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 [1/6/2025 6:41 PM, Ben Noll, 40736K, Negative] reports A wide-reaching winter storm dropped more than a foot of snow and closed major highways in parts of the Midwest before continuing its Monday trek eastward. In parts of the Great Plains, snow totals exceeded anything seen in decades. At least three fatalities were reported in two traffic incidents in the Midwest. The storm produced wintry precipitation across a distance of about 1,500 miles — from Kansas to New York — creating hazardous conditions for millions of people, and for some their biggest snowstorm in years. Over 12 inches fell in Kansas; Missouri experienced blizzard conditions; and in the Mid-Atlantic, roads were slick and dangerous, with snow reaching at least 5 to 9 inches in the D.C. region. Hundreds of thousands of customers were without power Monday afternoon from Missouri to Virginia. Beginning early Monday, the worst of the storm reached the Mid-Atlantic, with heavy snow in D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Up to a foot of total snow was possible in what could become the biggest snowstorm since at least January 2022, when around seven total inches fell, if not since January 2019, when just over 10 total inches of snow fell in the area. Over central and southern Virginia, freezing rain was falling Monday morning. The winter storm led to at least three fatalities as it swept from the Midwest toward the East. In Wichita, an SUV flipped over and rolled multiple times Sunday, ejecting and killing its two occupants. In Jackson County, Missouri, on Sunday, a dump truck slid and killed a 61-year-old pedestrian. More than 200,000 customers were without power Monday afternoon in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, according to tracking website poweroutage.us. A number of communities in the Midwest rivaled or set records for their greatest single-day snow totals. In Chapman, Kansas, just northeast of the state’s center, 18 inches was recorded Sunday. That’s the greatest single-day total on record, with data dating back to 1904. At Kansas City International Airport, the 11 inches that came down Sunday was the fourth-greatest single-day total. The airport was just 0.8 inches away from coming in second place. Snow totals across the Great Plains have been exceptional, in many cases exceeding anything that has been seen in decades. Other snowfall totals included 16 inches in St. Joseph, Missouri; 12.7 inches west of St. Louis, in the town of Weldon Springs; and 10 inches in Mackeyville, West Virginia. USA Today [1/7/2025 1:01 AM, Christopher Cann, John Bacon, Minnah Arshad, 57114K, Neutral] reports tens of millions were under winter storm advisories and tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power late Monday as the storm stretched from Kansas to Virginia and Washington D.C. Kevin Witt, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington office, told USA TODAY Monday night that the bulk of the snowstorm in the D.C. area had ended but that another inch or two may accumulate into the night. In the latest available data, Witt said 5.5 inches of snow had accumulated within the past 24 hours at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as of 4 p.m. “This is one of the bigger storms,” Witt said. “We haven’t had one like this in a couple years.” Temperatures in the D.C. area aren’t expected to climb above freezing until at least Friday, Witt noted, but the accumulated snow could melt from sunshine and refreeze as the week progresses, which may make the roads slippery even after the snow has stopped. The brutal snowstorm was enough to shutter federal office buildings but did not keep Congress from gathering to certify Donald Trump’s election as president. In neighboring Virginia, state emergency management officials said crews were working around the clock to clear roads. "There is ‘snow’ place like home during wintry weather," the department said in a social media post. "Having fewer cars on the road will help to keep everyone safe and allow crews to safely perform their jobs." The Hill [1/6/2025 1:33 PM, Julia Mueller, 16346K, Negative] reports that President Biden is keeping a close eye on the major winter storm making its way through much of the central and eastern United States, the White House said on Monday. Biden and his team are "closely monitoring" the severe weather hitting communities in the the Central Plains and mid-Atlantic, including the region around Washington, D.C., White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said in a statement. "At his direction, senior White House Officials are in close touch with their state and local counterparts in the affected areas, and we stand ready to support as needed. We want to encourage all Americans affected by this weather to take it seriously, continue to monitor forecasts, and heed the warnings of local officials," Edwards said. FOX News [1/6/2025 7:45 AM, Stephen Sorace, 10861K, Negative] reports more than 1,000 flights were canceled, and hundreds of others were delayed across the U.S. on Monday after a winter storm blasted a large part of the country with heavy snow and ice. A total of 1,339 flights were canceled, and 606 flights were delayed, as of 6:45 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Southwest Airlines canceled 265 flights, the most among carriers, followed by American Airlines at 176. Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., canceled 234 flights, the most among airports and constituting 58% of all flights scheduled there, according to the data. Major U.S. airlines issued travel advisories between Saturday and Monday, including Delta, American, United Airlines and Southwest. As the storm moved toward the mid-Atlantic region on Monday, more than a dozen states from Kansas and Missouri to New Jersey were under winter storm warnings and advisories. Reuters [1/6/2025 11:32 PM, Staff, 48128K, Negative] reports more than 189,000 homes and businesses in the central and southern U.S. were without power late on Monday, data from PowerOutage.us showed, after a winter storm brought snow, ice and freezing temperatures. The U.S. is bracing for further disruption as blizzard conditions persist in several states. The National Weather Service said the storm was expected to move offshore late on Monday to be replaced by Arctic air, lowering daytime temperatures significantly.

Reported similarly:
ABC News [1/6/2025 9:43 AM, Max Golembo and Emily Shapiro, 33392K, Neutral]
FOX News [1/6/2025 7:53 AM, Steven Yablonski, 57114K, Negative]

Reuters [1/6/2025 1:44 PM, Richard Cow, David Morgan, and Bo Erickson, 48128K, Neutral] reports that the U.S. Congress formally certified Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory on Monday during a session presided over by Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the November contest. The quadrennial ritual, clearing the way for Trump’s inauguration in two weeks, went like clockwork and stood in sharp contrast to four years ago when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed bid to block the certification of then-President Trump’s 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump continues to falsely claim that his 2020 defeat was the result of widespread fraud, and had warned throughout his 2024 campaign that he harbored similar concerns until his Nov. 5 defeat of Harris. Harris oversaw the roll call of the states in the vice president’s ceremonial role as president of the Senate. Known for her broad smiles and upbeat demeanor in public appearances, she stood stoic with hands clasped on the dais as she handed off certificates of each state’s electoral votes for Trump and herself. "Today was obviously a very important day, and it was about what should be the norm and what the American people should be able to take for granted, which is that one of the most important pillars of our democracy is that there will be a peaceful transfer of power," Harris told reporters at the Capitol. "I do believe very strongly that American democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it." [Editorial note: consult video at source link] Roll Call [1/6/2025 3:37 PM, Justin Papp, 440K, Neutral] reports that law enforcement, including Capitol Police as well as officers from farther-flung departments, like New York City, milled around the scarcely populated streets. Some carried long guns. Police vehicles accounted for the only traffic directly around the building, where inside lawmakers were gathering for a joint session. This time, police easily outnumbered protesters. The Department of Homeland Security in September designated Jan. 6 a National Special Security Event, unlocking additional resources from the federal government, state and local partners. It’s the first time the counting of electoral results has received such a designation.

