shared to Pena’s Facebook page, has received over 441,000 views. Pena captured part of the incident on video before exiting her vehicle to confront the agents. The Border Patrol did not provide specifics about the incident or the current status of the Border Patrol agent shown in the video. Gloria I. Chavez, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, said in a statement shared on social media: "The U.S. Border Patrol takes every allegation seriously. Our K9s are extremely valuable to our border security mission. We love our dogs. They are very special law enforcement partners. Any mistreatment or abuse by their handlers will not be tolerated in any capacity. "We very much appreciate the public for making us aware of the incident that took place at the Falfurrias Checkpoint. We have made proper notifications to conduct a full investigation into this event. Be assured that our K9 is safe. "I appreciate all your love, concern, and support for our K9 partners. Be assured our K9s and their safety will always be a top priority.". CBP investigations remain ongoing.

AZCentral [12/31/2024 8:02 AM, Taylor Seely, 6018K, Negative] reports a Phoenix man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after dragging a border patrol agent from the side of his car during a 2023 stop near Sonoita, about 30 miles north of the U.S.-Mexican border. Michael Leroy Witt, 56, was found guilty by a jury in July 2024 of assault of a federal officer, conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants and transportation of undocumented migrants. He was sentenced Dec. 17 in U.S. District Court to 120 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release post imprisonment by Judge John C. Hinderaker. Federal public defenders representing Witt filed an appeal Dec. 19. Border Patrol agent Thomas Gonzales pulled Witt over in February 2023 on suspicion of transporting undocumented migrants, court records show. Gonzales said the dark tint on Witt’s black Chevrolet Sonic back window, combined with Witt’s slow speed of 45 mph in a 65-mph area and swerving between lanes caught his attention. After running the license plate in registration records, Gonzales found "the vehicle also had an alert placed on it...for being used to transport non-citizens," according to the complaint. Gonzales then tried to pull Witt over, but Witt only slowed down and waved out his window, signaling Gonzales to pass him. Gonzales used his loudspeaker to order Witt to pull over, and Witt complied, the complaint says. When Gonzales walked up to Witt’s car, he saw "two lumps under blankets in the back seat floorboard." Gonzales asked Witt to roll down his window, but Witt said he couldn’t and "was fidgeting in his seat." Gonzales asked Witt to turn the car off, but Witt refused, court documents say. Gonzales "attempted to detain Witt by opening (his car) door," but "Witt resisted by pulling his hands away." Witt "placed the vehicle in drive and accelerated away onto oncoming traffic while (Gonzales) was trapped in the window / door," the complaint says. Gonzales "was able to deliver kinetic strikes to Witt’s head, reach in and turn the ignition off and safely steer the vehicle to the north side shoulder." Witt was then placed under arrest, the complaint says. There were two people without legal status from Mexico in Witt’s backseat — Anthony Juarez-Francisco and Nelson Gabriel Olivera-Antonio. Court documents say Juarez-Francisco planned to pay Witt 250,000 Mexican pesos to be smuggled into the U.S. (about $12,000 U.S. dollars), and Olivera-Antonio planned to pay 220,000 Mexican pesos (about $10,600).

Newsweek [12/31/2024 10:38 AM, Staff, 56005K, Negative] reports that a drone has led Mexican authorities to the discovery of a suspected drug tunnel beneath the U.S.-Mexico border, officials reported. Newsweek contacted Customs and Border Protection for further comment via email outside of normal office hours. The discovery of the tunnel south of Yuma, Arizona, highlights ongoing border security challenges that President-elect Donald Trump will face when he takes office. Trump has pledged to crack down on crime syndicates, drug smuggling, and illegal migration as he looks to implement his mass deportation policy. While the wall remains a focal point in immigration discourse, tunnels like the one uncovered in the city of San Luis Rio Colorado in Mexico, which abuts the U.S. border, show how traffickers adapt to bypass barriers. Mexican authorities believe they have halted the construction of a new drug tunnel leading into Arizona. The tunnel’s entrance is located in the Mexican city of San Luis Rio Colorado, south of Yuma, near the border and the State Public Security Secretariat of Sonora state shared images of the tunnel on Facebook. The tunnel was discovered during a joint operation with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol operation, where agents used a drone to locate it just south of the border wall.

Reported similarly:
FOX 10 [12/31/2024 5:44 PM, Tom Kuebel, Neutral]

Yahoo! News [12/31/2024 7:47 AM, Staff, 57114K, Neutral] reports a FEMA center that has been helping Mercer County residents recover from the flooding and wind damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene last September closed Monday with plans to reopen Jan. 2 in a new location. The Bluefield Disaster Recovery Center located at the Maple View Church of Christ next door to the Mercer Mall was scheduled to close Monday at 5 p.m. Since the center opened, FEMA representatives have helped and guided over 200 families seeking federal disaster assistance. FEMA disaster recovery centers will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. A new FEMA location for Mercer County, the Princeton Disaster Recovery Center, will open on Thursday, Jan. 2 at the Lifeline Princeton Church of God, 250 Oakvale Road near Princeton, the agency announced Monday in a press release. Hours at the Princeton Disaster Recovery Center will be Thursday, Jan. 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., then Friday, Jan. 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. FEMA also announced the Princeton Disaster Recovery Center’s hours for its second week. It will be open Monday, Jan. 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From Tuesday, Jan. 7 to Friday, Jan. 10, it will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., then Saturday, Jan. 11, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The recovery center will be closed Sundays. Additional hours for the recovery center will be announced at a later date, FEMA officials said Monday in the agency’s announcement. Mercer County residents impacted by Hurricane Helene do not have to visit a disaster recovery center to register with FEMA. County residents can call 800-621-FEMA (3362). The toll-free telephone line operates seven days a week. People using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, should give FEMA the phone number for that service. Resident seeking FEMA assistance can also register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or through the FEMA App on their phones. The deadline to apply for FEMA disaster assistance is Feb. 7, 2025. Mercer County residents who applied previously in Virginia for damage from Hurricane Helene should contact FEMA at 800-621-3362 or online at disasterassistance.gov to discuss their application. Callers need use the FEMA registration number they were assigned when they applied.

Yahoo! News [12/31/2024 7:30 AM, Staff, 57114K, Neutral] reports the Federal Emergency Management Agency is extending the deadline to apply for Helene assistance in North Carolina. The new deadline is Feb. 6. Homeowners and renters in impacted counties are eligible for financial help. Anyone who needs help applying can visit a disaster recovery center. Right now, centers are open in Morganton, Newland, Jefferson, Boone, and Lenoir. You can also apply on FEMA’s website. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Asheville Citizen Times [1/1/2025 5:06 AM, Jacob Biba, Neutral] reports three months after Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved $288 million in recovery assistance to more than 142,000 household and individuals, the agency said in a Dec. 27 release. An additional $307 million in public assistance funding has been approved so far to support community recovery, FEMA said. The announcement comes after Congress approved a bipartisan spending bill that will deliver another $29 billion to FEMA’s relief fund, which provides individual assistance to disaster survivors and reimburses states and municipalities for debris removal and other post-disaster response. More than 2.4 million cubic yards of debris have been removed from public rights of way by FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractors, according to FEMA.

Yahoo! News [1/1/2025 11:28 PM, Kevin S. Held, 57114K, Negative] reports President Joe Biden has ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in more than a dozen Missouri counties affected by severe weather this past November. These storms brought flooding, straight-line winds, and tornadoes to southeast Missouri from Nov. 3 to Nov. 9, 2024. Federal dollars can be used by the state, eligible local governments, and certain private nonprofits for emergency work, as well as repair or replacement of damaged property and facilities in each of the following 14 counties: Carter, Crawford, Dent, Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Phelps, Pulaski, Reynolds, Shannon, Texas, Washington, and Wright. The declaration also allows for federal funding on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Houston Chronicle [12/31/2024 4:03 PM, John Lomax V, 2315K, Neutral] reports Gov. Greg Abbott has requested assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration to determine the extent of damage caused by a series of storms that slammed southeast Texas last week, according to a Tuesday news release. According to the release, officials from the SBA are expected to arrive Monday, and will assist local officials in conducting an initial damage assessment after storms brought at least two rounds of tornadoes to the Houston area Thursday and Saturday. The assessment will determine if federal assistance is necessary to help repair infrastructure and property damage caused by the storms, which left at least one Houston-area woman dead. Previous reporting from the Chronicle confirmed last week’s storms whipped up at least 11 tornadoes in Harris and surrounding counties. Officials are still reviewing damage reports submitted through the Texas Department of Emergency Management’s Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool, according to the release. The iSTAT allows residents to self-report damage through the tool’s assessment survey. Abbott encouraged all residents who sustained property damage during the storms to fill out the survey.

AP [1/1/2025 3:40 PM, Amanda Pérez Pintado, 12036K, Negative] reports power was restored to nearly all electrical customers across Puerto Rico on Wednesday after a sweeping blackout plunged the U.S. territory into darkness on New Year’s Eve. By Wednesday afternoon, power was back up for 98% of Puerto Rico’s 1.47 million utility customers, said Luma Energy, the private company overseeing transmission and distribution of power in the archipelago. Lights returned to households as well as to Puerto Rico’s hospitals, water plants and sewage facilities after the massive outage that exposed the persistent electricity problems plaguing the island. Still, the company warned that customers could still see temporary outages in the coming days. It said full restoration across the island could take up to two days. “Given the fragile nature of the grid, we will need to manage available generation to customer demand, which will likely require rotating temporary outages,” Juan Saca, president of Luma Energy, said in a statement. The lights went off in Puerto Rico at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, darkening almost the entire archipelago as people prepared to ring in the New Year. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the outage, but Luma Energy said a preliminary review pointed to a failure in an underground electric line in the south of the territory. Governor-elect Jenniffer González Colón, who is set to take office on Thursday, warned that customers might experience interruptions in the coming days, with power plants not yet operating at maximum capacity. “These days, I urge you to be moderate with your energy consumption to help reduce load shifting, so that more people can have access to electricity and the system can start up without any major setbacks,” González Colón said on social media platform X. On the campaign trail, González Colón had promised to appoint an “energy czar” to oversee the operation of the power grid, which has long been fragile and faulty due to years of neglect. The island’s power grid was ravaged in September 2017 by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm. Unreliable electricity remains frustratingly common, hindering daily life for Puerto Ricans. In June, over 340,000 customers were left without electricity as people reeled from soaring temperatures. At the peak of Hurricane Ernesto, in August, over half of all utility customers lost power. Tens of thousands of people remained without electricity a week after the storm. The New Year’s Eve outage came as clients brace for a hike in electricity rates. Last month, Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau approved an increase of 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour for residential customers from January through March, causing electric bills for the average household to jump by nearly $20, the Energy Bureau says.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [12/31/2024 4:19 PM, Luis Ferré-Sadurní, Victor Mather, et al., 161405K, Neutral]
Los Angeles Times [12/31/2024 10:40 AM, Dánica Coto, 17996K, Neutral]
Bloomberg [12/31/2024 9:30 AM, Jim Wyss, 6595K, Neutral]
The Hill [12/31/2024 3:00 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 16346K, Neutral]
AP [12/31/2024 10:22 PM, Dánica Coto, 12036K, Neutral]
CBS News [12/31/2024 9:51 AM, Staff, 52225K, Neutral]