Reported similarly:
Los Angeles Times [1/6/2025 3:10 PM, Faith E. Pinho, 17996K, Neutral]
Bloomberg [1/6/2025 1:55 PM, Billy House, Alicia Diaz, Steven T. Dennis, 21617K, Neutral]
The Hill [1/6/2025 1:37 PM, Al Weaver and Brett Samuels, 16346K, Neutral]
NPR [1/6/2025 2:51 PM, Deirdre Walsh and Barbara Sprunt, 35747K, Neutral]
Washington Examiner [1/6/2025 1:37 PM, Cami Mondeaux, 2365K, Neutral]

Newsweek [1/6/2025 8:11 AM, Flynn Nicholls, 56005K, Positive] reports President-elect Donald Trump has announced that members of Congress are working on "one powerful Bill" to advance his core MAGA policies. Newsweek has contacted Trump’s transition team for comment via email. The president-elect wants to consolidate his policy goals—including tax cuts, tariffs and border security—into one omnibus bill so it can be speedily approved by the House and Senate, which are both controlled by Republicans. On Sunday, Trump wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Republicans must "quickly deliver" his agenda on border security, energy production and tax cuts in a single piece of legislation. Originally, House and Senate Republicans planned to pass most of the agenda across two bills. However, Speaker Mike Johnson has recently aligned himself more fully with Trump’s goal, saying Republicans intend to pass "one big, beautiful" bill within the first 100 days of Trump’s administration to show results early and maintain momentum. Earlier on Sunday, Johnson reaffirmed the plan during an interview on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo, saying the House was seeking early April for a vote. Johnson argued that keeping everything in one bill, while a more laborious and time-consuming activity, would ultimately make it easier to pass as it would address "enough elements in there to pull everyone along.” Trump wrote on X: "Members of Congress are getting to work on one powerful Bill that will bring our Country back, and make it greater than ever before. We must Secure our Border, Unleash American Energy, and Renew the Trump Tax Cuts, which were the largest in History, but we will make it even better—NO TAX ON TIPS. IT WILL ALL BE MADE UP WITH TARIFFS, AND MUCH MORE, FROM COUNTRIES THAT HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE U.S. FOR YEARS. Republicans must unite, and quickly deliver these Historic Victories for the American People. Get smart, tough, and send the Bill to my desk to sign as soon as possible. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!". Johnson told Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo: "We’re targeting a vote in the House maybe in the first week of April. Now, everything’s got to move in the right sequence, and along the way, I think we’re going to keep those trains moving in the right direction and on time. And if that happens, we’ll get it out of the House in early April, maybe as soon as April 3, and then move it over to the Senate. That would put that bill on the president’s desk for signature by the end of April."

Reported similarly:
The Hill [1/6/2025 10:12 AM, Brett Samuels, 16346K, Positive]

Axios [1/6/2025 8:35 PM, Stef W. Kight and Stephen Neukam, 16349K, Neutral] reports Hill leaders are setting up the first votes of the 119th Congress this week — on a bill at the center of a heated political debate over illegal immigration. The expected votes in both chambers on the Laken Riley Act make clear Republicans plan to keep hitting the border issue — putting pressure on vulnerable Democrats trying to find their post-election footing. The House will vote Tuesday on the bill, which requires the detention of undocumented immigrants who commit certain nonviolent crimes such as theft, according to a House leadership aide. Senate Majority Leader John Thune began the process to allow a vote on the Senate version of the bill — likely on Friday, a senior Senate GOP aide confirmed. The bill is named after a nursing student who was murdered last year by an undocumented immigrant who had previously been arrested on theft charges.

FOX News [1/6/2025 5:47 PM, Elizabeth Elkind, 49889K, Negative] reports the House is poised to vote next week on a bill that would mandate the deportation of illegal immigrants who are found guilty of sex crimes. The legislation saw enthusiastic support just days ago from billionaire Elon Musk, who criticized the Democrats who previously opposed it. The Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act was first introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., last year and passed the House with bipartisan support. All Republican lawmakers voted for the bill, along with 51 House Democrats. Because it was not taken up by the formerly Democrat-controlled Senate, however, Mace introduced the bill again on Friday to start the process again in the new 119th Congress. Two sources told Fox News Digital that House GOP leaders intend to hold another vote on it next week, which would come just days before President-elect Trump’s inauguration. It’s one of several border security and other conservative policy bills introduced by House Republicans on Friday — the first day of the 119th Congress.

FOX News [1/6/2025 12:26 PM, Julia Johnson, 49889K, Neutral] reports that newly sworn-in Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, wants to get legislation tackling the crisis on the southern border to President-elect Trump’s desk immediately, and he thinks it could get enough votes on the floor. "We have to make certain that we actually do the things that we campaigned on," he told Fox News Digital in an interview, referencing the border’s prevalence on the campaign trail. Noting that voters were frequently concerned about "open borders and high prices," the Ohio Republican, who unseated incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown, said the issues need to be taken on right away. "We’re going to make it so that there’s no illegal immigration, that we seal our border, we secure our border, and we deport anybody who’s in this country illegally," Moreno explained. The hypothetical legislation would include "funding deportations, making certain that we have the funding to secure the border to make certain that we have a safe and secure border, that we finish the wall, that we put in place the technology, that we put in place the money so that these deportation efforts can happen at scale," he said. "We can get it done soon, I’m confident," the senator claimed. "We can even get a bill in front of President Trump right when he gets sworn in." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/6/2025 11:28 AM, Elizabeth Elkind, 49889K, Neutral] reports that the legislative gears are already turning in Congress as Republicans prepare a slew of border security and other conservative policy bills for President-elect Donald Trump two weeks ahead of his inauguration. Friday marked the first day of the 119th Congress, meaning any bills not signed into law by President Biden must already be introduced and passed again, even if they passed one or both chambers in the previous term. Republicans appeared to waste no time in doing that. The most recent Congressional record shows lawmakers re-introduced several bills that Democrats and even some GOP lawmakers dismissed as "messaging" efforts as recently as last year. Among them is the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, which would require proof of citizenship in the voter registration process. Another bill re-introduced on Friday was the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., which would mandate deportation of migrants found to have committed sex crimes. "Let’s get it passed through both chambers of Congress this go around," Mace wrote on social media over the weekend.