Washington Post [12/31/2024 8:32 PM, Carol D. Leonnig and Emmanuel Martinez, 40736K, Neutral] reports in the days before Donald Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Secret Service needed a member of his protective detail to develop a security plan to keep the former president safe as he addressed a crowd of thousands at an open-air fairground. With agents stretched thin by the presidential campaign, the agency turned to a “junior” member of the detail, according to an independent review panel commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security. In the past, the Secret Service would have trained new agents in a field office for a minimum of five years and had them work at least two more in a protective detail before assigning them to oversee such a large public event, multiple former agents told The Washington Post. The agent put in charge of security at Butler had joined the Secret Service four years earlier and only started in the protective detail in 2023, the panel found. The causes of the mistakes in Butler, the Secret Service’s biggest security failure since the 1981 attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, had been years in the making, a Post review found. But three presidents and Congress have failed to fix the major vulnerabilities in the Secret Service that were identified a decade ago, the Post review has found. Instead, some problems have grown worse and left the agency weaker on key measures. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the agency implemented 13 of the 19 changes recommended by the White House-commissioned investigation but did not have funding to complete the job.

News 12 New Jersey [12/31/2024 1:37 PM, Staff, 363K, Negative] reports that a man from New Jersey has been arrested for allegedly using fake money to steal approximately $16,000 worth of merchandise from dozens of businesses in several states. Steve Ranke was caught by Pennsylvania State Police on Dec. 30, after attempting to use counterfeit bills at a Walmart. Ranke reportedly ran off but was chased down by troopers. Ranke is currently being held at the Somerset County Jail and faces several charges in connection with the retail theft ring, which operated across multiple states over a two-month period. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

USA Today [1/1/2025 4:35 PM, Bart Jansen, 89965K, Neutral] reports security tightened across the nation’s capital on Wednesday after a vehicular attack in New Orleans, which killed 10 people and injured at least 35, but there is no known threat to the city, authorities said. The Metropolitan Police Department heightened its security posture across the city "out of an abundance caution" after the New Orleans attack, although there is no known threat to the city, according to Paris Lewbel, deputy director of communications for the department. "Whenever an incident occurs in the country, MPD closely monitors the situation, evaluates intelligence, and assesses our security posture," Lewbel said. “While we do not discuss specifics regarding operations, tactics, or staffing, the community will notice an increased police presence throughout the city." The FBI is investigating the New Orleans incident as "an act of terrorism" and continues to search for other suspects, after the driver was shot and killed by local police. The attack came the same day as the Sugar Bowl, a college football matchup between Notre Dame and the University of Georgia, was scheduled. The game was postponed a day. Several high-profile events that could attract large crowds are scheduled in Washington in the coming weeks. Congress reconvenes on Friday, lawmakers will count Electoral College votes on Monday, the late President Jimmy Carter will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday to Thursday and President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20. Signs of tighter security for upcoming were already obvious with the installation of chain-link fencing around the Capitol. Fencing has routinely been placed around the historic building since a riot Jan. 6, 2021, led to a temporary halt in Congress counting Electoral College votes. Security fencing is also traditionally erected for the inauguration. "While there is no known threat to the District of Columbia, out of an abundance of caution, MPD has heightened its security posture across the city in light of recent events," Lewbel said. “As the nation’s capital, we maintain a heightened level of security at all times to ensure the safety of our residents, businesses, and visitors."

Midland Daily News [12/31/2024 3:12 PM, Remington Hernandez, 207K, Negative] reports the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in finding the suspect. Tuesday, the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook that they received a report of a counterfeit $100 bill being passed in the Reed City area. They described the suspect is a man in his mid-20s with facial tattoos, driving a newer gray Jeep. No further details were provided.

Yahoo! News [12/31/2024 8:49 AM, Ashley Suter, 57114K, Positive] reports that a dad and three kids were rescued on Sunday near the Skyway Bridge, the U.S. Coast Guard announced. A USCG Station St. Petersburg boat crew rescued them from their disabled personal watercraft. The dad and three kids were rescued from a navigational aid and were transported to Demens Landing Park. No injuries were reported.

FOX News [12/31/2024 6:15 AM, Christina Shaw, 49889K, Negative] reports United States Coast Guard officials in California said six people are suspects in deadly human smuggling events at the Golden State’s southwest border last week. The incidents involved more than 60 people and took place between Dec. 23 and Dec. 29, according to the USCG. A statement posted on the branch’s X account said many lives were lost during the incidents, but did not provide further details. "Tragically, this endeavor has claimed many lives. Taking to the ocean in unseaworthy vessels with unlicensed captains in cold, unforgiving waters is deadly," the statement read. On Dec. 11, the USCG posted a similar statement that said 14 people were suspects in human smuggling events involving 73 individuals during a seven-day period. They cited possible complications with water temperatures below 60 degrees, which can cause hypothermia in less than 30 minutes. "Smuggling attempts put lives at extreme risk," the USCG said.

Yahoo! News [12/31/2024 10:27 AM, Steven Yablonski, 57114K, Neutral] reports that two men were rescued off the coast of Puerto Rico over the weekend after the U.s. Coast Guard said their boat ran out of fuel and capsized. Officials said Coast Guard Sector San Juan watchstanders received an unregistered digital selective calling alert around 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by a phone call from a good Samaritan reporting a vessel in distress about 5 miles south of Desecheo Island. A distress call was then received a few hours later from the two men, who reported that they had activated the digital selective calling alert earlier. An Air Station Borinquen Coast Guard Auxiliary crew located the two men and their 24-foot fishing vessel. Around 5 p.m., a helicopter arrived on the scene and found the two men wearing life jackets. Coast Guard officials said that about five minutes later, the vessel capsized after taking on water from a wave in 6-8-foot seas and winds between 28-35 mph. Both men, who were uninjured, were hoisted from the rough water and brought to Air Station Borinquen. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Yahoo! News [1/1/2025 3:35 PM, Staff, 57114K, Negative] reports the U.S. Department of Treasury was breached by someone officials say was sponsored by China in December. Now, a metro Atlanta company has confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that its software was breached, leading to the data access. A spokesperson for the U.S. Treasury told ABC News that the “major” breach happened when a third-party cybersecurity service used by the agency was accessed. That service was Johns Creek-based BeyondTrust’s Remote Support service. While the hack was discovered on Dec. 8, according to officials, Treasury staff did not inform members of U.S. Congress until a letter sent to the Senate Banking Committee on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. The Treasury told ABC News they are no longer using the company’s service after the incident. ABC News reported China-sponsored threat actor was able to “override the service’s security, remotely access certain Treasury DO user workstations, and access certain unclassified documents maintained by those users,” according to the letter given to members of Congress. “The compromised BeyondTrust service has been taken offline and there is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury systems or information,” a Treasury Department spokesperson told ABC News. The Treasury told the Associated Press on Monday that during the breach, Department workstations and unclassified documents were access after the third-party software was compromised. “Treasury takes very seriously all threats against our systems, and the data it holds,” a department spokesperson said in a separate statement to the Associated Press. “Over the last four years, Treasury has significantly bolstered its cyber defense, and we will continue to work with both private and public sector partners to protect our financial system from threat actors.”

The AP [12/31/2024 3:14 PM, Eric Tucker, 12036K, Negative] reports that Chinese hackers remotely accessed several U.S. Treasury Department workstations and unclassified documents after compromising a third-party software service provider, the agency said Monday. The department did not provide details on how many workstations had been accessed or what sort of documents the hackers may have obtained, but it said in a letter to lawmakers revealing the breach that "at this time there is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury information." The hack was being investigated as a "major cybersecurity incident," it added. "Treasury takes very seriously all threats against our systems, and the data it holds," a department spokesperson said in a separate statement. "Over the last four years, Treasury has significantly bolstered its cyber defense, and we will continue to work with both private and public sector partners to protect our financial system from threat actors.” In Beijing, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson gave China’s standard response to hacking allegations. "We have repeatedly stated our position on such groundless accusations that lack evidence," Mao Ning said at a daily briefing. "China consistently opposes all forms of hacking, and we are even more opposed to the dissemination of false information against China for political purposes.” Newsweek [12/31/2024 7:34 AM, Amanda Castro, 56005K, Neutral] reports that officials disclosed that the breach was detected on December 8 by BeyondTrust, a third-party software service provider, after hackers obtained a security key granting remote access to Treasury systems. While the exact objectives of the hackers remain unclear, experts believe the operation aimed to gather intelligence rather than disrupt critical infrastructure. The breach has raised concerns given the Treasury Department’s role in overseeing global financial systems and implementing sanctions, including those against Chinese entities aiding Russia. This incident follows a series of recent cyber intrusions by China, including the compromise of U.S. telecommunications networks and government officials’ email accounts. In response, the Treasury Department, along with the FBI and intelligence agencies, has taken steps to secure affected systems and investigate the attack’s scope. A detailed report to Congress is forthcoming. China has denied involvement, dismissing the allegations as "groundless." This latest development adds tension to the already complex relationship between the U.S. and China, with cybersecurity emerging as a critical battleground. The Washington Examiner [12/31/2024 4:32 PM, Rachel Schilke and Cami Mondeaux, 2365K, Negative] reports House Republicans are denouncing a breach of the U.S. Treasury Department’s security by Chinese state-sponsored hackers to steal documents, calling it "sloppy" and promising the country will be held accountable once President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month. The hackers compromised BeyondTrust, a third-party software provider, to take control of certain user work stations and access declassified documents, according to the letter. A House Financial Services spokesman told the Washington Examiner the department is committed to providing committee staff with a classified briefing on the incident, although it is not clear when that will be. Outgoing House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) said he looks forward to Trump demonstrating strength and possibly imposing sanctions against China for this hack and other security breach attempts.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [12/31/2024 5:28 PM, Jake Bleiberg, 21617K, Negative]
CBS Minnesota [12/31/2024 9:25 AM, Staff, 52225K, Negative]
FOX News [12/31/2024 3:11 PM, Morgan Phillips, 49889K, Negative]
Government Executive [12/31/2024 2:15 PM, David DiMolfetta, 342K, Neutral]
Yahoo! News [12/31/2024 7:02 AM, Staff, 57114K, Negative]