FOX News [1/6/2025 12:14 PM, Staff, 49889K, Negative] reports that Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is calling on Senate lawmakers, most notably Democrats, to confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, in the wake of a terrorist attack that shook New Orleans. "This is no time to play around. Which is why I am also calling on Senate Democrats on the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee to allow Kristi Noem to get to work on Day 1 as our Secretary of Homeland Security. There should be no gap in leadership. In the wake of the Bourbon Street and Las Vegas attacks, our nation’s security depends on her quick confirmation," Landry said in a statement Monday. Early on New Year’s Day, chaos broke out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as revelers partied on the streets in celebration of the holiday. The suspect, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is accused of ramming a truck into the crowd on the beloved and famed party street, killing at least 14 and injuring dozens of others. Jabbar, who was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle, was killed after opening fire on police. Landry’s office said the Republican governor is expected to meet with President Biden on Monday, when he will press the commander in chief to issue a Presidential Disaster Declaration following the attack. "I look forward to speaking with President Biden today on quickly approving my request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration," he continued.

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [1/6/2025 12:30 PM, Asher Notheis, 2365K, Neutral]

The Hill [1/6/2025 6:19 PM, Tara Suter, 16346K, Neutral] reports Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said a bill empowering local authorities to take down drones is a "number one" priority in the next Congress. In an interview on Friday that he shared Monday, Green said federal agencies were not being transparent on the issue of drones, criticism that follows a high-profile series of drone sightings over New Jersey before the holidays.

MeriTalk [1/6/2025 9:00 AM, Staff, 31K, Positive] reports that as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) modernize software to meet increasingly complex missions, a collaborative development model – powered by open-source technologies and agile methodologies – speeds the development process. In a recent interview with MeriTalk, Michael Hardee, chief architect for law enforcement and justice at Red Hat, discusses how a container-first and cloud-first approach can help – and how the recent achievement of FedRAMP High Status for the Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA) platform provides DHS and DOJ agencies with even stronger security controls. MeriTalk: The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice are working to modernize software and retire legacy systems. From your perspective, how do you see the departments accomplishing these goals? Hardee: The broader goal for DHS and DOJ is to build modern, effective software, and the departments are both doing that at an extremely effective pace. Every DHS or DOJ agency that I interact with is taking a container-first approach, a cloud-first approach and an automation-first approach. And they’re layering in security on top of that to meet zero trust requirements. The specific focus of our DHS and DOJ clients has been establishing a cloud landing zone, or sometimes a multi-cloud landing zone.

CBS News [1/6/2025 9:37 AM, Robert Legare, Steve Reilly, Madeleine May, Scott MacFarlane, Michael Kaplan, 52225K, Negative] reports that, while Congress meets Monday to count the Electoral College votes and affirm President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, the roughly 1,500 people accused of storming the Capitol four years ago will be focused on what happens next. Charged as part of the largest Justice Department’s investigation in history, they have been waiting to see if Trump fulfills his promise to pardon them or commute their sentences. Prosecutors have charged more than 1,580 defendants with crimes tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including more than 170 who are accused of using deadly or dangerous weapons like fire extinguishers and bear spray against officers. While a majority were charged with nonviolent misdemeanor crimes, some were accused of conspiring to use force to resist the peaceful transfer of power. Others admitted to fighting officers and attacking members of the media. More than 1,000 defendants have since pleaded guilty, and about 220 more were convicted at trial. Federal investigations said they are also seeking the public’s assistance in locating at least five known fugitives. According to the Justice Department, 1,100 defendants have already had their cases fully adjudicated, and hundreds have already completed prison terms. The outgoing U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., has continued to bring new charges against defendants. "The Department continues to pursue those criminally culpable, especially those who assaulted law enforcement officers and engaged in disruptive or obstructive conduct that interfered with the peaceful transfer of power," the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. But with Trump’s pledge to pardon at least some defendants and shut down the investigation, many of those who breached the Capitol four years ago could see their convictions erased and records wiped clean.

Reported similarly:
Washington Post [1/6/2025 6:00 AM, Robert Klemko, Spencer S. Hsu, Tom Jackman, Sarah Cahlan, Clara Ence Morse and Hannah Dormido, 40736K, Neutral]

Washington Post [1/6/2025 6:30 AM, Spencer S. Hsu, 40736K, Neutral] reports pardoning people who assault police would send a message that the safety of officers does not matter and could risk politicizing the law enforcement of violent protests, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said in an exclusive interview Sunday on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Manger declined to comment about President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to grant clemency to many of the nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants, about 600 of whom were charged with felony assault or obstruction of police during a civil disorder. But in his first public remarks as chief of the 2,300-member department on the broader subject, he decried what he said was the wiping away of accountability for attacks against law enforcement. “What message does that send? What message does that send to police officers across this nation, if someone doesn’t think that a conviction for an assault or worse against a police officer is something that should be upheld, given what we ask police officers to do every day?” Manger said after swearing in officers to help secure Congress’s certification of the 2024 election on Monday. “This is not about any particular president. It’s not about any particular pardon. It’s about police officers who are asked to do the things that they’re asked to do, and the community supporting them when they’re hurt, injured, assaulted or killed,” said Manger, who was hired after the 2021 attacks that included assaults on at least 140 officers and contributed to the death of one and suicide of three others. The remarks by Manger, a 46-year police veteran who previously headed the Fairfax and Montgomery county departments, came as a Washington Post analysis yielded new insights on who might benefit from Jan. 6 pardons, and the U.S. attorney’s office for D.C. released data on how many cases for assaults on police remain pending before courts or could yet be charged. Trump’s incoming administration could also drop charges against the roughly 300 defendants still awaiting trial, about 180 of whom are charged with assaulting or obstructing police. The FBI has presented another 200 people for potential prosecution, including about 30 percent for the same offenses, according to federal prosecutors.