Washington Examiner [12/31/2024 4:17 PM, Timothy Nerozzi, 2365K, Negative] reports as with all previous cyberattacks attributed to the CCP, officials have denied the allegations, calling the claims "groundless" and "unwarranted." China has been accused countless times over the past decades of hacking the U.S. government or major U.S. companies. The CCP has denied all of these accusations. An internal review of the U.S. Navy found in 2019 that the Chinese intelligence community oversaw years of operations illicitly accessing U.S. national security data. A key weak point for U.S. cybersecurity proved to be universities. As early as 2017, Chinese hackers began targeting institutions of higher education involved in the development of Navy-funded maritime technology and research.

Reuters [1/1/2025 1:14 PM, Staff, 48128K, Negative] reports a new chapter in mass attacks began in Nice, France, in 2016, when a man drove a heavy truck into crowds of Bastille Day celebrants. Since then vehicle attacks have become increasingly common, though only some have been declared acts of terrorism. The New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, as revelers ushered in 2025, was the latest attack. A driver crashed his pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year’s Day in New Orleans’ French Quarter and opened fire, killing 10 people and injuring more than 35, in an early morning attack the FBI said was a potential act of terrorism. Vehicle attacks have become increasingly common around the world. The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency calls vehicle attacks "a significant threat in the United States" and provides a "Vehicle Incident Prevention and Mitigation Security Guide." Last month in Germany, a 50-year-old man was charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder after police said he plowed a car through crowds at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people and injuring scores. The suspect, who was in custody, is a psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia with a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric who has lived in Germany for almost two decades. A driver in November rammed his car into a crowd at a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, killing 35 people and severely injuring 43 in one of the deadliest attacks in contemporary Chinese history. Police said the 62-year-old driver, with the surname Fan, had been captured and was hospitalized for wounds believed to have been self-inflicted with a knife to the neck and other parts of his body. Fan had been upset about the split of assets in his divorce settlement, police said. A Wisconsin man was convicted in 2022 of killing six people and injuring dozens when he drove his SUV into a Christmas parade near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in November 2021. Darrell Brooks was accused of deliberately driving his sport utility vehicle through police barricades and plowing into crowds of people participating in the annual parade in Waukesha, about 15 miles (25 km) west of downtown Milwaukee. The New York Times [1/1/2025 6:36 PM, Eve Sampson, 161405K, Negative] reports that assailants with “limited access to explosives or weapons” can use vehicles to cause great harm “with minimal prior training or experience,” according to an F.B.I. handout on “Terrorist Use of Vehicle Ramming Tactics.” Vehicle ramming attacks transform “a bland, everyday object into a lethal, semi-strategic weapon,” the researchers Vincent Miller and Keith Hayward wrote in a 2019 study published in The British Journal of Criminology. The tactic gives “marginal actors” the ability to “strike at the heart of urban centers and sow fear in the wider society,” they added. After potential targets such as airports and public buildings became more heavily secured, especially after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, some terrorists and other assailants began to use vehicles against more vulnerable targets, such as groups of people congregating in public spaces. Using vehicles to indiscriminately attack people has a long history, mostly unrelated to organized terrorism, such as the 22-year-old Czechoslovak woman who killed eight people in 1973, citing her grievances against society. Terrorist groups began using ramming attacks in the 1990s, according to a study by the Mineta Transportation Institute, part of San Jose State University. The majority of the 184 vehicle-ramming attacks between 1963 and mid-2019, when the study was published, took place in Israel and the West Bank.

Reported similarly:
USA Today [1/1/2025 1:49 PM, Trevor Hughes and Bart Jansen, 89965K, Negative] Video: HERE

The New York Times [12/31/2024 1:03 PM, Alan Feuer, 161405K, Negative] reports that a Virginia man was arrested this month with what federal prosecutors described in court papers on Monday as the largest cache of “finished explosive devices” ever found in the F.B.I.’s history. The man, Brad Spafford, was taken into custody at a farm outside Norfolk on Dec. 17 on the basis of a single-count criminal complaint accusing him of illegally possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle. When investigators searched his 20-acre property, in Isle of Wight County, they found in a detached garage more than 150 explosive devices — mostly pipe bombs, some of them labeled “lethal,” prosecutors said. They found more pipe bombs in a bedroom inside Mr. Spafford’s house, loosely stuffed in a backpack that bore a patch shaped like a hand grenade and a logo reading “#NoLivesMatter,” prosecutors said. No Lives Matter is a nihilistic, far-right ideology that largely exists on encrypted online messaging apps like Telegram. The movement’s adherents promote “targeted attacks, mass killings and criminal activity” and have “historically encouraged members to engage in self-harm and animal abuse,” according to a threat assessment released in August by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. Yahoo! News [1/1/2025 4:27 PM, Daniel Hardaker, 57114K, Negative] reports that according to US Homeland Security, No Lives Matter adherents believe in conducting targeted attacks and mass killings to spread terror to all those who the group deems “mundane”. A court document filed on Monday said Mr Spafford, who works at a machine shop, had used pictures of US president Joe Biden for shooting target practice and expressed support for political assassinations. Some explosives assessed as pipe bombs were found in a backpack in a bedroom on the property, which Mr Spafford shares with his wife and two young children, the document said. It added that Mr Spafford’s freezer contained a jar of HMTD – a “highly unstable” explosive – stored alongside food and labelled “Do Not Touch.” His home also had a notebook of “recipes” for making explosives including grenades, according to the filing. A neighbour told FBI agents that Mr Spafford had discussed fortifying his property with a 360-degree turret for a 50-calibre firearm on the roof. The informant told authorities Mr Spafford had disfigured his hand in 2021 while working on homemade explosives, and prosecutors said he has only two fingers on his right hand. They said Mr Spafford, who has been charged with unlawful possession of a rifle, would likely face additional charges over the explosives, which each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment. In a separate filing on Tuesday, Mr Spafford’s attorneys defended him as “a hard-working family man with no criminal record” while arguing for him to be released from custody. “There is not a shred of evidence in the record that Mr Spafford ever threatened anyone and the contention that someone might be in danger because of their political views and comments is nonsensical,” the defence lawyers wrote.

Newsweek [12/31/2024 6:48 AM, Ryan Chan, 6595K, Neutral] reports the United States and Japan have formulated their first guidelines for extended deterrence, which include the possible employment of the U.S.’s nuclear weapons, amid persistent threats posed to the security alliance by nuclear-armed China and North Korea. Newsweek contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry and North Korean Embassy in Beijing for comment via email. Extended deterrence, commonly known as a "nuclear umbrella," is a commitment made by the U.S. to deter and respond to scenarios-whether nuclear or nonnuclear-in defense of its allies and partners around the world, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and NATO member states. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Defense released its assessment of Chinese military power, reporting that Beijing had more than 600 operational nuclear warheads, about 100 more than last year’s estimate. In June, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said North Korea, one of the nine nations armed with nukes, was estimated to possess 50 warheads in its nuclear arsenal, up from 30 warheads in 2023-which the institute said was a "significant increase.” The guidelines for extended deterrence, which were announced by the U.S. State Department on Thursday, reinforces the existing extended deterrence consultation and communication procedures. Details were not disclosed, as they contained classified intelligence, Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday. According to the statement, which the Japanese Foreign Ministry also published, in the face of an increasingly severe strategic and nuclear threat environment, the new guidelines addressed "strategic messaging to maximize deterrence and enhance measures for U.S. extended deterrence, bolstered by Japan’s defense capabilities.” The U.S.-Japan alliance will continue to explore how best to ensure extended deterrence is strong and credible, Washington and Tokyo said in the joint statement. According to The Yomiuri Shimbun, citing Japanese government sources, Japan can now convey its requests to the U.S. through the Alliance Coordination Mechanism to discuss issues regarding the U.S.’s possible use of nukes during normal times and contingencies.

The Hill [12/31/2024 9:56 AM, Juliann Ventura, 16346K, Negative] reports that a detainee at a military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has been repatriated to Tunisia, the Pentagon announced Monday. Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi, 59, was eligible to transfer following an interagency review process, the release said. He was the longest-held detainee at the prison. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told Congress of his support to repatriate al-Yazidi in early 2024. The Defense Department worked with its partner in Tunisia to complete the transfer requirements, according to the department. CNN reported that rights groups have noted al-Yazidi has been incarcerated at Guantánamo since its opening on Jan. 11, 2002. He had been accused of being a member of al Qaeda, a U.S. military assessment from 2007 found, according to the outlet. Though, he was never charged at the war court, The New York Times reported. Human Rights First said that al-Yazidi has been eligible for transfer since 2007, by both former Presidents George W. Bush and Obama, but a deal was not reached, per CNN’s reporting. Yazidi’s repatriation was the fourth in the last two weeks, according to The Times. The Defense Department’s release noted that there are still 26 detainees at Guantánamo, 14 of which are eligible for transfer, three are eligible for a Periodic Review Board, seven are involved in military judicial processes and two have been convicted and sentenced.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [12/31/2024 8:09 AM, Staff, 52225K, Negative]