New York Times [1/7/2025 3:21 AM, Michael D. Shear, 740K, Neutral] reports President Biden warned Americans not to forget the violent attack that took place at the Capitol four years ago, and he accused President-elect Donald J. Trump and his supporters of trying “to rewrite — even erase — the history of that day.” The warning came on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, in which hundreds of Mr. Trump’s supporters swarmed into the building as lawmakers were preparing to certify the results of Mr. Biden’s victory. The assault led to the deaths of several people and federal convictions for hundreds of rioters. But Mr. Trump has repeatedly argued that the attackers were patriots and has called Jan. 6 “a beautiful day” because his supporters were acting on his behalf. The scene at the Capitol on Monday was starkly different. After a significant snowstorm, few people gathered outside as Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the certification of Mr. Trump’s return to power. For Democrats, the difference was the point. Mr. Biden, Ms. Harris and their allies had argued that Mr. Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021 — and his embrace of the attackers in the years since — made him unqualified to hold office again. Ms. Harris said in a video posted to social media on Monday that she was doing her job. “Today, I will perform my constitutional duty as vice president to certify the results of the 2024 election,” she said. “This duty is a sacred obligation — one I will uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution and my unwavering faith in the American people.” Since Election Day, Mr. Biden has focused on ensuring a smooth and orderly transition of power — something that Mr. Trump refused to deliver as he was leaving office at the end of his first term. But on the eve of the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack, Mr. Biden addressed the issue directly.

Miami Herald [1/6/2025 4:50 PM, David Goodhue, 6595K, Negative] reports a Key West man is accused of placing Apple AirTags on two peoples’ cars to illegally track them, according to police. Key West detectives’ investigation dates to Nov. 8 when two people went to police after receiving cell phone notifications alerting them that an unrecognized AirTag was detected near them and tracking their location, said Alyson Crean, spokeswoman for the police department. Working with agents from the Department of Homeland Security, detectives connected the devices’ subscriber information to 52-year-old Mariusz Swiecicki of Key West, Crean said. On Friday, detectives went to his house and interviewed him. Swiecicki confessed to placing the AirTags on both cars and was arrested on two counts of installation or use of tracking devices, which are third-degree felonies, Crean said. If convicted, Swieckicki could face up to 15 years in prison.

The Washington Post [1/6/2025 9:30 PM, Ashley Cusick and Matt Viser, 40736K, Neutral] reports Biden and first lady Jill Biden attended an interfaith prayer service hosted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis. Biden, who has lost two children and his first wife, has woven his Catholic faith into his approach to grief and empathy throughout his public career and private life. "I know that events like this are hard. The shock and pain still very raw," Biden said, speaking about "the anger, the emptiness, the black hole that seems to be sucking you into your chest.” He eulogized some of the victims — a single mom, a cook, an aspiring engineer — before speaking of the 35 people injured in the attack and the law enforcement officials who risked their lives, including two he had met earlier who were shot in a firefight with the attacker. "If there’s one thing we know, New Orleans defines strength and resilience," Biden said. "You define it. Whether it’s from this attack, or hurricanes or super storms, this city, its people, get back up.” The tragedy unfolded early Wednesday, when a man driving a pickup truck with an Islamic State flag plowed into revelers welcoming the new year. The driver has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. Army veteran born in Texas. After ramming the crowd, Jabbar crashed the truck and was killed in a shootout with police. NBC News [1/6/2025 8:27 PM, Zoë Richards, 50804K, Neutral] reports President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Monday met with families, survivors and local law enforcement affected by the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people and wounded dozens of others. They met privately shortly before Biden arrived at St. Louis Cathedral, where he spoke at an interfaith prayer service Monday evening. During those remarks, Biden said he was grieving over the lives lost, and stood with those who were injured during the attack, including a pair of officers whom he met during his visit. Biden also said his administration would extend its support to the French Quarter which was the site of the attack, and "all the people to New Orleans as they heal."

Reported similarly:
The Hill [1/6/2025 8:27 PM, Alex Gangitano, 16346K, Negative]
CBS News [1/6/2025 8:09 PM, Kathryn Watson, 52225K, Negative]
NBC News [1/6/2025 8:27 PM, Zoë Richards, 50804K, Neutral]

FOX News [1/6/2025 8:00 AM, Christina Coulter, 49889K, Negative] reports a triple homicide at a Louisiana homeless camp, allegedly spurred by a stolen bicycle, emphasizes the inherent dangers of these encampments – not just for their inhabitants, but for those in surrounding communities, an expert told Fox News Digital. On April 3, 44-year-old Mindy Ann Robert, 33-year-old Marcey Vincent and 53-year-old Warren Fairley were found dead, all shot multiple times, in a makeshift campsite, hidden from view by brush on a vacant lot in Jefferson Parish, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said. Crime in these camps is a growing concern across the country, which has seen an 18.1% increase in homelessness in 2024, according to a December report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Federal officials cited a rising number of asylum seekers, lack of affordable housing and natural disasters as reasons for the increase in homelessness. "These homeless encampments pose a health threat and a safety threat to the general public," Mark Powell, a former reserve police officer in San Diego who oversaw the city’s Monarch School for Homeless Youth while on the city’s school board, told Fox News Digital. "It’s the duty, it’s the obligation of our city leaders, our elected politicians, to do everything they can within the law to eradicate these camps and provide the people living in the camps with the dignity they deserve through some type of shelter program." In the Louisiana case, Noel Marine, who was known to visit the victims at the campsite, was arrested and faces three counts of first-degree murder and obstruction of justice in their deaths. He is currently being held on $100,000 bail, according to court records. Investigators believe Vincent and Robert were homeless and lived at the campsite, while Fairley lived in a home nearby. Robert’s family assumed that she was living in the area because they recently saw her panhandling at a nearby street corner, NOLA.com reported. "Periodically, other people would stay [at the campsite] and use narcotics," Det. Ryan Vaught testified during a Nov. 19 hearing in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court. A man who was dating one of the female victims allegedly dialed 911 around 9:40 a.m. when he found the three bodies. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [1/7/2025 12:16 AM, Antonio Castillo and María Verza, 14282K, Negative] reports about 100 migrants from various countries wandered directionless and disoriented through the streets of the troubled Pacific coast resort of Acapulco. After walking for a couple weeks through southern Mexico with hundreds of other migrants, they accepted an offer from immigration officials to come to Acapulco with the idea they could continue their journey north toward the U.S. border. Instead, they found themselves stuck on Monday. Two weeks ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Mexico continues dissolving attention-grabbing migrant caravans and dispersing migrants throughout the country to keep them far from the U.S. border, while simultaneously limiting how many accumulate in any one place. The policy of “dispersion and exhaustion” has become the center of the Mexican government’s immigration policy in recent years and last year succeeded in significantly reducing the number of migrants reaching the U.S. border, said Tonatiuh Guillén, former chief of Mexico’s immigration agency. Mexico’s current administration hopes that the lower numbers will give them some defense from Trump’s pressures, said Guillen, who left the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador after Trump threatened to impose tariffs over migration during his first presidency. Acapulco would seem to be a strange destination for migrants. Once a crown jewel of Mexico’s tourism industry, the city now suffers under the thumb of organized crime and is still struggling to climb back after taking a direct hit from devastating Hurricane Otis in 2023. On Monday, Mexican tourists enjoyed the final hours of their holiday beach vacations while migrants slept in the street or tried to find ways to resume their journeys north. “Immigration (officials) told us they were going to give us a permit to transit the country freely for 10, 15 days and it wasn’t like that,” said a 28-year-old Venezuelan, Ender Antonio Castañeda. “They left us dumped here without any way to get out. They won’t sell us (bus) tickets, they won’t sell us anything.”

FOX News [1/6/2025 1:30 PM, Staff, 10861K, Negative] reports that Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin has the details from the Pentagon on ‘Varney & Co.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Newsweek [1/6/2025 6:14 PM, Matthew Impelli, 56005K, Negative] reports federal prosecutors in New York announced Monday that two India-based pharmaceutical companies have been charged with smuggling chemicals used to manufacture the lethal drug fentanyl. Raxuter Chemicals and Athos Chemicals face separate indictments accusing them of conspiring to distribute and import chemicals into the United States, Mexico and other countries with the knowledge that they would be used to produce fentanyl, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Bhavesh Lathiya, a founder and senior executive at Raxuter Chemicals, has also been indicted on related charges. The 36-year-old executive, known by aliases "Bhavesh Patel" and "Bhavesh Bhai," was arrested Saturday in New York City and has been detained following his arraignment in Brooklyn federal court, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors allege that the two companies, based in Surat, a city in India’s Gujarat state, smuggled all the essential materials for fentanyl production into the U.S. and Mexico. Prosecutors allege the companies used deceptive tactics to evade detection, including mislabeling shipments, falsifying customs documentation and providing false declarations at border crossings. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement: "Much of our nation’s illicit fentanyl crisis can be traced to bad actors overseas who knowingly and illegally traffic precursor chemicals to North America, where cartels refine them into deadly narcotics and wreak immeasurable heartbreak and destruction on so many American communities."

Newsweek [1/6/2025 7:02 AM, Major General Gent Welsh and Clayton Swope, 56005K, Negative] reports that, more than 20 years after the 9/11 attacks, a new threat to the homeland looms ominously on the horizon: drones. As the curtain falls on the East Coast drone saga, alarm bells should be ringing in Washington, DC, not because criminals or other bad actors were to blame for any of the recent sightings, but because the same failures that contributed to the 9/11 terrorist attacks were apparent in the federal response over the last two months. The government should urgently enact change to counter this emerging threat. In 2004, the 9/11 Commission’s final report painted a picture of a well-intentioned, yet stove-piped and thinly coordinated, counterterrorism bureaucracy that, in the months and years before the 2001 attacks, lacked sufficient resources and imagination to foresee the scope and scale of the terrorists’ intentions. Today, there is no sign that the government has a coordinated or coherent strategy to assess and respond to drone threats. Federal authorities also lack sufficient resources to detect and track drones, let alone identify who is operating them. Terrorists will try to use drones to hurt us. Foreign adversaries will use them to spy on us. In fact, they already doing these things, so little imagination is needed to see these threats. A white supremacist was arrested in November for planning to attack an electrical substation in Tennessee using a bomb attached to a drone. A Chinese national was arrested in December for using a drone to take pictures of a U.S. military base in California. A hypothetical future terrorist attack could involve 100 one-way, low-cost drones hitting targets across the nation. Admittedly, drones are hard to detect and track using traditional radar systems. Civilian air traffic control infrastructure is designed for crewed aircraft that have larger radar cross sections and operate at higher altitudes than drones. Military early warning infrastructure is optimized to watch for ballistic missiles and high-altitude bombers and, since 9/11, hijacked commercial airliners. None of these look like drones. Though radar systems can sometimes detect small objects, they are often programmed to ignore them because they are most likely birds. Drones are also confused with birds because they behave like them, flying erratically, changing speeds quickly, and, occasionally, operating in large groups or swarms. The war in Ukraine has proven these difficulties, requiring the augmentations of traditional radar with other sensors and new technologies.