New York Times [12/31/2024 5:01 AM, C.J. Chivers, 161405K, Neutral] reports the suicide drone beelined toward a strip of forest separating two agricultural fields. A remotely piloted quadcopter with a wingspan narrower than that of a duck, a camera in its nose and an antenna protruding from its tail, it crossed into Russian airspace unchallenged minutes before. An armor-piercing warhead hung from its underside. Now, about 18 miles south of Belgorod, it descended toward cropland with about five minutes of battery power remaining. It was time to hunt. Several miles away, in the basement of an abandoned home inside Ukraine, the drone’s pilot, who uses the name Prorok, Ukrainian for “Prophet,” clutched the miniaircraft’s controller with both hands and gazed into goggles displaying its live video feed. His team leader, who uses the name Buryi, or “Brown,” sat to his right, monitoring the flight on the bright screens of two tablets while communicating with a distant lieutenant via a laptop. Minutes earlier, a bomb-laden quadcopter flown by another team slammed against a howitzer hidden in the tree line. Prorok and Buryi’s mission was to assess damage, find survivors and kill them. Russian artillery pieces were rarely unattended or alone. Smoke rose from vegetation where the cannon had been. “Fly to the target,” Buryi said. Prorok’s fingers manipulated the tiny flight controls. Moving about 30 miles per hour, the drone slipped below the tree line’s canopy, pointed its lens at the smoke and slowly approached. Nearing the plume, it banked left with its nose angled down. The sweep — the controlled choreography of a mechanical dragonfly — allowed Prorok and Buryi to scan the smoldering spot. It also intensified the buzzing whir of the quadcopter’s electric motors and plastic propellers, the telltale acoustic signature of an improvised weapon that has saturated the air above the front lines. Known as first-person-view drones, or FPVs, the weapons have altered the human experience of war and flooded the internet with footage chronicling the desperate last seconds of lives ended by miniaircraft that transmit video of the people they pursue, then smack into them and explode. The first pass yielded nothing. If Russian soldiers remained near the cannon, they did not show themselves. Prorok lowered the drone and flew it over a pair of tire tracks, tracing their path where cropland met woods. Its camera revealed a surprise: a Russian T-80 tank parked in the foliage. A $3 million military machine had been discovered by a $400 repurposed toy. Buryi notified his lieutenant, who uses the name Andy and was watching a live video feed from a surveillance quadcopter hovering high above. The order came back: “Take it out.”

ABC News [12/31/2024 10:16 AM, David Brennan, 33392K, Negative] reports that Azerbaijani authorities investigating last week’s Azerbaijan Airlines crash in Kazakhstan are probing the "disturbing" possibility that Russian air traffic controllers may have directed the damaged plane out over the Caspian Sea, a source with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia have all opened investigations into the cause of the Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 crash. The source -- who did not wish to be identified given the sensitivity of the ongoing Azerbaijani investigation -- said Azerbaijani authorities have "very little doubt" that flight J2-8243 was damaged by a Russian Pantsir anti-aircraft system over Chechnya on Dec. 25. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev suggested on Sunday that the plane was shot down by Russia unintentionally, that it "was damaged from the outside on Russian territory" and was "rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare." He cited fire from the ground for serious damage to the tail section of the aircraft and apparent shrapnel holes in its fuselage. Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the plane crashing, but stopped short of saying Russia was behind a strike. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [12/31/2024 10:39 AM, Doina chiacu, 48128K, Negative] reports that the United States issued sanctions against a Russian judge on Tuesday for her role in the detention of human-rights activist Alexei Gorinov over his opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Treasury Department said. Treasury said the judge, Olesya Mendeleeva, ordered the "ongoing arbitrary detention" of Gorinov and sentenced him to seven years in prison in July 2022 for speaking against the war. Gorinov, a former district councillor in Moscow, was the first man to be jailed under Russia’s war censorship laws. He was convicted in 2022 of spreading false information about the Russian army after telling a council meeting that children in Ukraine were "dying every day" as a result of Moscow’s invasion. "Known for handing down long and harsh sentences, Mendeleeva convicted Gorinov for knowingly disseminating false information about the Russian military, becoming the first judge in Russia to find a defendant guilty ... for such a charge," the Treasury said in a statement.

Newsweek [12/31/2024 1:21 PM, Maya Mehrara, 56005K, Neutral] reports that Russia has withdrawn from the Agarak border checkpoint on the Armenia-Iran border after patrolling for 30 years, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced yesterday that only Armenian forces were patrolling the checkpoint, indicating that Russian forces withdrew, as reported by Radio Free Liberty Armenia. The removal of Russian border guards is in accordance with an agreement reached between Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in October, which stated that Russian border guards would leave the border checkpoint, and Armenian troops would carry out the protection of Armenia’s borders with Iran and Turkey from January 1, 2025, onward. Newsweek reached out to the Russian and Armenian Defense Ministries for comment via email outside of business hours. Russia’s exit from the Agarak border checkpoint on the Armenia-Iran border is significant because it cements a shift in relations between the two countries, which were previously very closely tied. Additionally, the removal of Russian border guards from Armenia’s border checkpoints allows for more of Moscow’s men to be sent to the war with Ukraine.

New York Times [12/31/2024 12:12 PM, Adam Rasgon, Neutral] reports the U.S. military said on Tuesday that it had carried out a series of strikes on the Houthis, the Iranian-backed group in Yemen, as the group suggested it would continue attacking Israel and ships in the Red Sea if there was no ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. It was not immediately clear whether the strikes would be a setback for the Houthis, who have remained undeterred even as they have come under attack from the United States and Israel. The Houthis have been launching missiles at Israel and attacking commercial vessels they claim are headed for Israel in solidarity with their ally, Hamas, in Gaza. The U.S. military’s Central Command said on the social site X that it had conducted "multiple precision strikes" on Houthi targets in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and coastal sites on Monday and Tuesday. It said the targets included a command and control facility and centers for weapons production and storage. A video posted by the command, which directs U.S. military combat forces in the Middle East, showed F/A-18 Hornets and an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter carrying bombs under their wings, launching at night from an aircraft carrier. It also showed the daytime launch of two missiles from an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, which typically carries Tomahawk cruise missiles for strikes on targets ashore. Al-Masirah, a TV channel affiliated with the Houthis, reported two complexes in Sanaa were struck on Tuesday. Mohammed Abdulsalam, a senior Houthi spokesperson, condemned "American aggression on Yemen," calling it a "blatant violation of an independent country’s sovereignty and blunt support for Israel.”