Wall Street Journal [1/6/2025 5:22 PM, Matthew J. Slaughter, Neutral] reports the recent kerfuffle among President-elect Trump’s advisers over America’s H-1B visa program exposes a fundamental policy disagreement: Does high-talent immigration spark dynamism or steal opportunity? Evidence for the former comes from the industry I work in, which isn’t often seen as a paragon of dynamism: higher education. An H-1B visa allows an organization to create a new job in the U.S. for a highly educated foreigner for at least three years. The H-1B program imposes an annual cap on the American private sector of 65,000 new visas, with 20,000 additional allowed for applicants with at least a master’s degree. But certain U.S. nonprofit employers—including colleges and universities—are classified as “cap exempt” and can file H-1B petitions at any time without limit. For many years, educational services has been the industry with the second-most H-1B visa approvals—after professional, scientific and technical services. Education averages around 12,000 new and 12,500 continuing annual approvals. At the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where I serve as dean, nearly half of our tenure-track faculty were born outside America, and many of these colleagues are or were employed here on an H-1B visa. This almost unlimited flow of skilled migrants stokes innovation that benefits all Americans far more than it curbs the opportunities for U.S.-born scholars. Research isn’t a zero-sum endeavor: New ideas can be widely shared and lead to innovations. Foreign-born Tuck faculty have won global awards and acclaim for their scholarship. They have earned American patents. And they enrich the scholarship of all Tuck faculty through collaboration in our seminar rooms, at our lunch tables and on campus strolls. Teaching similarly isn’t zero-sum. Foreign-born Tuck faculty have been selected by our students as the school’s best teachers. They have won similar accolades when visiting other schools. Exemplary teachers strengthen Tuck’s reputation and finances, which benefits all faculty and staff. And they bolster the pedagogical skills of all Tuck faculty through their embrace of new technologies like virtual reality and generative artificial intelligence.

Newsweek [1/6/2025 1:51 PM, Dan Gooding, 56005K, Neutral] reports that Honduras President Xiomara Castro has voiced her concerns about United States’ President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations, becoming another world leader who could disrupt his proposals, and Newsweek has compiled a map of countries with a similar attitude. The New Year’s Day speech, which included a threat to remove U.S. military personnel from her country, came as neighbor Guatemala indicated it would support Trump’s program, and even take nationals from other Central and South American countries unwilling to help. Newsweek reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, and the Honduras and Guatemala embassies in the U.S. for additional comment via email Monday. At least 261,000 Hondurans are currently awaiting removal from the U.S, according to data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), making it the largest group awaiting deportation ahead of Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. But any country has the sovereign right to refuse a deportation flight from a foreign country, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, told Newsweek. So Honduras could present a problem for Trump. The hundreds of thousands of Hondurans awaiting removal would potentially be Trump’s easiest starting point for mass deportations, once he is back in the White House on January 20.

Newsweek [1/6/2025 11:54 AM, Billal Rahman, 56005K, Neutral] reports that California and Texas remained the leading states for undocumented immigrant populations in 2022, accounting for 42 percent of the 10.99 million U.S. total, a Newsweek map shows. California had 2.6 million unauthorized immigrants, Texas 2.1 million. Newsweek contacted the Governors’ offices of California and Texas for comment via email outside normal office hours. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to conduct the biggest mass deportation operation in US history as part of his immigration agenda, and these two states could potentially witness the most conflict during such a program. The next largest populations were in Florida, New Jersey, Illinois, and New York, with 590,000, 490,000, 420,000, and 410,000 unauthorized immigrants, respectively. The 10 leading states combined represented 72 percent of the total unauthorized immigrant population. Newsweek’s map showing the top 10 states where undocumented immigrants are living draws on data from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Other states in the top 10 included North Carolina (360,000), Georgia (340,000), Washington (340,000), and Arizona (290,000). These states showed varying trends, with some experiencing small increases while others saw minor declines.

Border Report [1/6/2025 9:34 PM, Fernie Ortiz, 153K, Negative] reports the America First Legal Foundation, the conservative public interest organization, has put what it calls “sanctuary jurisdictions” on notice. AFL, which President Donald Trump’s former senior adviser Stephen Miller founded in 2021, said it notified 249 elected officials of the legal consequences they could face for interfering with or impeding federal immigration law enforcement and for concealing, harboring, or shielding undocumented immigrants. AFL’s notice letters also warn that consequences are not limited to public officials, but to “any person who violates these laws.” Among the recipients is Jim McDonnell, the Los Angeles chief of police, who recently said his department is working with consulate offices for Mexico and other Central American countries to draft a plan to protect immigrants from the Trump administration’s plans for mass deportations. Other recipients include the mayors of Los Angeles, New York, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Atlanta, and New Orleans, and each of those letters roughly say, “We have identified your jurisdiction as a sanctuary jurisdiction that is violating federal law.” Former San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas also received a notice. On Dec. 10, Vargas led an effort to prevent the use of county resources and funding to assist federal immigration agents with deportations. The notices begin by stating that the federal government has “ultimate authority over immigration.” “Federal law is clear,” the letter begins. “Aliens unlawfully present in the United States are subject to removal from the country, and it is a crime to conceal, harbor, or shield them. It is also a crime to prevent federal officials from enforcing immigration law. These laws were duly enacted by the people’s elected representatives.”

Newsweek [1/6/2025 6:02 AM, Billal Rahman, 56005K, Neutral] reports Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, has cast doubts on President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans. "Is it realistic to deport everybody? I mean, there are a lot of people in this country who are here illegally," Thune said on NBC’s Meet the Press. Trump has repeatedly pledged to implement the "largest mass deportation program" in U.S. history, eliminate the CBP One app, end the catch-and-release policy, and reinstate the "Remain in Mexico" program as key components of his immigration agenda. Mass deportation was the centerpiece of his reelection campaign and a core component of the GOP’s platform, with Trump promising that millions of migrants in the country illegally would be removed from the country starting on "Day One" of his presidency to tackle crime. Thune, in his role as Senate majority leader, will be instrumental in getting the massive resources the Trump administration needs to enact the plan. Thune stated that anyone who has committed a crime in the U.S. should be deported, along with the more than 1 million individuals already on the Biden administration’s deportation list. The president-elect has also indicated that his administration will prioritize the removal of migrants with criminal backgrounds. The policy could cost the U.S. a staggering $315 billion for a one-time effort, according to the American Immigration Council. Deporting 1 million people annually could cost up to $88 billion each year, according to the American Immigration Council. This would require a vast expansion of detention and court systems, as well as an unparalleled increase in law enforcement personnel, detention facilities, immigration courtrooms, and flight availability. Pew Research estimates that there are approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. The majority of these individuals have no criminal record, and their circumstances differ widely, ranging from asylum seekers who crossed the border to those who entered on a tourist visa and remained after it expired. Among these individuals are approximately 1.3 million immigrants who have been issued removal orders but continue to reside in the country, either due to insufficient U.S. removal resources or because certain countries refuse to accept them back.

CBS Austin [1/6/2025 1:47 PM, Jackson Walker, 581K, Negative] reports that President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan on Sunday issued a stern warning to migrants illegally entering the U.S. in the final days of the Biden administration. Homan has been a vocal proponent of Trump’s mass deportation plan, which would target illegal migrants throughout the U.S. Last month, he met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams to discuss cooperating to resolve issues related to the sanctuary city’s migrant crisis. In a Sunday appearance on Fox News, Homan warned recent arrivals to the U.S. under President Joe Biden to prepare for a hasty departure under the incoming Trump administration. "We are trying, but this administration, even after what happened the last couple of days, they’re still bringing thousands through the CBP One app, the CHNV program from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, Venezuela," Homan said. "They’re going to do as much damage as they can until President Trump walks back to that office.” But a message to those thousands that they’re still bringing in every day," he added. "You’re going home."

FOX News [1/6/2025 1:39 PM, Adam Shaw and Bill Melugin, 49889K, Negative] reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested a Dominican illegal immigrant charged with sex crimes and kidnapping in Boston, after he was released from local custody despite a request by the agency to hand him over. In a statement, ICE said it had arrested Emilio Jose Pena-Casilla, a 46-year-old, who is charged with assault to rape, kidnapping, two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, and intimidation of an official, witness, or juror, was arrested Dec. 17 in Boston. Pena-Casilla entered the U.S. illegally near Eagle Pass, Texas, in January 2023, and was enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program. Under that program, migrants are monitored by a GPS tracking device or check in via an app. He was removed from the program a month later. In July this year, he was arraigned in Massachusetts. ICE says its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Boston issued a detainer, but it was ignored by the district court and he was released on GPS on bail. ICE would eventually track him down in December. "Emilio Jose Pena-Casilla stands accused of some very serious offenses against a Massachusetts resident," acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde of ERO Boston said in a statement. "We hold a sacred duty to protect the residents of our communities, and we will continue to do so by apprehending and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our neighborhoods. Today, another victim in Massachusetts no longer needs to fear their predator."

WPRI [1/6/2025 6:01 PM, Kate Wilkinson, Negative] reports Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is ordering a review of all state-run shelters and their intake process after U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Revere police said they arrested an illegal immigrant on drug and gun charges. According to police, more than a million dollars’ worth of fentanyl and an AR-15 were found in 28-year-old Leonardo Andujar Sanchez’s room at the Quality Inn in Revere on Dec. 27. Shortly after, Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston said officers discovered during an interview that Andujar Sanchez unlawfully entered the country sometime in the past year. ICE has put an immigration detainer on the Dominican national, who is currently being held in state custody.

CBS Austin [1/6/2025 4:54 PM, Jackson Walker, 581K, Negative] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on Friday announced the arrest of a Peruvian national in Connecticut accused of raping a minor in his home country. The migrant, whose identity was withheld, illegally entered the U.S. in 2004 through the U.S.-Mexico border, according to ICE. The agency said in a press release he was cited in December 2011 for operating a motor vehicle without a license by the Orange, Conn. Police Department. He was then arrested in New Haven in December 2014 for allegedly "refusing to submit to a blood, breath or urine test at a police officer’s request," but was released after participating in an Impaired Driver Intervention Program, according to ICE. Authorities in Lima, Peru issued a warrant for the migrant’s arrest in June. They accused the migrant of raping a child. Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested the migrant in New Haven last month. He remains in ICE custody pending removal from the U.S., the agency said.

Greenville News [1/6/2025 3:41 PM, Terry Benjamin II, Negative] reports the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed an immigration detainer on the man accused of making a bomb threat and closing parts of Interstate 85 in Greenville. The Department of Homeland Security has charged Ahmad Jamal Khamees Alhendi, 28, of Oak Lawn, Illinois, according to the Greenville inmate database. ICE charged Alhendi with the same crimes he was charged with after he indicated to a South Carolina State Transport officer that there was an explosive device inside his 18-wheeler. Alhendi was charged with breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature, conveying false information about a bomb threat and operating or permitting an unregistered vehicle. Alhendi told the officer that he had a "small bomb" in the back of his truck, knowing it was false and in an attempt to intimidate the officer. After officers arrested Alhendi, bomb squad technicians swept the truck and surrounding areas. This prompted a section of Interstate 85, Mile Marker 44, and White Horse Road to be closed as the bomb threat was investigated by the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, SLED, and the FBI. No explosive devices were located, and all lanes of I-85 were reopened around 7:40 p.m. Alhendi is a 28-year-old Jordanian national who legally entered the United States on Sep. 20, 2018, in St. Paul, Minnesota, according to ICE’s spokesperson, Lindsey Williams. His hearing is scheduled for Aug. 6. 2026, before an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, Williams said. Officers from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations encountered Alhendi after he was arrested on Jan. 2 and placed a detainer on him.

Border Report [1/6/2025 2:54 PM, Staff, 153K, Neutral] reports that migrant families pass the time inside Casa del Migrante shelter in Juarez, Mexico. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Yahoo! News [1/6/2025 10:45 PM, Heather Willard, 57114K, Negative] reports the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado is speaking out about the ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in Aurora that led to 16 people detained in December. ICE was involved with the investigation of an armed apartment invasion on Dec. 16 and 17 at The Edge at Lowry apartment complex in Aurora where 19 people were initially detained, but ultimately 16 were arrested. Aurora police said the incident began when two Venezuelan individuals were accosted by a large group of armed individuals and forced into an apartment unit. There, the group allegedly tied them up, beat them, pistol-whipped them and stabbed the male victim. After the incident, ICE said the 16 people taken into custody were Venezuelan nationals who were not authorized to be in the U.S., and said they are suspected members of TdA. Later, ICE said the 16 people were arrested for being in the country illegally without authorization. The ACLU of Colorado’s Legal Director Tim Macdonald said the organization is investigating the operation, specifically looking at whether officials violated any state laws. Macdonald said that Aurora police officers detained families, including children as young as 3 and 8 years old, without proper communication about why they were being detained, then turned them over to ICE agents. Macdonald said the ACLU of Colorado is seeking body-worn camera footage from the raid.