Reuters [1/2/2025 5:07 AM, David Shepardson, 48128K, Negative] reports the U.S. Commerce Department said on Thursday it is considering new rules that would impose restrictions on Chinese drones that would restrict or ban them in the United States citing national security concerns. The department said it was seeking public comments by March 4 on potential rules to safeguard the supply chain for drones, saying threats from China and Russia "may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive U.S. data.". China accounts for the vast majority of U.S. commercial drone sales. In September, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the department could impose restrictions similar to those that would effectively ban Chinese vehicles from the United States and the focus will be on drones with Chinese and Russian equipment, chips and software. She told Reuters in November she hopes to finalize the rules on Chinese vehicles by Jan. 20. A decision to write new rules restricting or banning Chinese drones will be made by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes over on Jan. 20. Washington has taken a series of steps to crack down on Chinese drones over the last year. Last month, President Joe Biden signed legislation that could ban China-based DJI and Autel Robotics (688208.SS), from selling new drone models in the U.S. A unspecified U.S. agency must determine within one year if drones from DJI or Autel Robotics pose unacceptable national security risks. DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer that sells more than half of all U.S. commercial drones, said if no agency completes the study it would prevent the company from launching new products in the U.S. In September, the House of Representatives voted to bar new drones from DJI from operating in the U.S. In October, DJI sued the Defense Department for adding it to a list of companies allegedly working with Beijing’s military, saying the designation is wrong and has caused the company financial harm. DJI told Reuters in October that Customs and Border Protection was stopping imports of some DJI drones from entering the United States, citing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. No forced labor is involved at any stage of its manufacturing, DJI said. U.S. lawmakers have repeatedly raised concerns that DJI drones pose data transmission, surveillance and national security risks, which the company rejects. Congress in 2019 banned the Pentagon from buying or using drones and components manufactured in China.

Newsweek [12/31/2024 11:48 AM, Jesus Mesa, 56005K, Negative] reports that TikTok finance influencer Kyla Scanlon, who has over 200,000 followers, said on Tuesday that the platform flagged her post about a Chinese state-sponsored hack of the U.S. Treasury as "misinformation." Newsweek reached out to Scanlon via X and TikTok via email for comment. On Monday, United States Treasury officials announced that Chinese state-sponsored hackers recently breached the agency’s systems, describing it as a "major incident." TikTok influencer Kyla Scanlon posted about the breach, but her posts were reportedly flagged by the platform, raising questions about TikTok’s handling of sensitive China-related topics. National security concerns are at the center of the growing scrutiny of TikTok, with critics warning about its potential to influence public opinion or misuse user data. The platform, used by roughly a third of American adults, is facing heightened pressure from U.S. lawmakers and regulators as a critical Supreme Court hearing nears on January 10. The court will review a federal law that could ban TikTok unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells the app. If upheld, the law, set to take effect on January 19, would require ByteDance to either divest or shut down TikTok in the U.S.

Washington Post [12/31/2024 3:10 PM, David J. Lynch and Jeff Stein, 40736K, Neutral] reports that Nippon Steel proposed giving the U.S. government a veto over any reduction in U.S. Steel’s “production capacity” in a last-ditch bid for President Joe Biden’s approval to acquire the venerable American steelmaker, according to a document sent to the White House on Monday. The proposal is aimed at mollifying the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which warned last week that Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion takeover of U.S. Steel could lead to a decline in domestic steel output that would pose “risks to the national security of the United States.” The president has publicly opposed the takeover for months, leaving him at odds with many of his advisers who favor the deal, according to two senior administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Biden is siding with David McCall, the president of the United Steelworkers union, who has blasted Nippon Steel’s bid as “bad for workers” and questioned the company’s commitment to U.S. Steel’s unionized operations. In its new proposal, Nippon Steel offered a 10-year guarantee that it would not reduce production capacity at U.S. Steel’s mills in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Alabama, Texas, California and Arkansas without approval by the Treasury-led review panel.

Newsweek [1/2/2025 4:54 AM, Ryan Chan, 6595K, Neutral] reports a Japanese coast guard patrol ship on Tuesday spotted four Chinese autocannon-armed coast guard vessels near a group of islets administered by U.S. ally Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan. Newsweek has emailed the Japanese, Chinese and Taiwanese foreign ministries for comment. The Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Tiaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, are located in the East China Sea. They have been the subject of assertive patrols by Chinese coast guard vessels since Tokyo nationalized its control of them in 2012, a move that Beijing strongly protested. On Tuesday the Japanese coast guard reported four Chinese vessels transiting the contiguous zone outside Japan’s territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands, Kyodo News Agency reported. The Chinese ships were armed with autocannons, capable of rapid-firing large-caliber armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary shells. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which frames a regime of law and order in the world’s oceans and seas, a zone contiguous to a nation’s 12-nautical mile territorial sea may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from its shores. Chinese coast guard ships were spotted sailing near the Senkaku Islands on 355 days in 2024, a new record, the Kyodo report said.

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