Newsweek [1/6/2025 4:30 PM, Erin Keller, 56005K, Negative] reports a man deported to Mexico who returned to Utah one week later has been charged with killing his former girlfriend, police said. Nestor Oved Rocha-Aguayo, 24, of West Valley City, is a citizen of Mexico, according to an online inmate search. On Monday, he was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on charges including aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, evidence tampering, abuse or desecration of a dead body, escape, possession of a stolen vehicle and two counts of failing to stop for police. The body of his ex-girlfriend, Talia Benward, 31, was found Saturday, concealed under sagebrush near a burn pit, according to an arrest document for Rocha-Aguayo, KSL.com reports. Race said during a news conference Monday that officials are also looking into forced reentry immigration charges against Rocha-Aguayo.

Washington Examiner [1/6/2025 1:44 PM, Matthew Soerens, 2365K, Neutral] reports that news reports described a “civil war” dividing two factions of Trump supporters last week. Entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s support for legal visas for highly skilled workers, which the technology sector has long depended upon, put them into conflict with failed congressional candidate Laura Loomer, who decried recipients of such visas as “third-world invaders.” Late last week, President-elect Donald Trump weighed in as a “believer” in the temporary worker program. Now, another battle over legal immigration looms between those seeking to suspend refugee resettlement indefinitely and conservative Christians who believe the U.S. should be a beacon for those fleeing religious persecution. Refugees are legal immigrants, defined under a law passed unanimously by the Senate in 1980 as individuals outside their country of origin facing persecution on specific grounds, including religion. This law gives the president authority to set annual refugee admission ceilings. For decades, usually with bipartisan support, the U.S. refugee resettlement program has offered protection to Christians facing persecution worldwide. In 2024, of the roughly 100,000 refugees resettled to the United States, almost 30,000 were Christian refugees from the 50 countries where, according to religious persecution watchdog Open Doors, Christians face the most severe persecution, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, and Burma.

Washington Examiner [1/6/2025 6:00 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 2365K, Neutral] reports that, four years into the Democratic administration and no progress on that front, immigrants are no better off than they were four years ago, according to immigration groups. The incoming Biden administration proposed a serious bill but was unable to bring Democrats and Republicans in Congress together to offer legal status to more than 13 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. Although the Biden administration has put forth more than 600 actions on immigration, it has some explaining to do, even if its chances were doomed from the start, Migration Policy Institute senior fellow Muzaffar Chishti explained. "He did not put a lot of political muscle behind that, but I’m not sure that that mattered," Chishti said. "I think he was making a calculation that there is no appetite for this in Congress. So why use your political capital on something which is basically not going anywhere?". Eric Ruark, research director at NumbersUSA immigration think tank in Washington, said while the Biden administration was not able to get a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, its policies supported an open-borders agenda in the short run. "The Biden administration failed to pass any significant immigration legislation, however, its open-border policies and cessation of interior enforcement had far-reaching effects, allowing millions of inadmissible aliens to enter the United States, and to live and work here with impunity," Ruark wrote in an email. Then-President George W. Bush had hoped to move on immigration reform legislation at the start of his first term in 2001 but was forced to refocus his administration’s agenda after the 9/11 terrorist attacks that year. Bills in 2006 and 2007 never got anywhere. When combined with border security and enforcement measures in the past, such proposals have often been referred to as comprehensive immigration reform. Opponents prefer the word "amnesty" when discussing a pathway to citizenship or any large-scale legalization of undocumented immigrants.

Newsweek [1/6/2025 6:06 PM, Dan Gooding, 56005K, Neutral] reports on Monday, Illinois looked poised to make it easier for immigrants to change their name without fearing that their personal information could be used against them. A bill passed by the state Senate scraps the need for those seeking a name change to have to announce the move in a local newspaper, which was affecting privacy and safety, the bill’s sponsor said. While not specifically targeted at immigrants, the bill allows anyone living in Illinois for at least three months to change their name without having to publicly declare it. This drew criticism that migrants could change their name to avoid detection by authorities soon after arrival in the country.

USA Today [1/7/2025 5:12 AM, Lauren Villagran, 89965K, Neutral] reports illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border dropped to a five-year low this week, amid the holidays and the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to contain unlawful crossings at the border. U.S. Border Patrol logged an average of 1,000 daily migrant encounters in the seven days ended Jan. 5 along the U.S.-Mexico border, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection official told USA TODAY on Monday. The agency hasn’t seen average daily crossings at that level since April 2020, the official said. Reuters [1/7/2025 5:05 AM, Ted Hesson, 48128K, Neutral] reports the number of migrants arrested illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in December was lower than when President-elect Donald Trump ended his first term in 2020, according to preliminary figures shared with Reuters, a relative calm that Trump could upend with sweeping changes. U.S. Border Patrol apprehended about 47,000 migrants illegally crossing the southwest border in December, a senior U.S. border official told Reuters. That figure is similar to November’s, and well below the Biden administration peak of 250,000 recorded in December 2023. It is also below the 71,000 migrant arrests made in December 2020 as Trump concluded his 2017-2021 presidency. The number of migrants caught at the northern border with Canada fell to about 500 in December, down from 700 in November, the official said. Trump, a Republican, returns to the White House on Jan. 20 promising to crack down on illegal immigration and deport immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said on Sunday that Trump will need $100 billion for the effort, more than the entire budget of many federal agencies. The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the border with Mexico rose to record highs during outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden’s time in office, but fell dramatically after he toughened his approach last year and as Mexico and Panama stepped up enforcement in the region. Biden asylum restrictions in June blocked most migrants crossing illegally from claiming asylum and instead encouraged them to use new legal entry programs. The programs include an app known as CBP One that allows migrants in Mexico to schedule an appointment to claim asylum at a legal border crossing and another for certain migrants abroad with U.S. sponsors.

Yahoo! News [1/7/2025 2:40 AM, Matt Lawfer, 57114K, Neutral] reports reduced hours went into effect at several US/Canada border crossings Monday. 4 crossings in Vermont and 4 in New York will no longer be open 24 hours. In New York’s North Country, Trout River and Chateaugay are both now open 6AM to 6PM. Overton Corners is now open 6AM to 10PM, and Rouses Point is open from 8AM to 8PM. Local officials have been in touch with the federal government, trying to get the reduction reversed so the crossings would go back to 24 hours. “Chateaugay is a commercial port, as well. So, many of our truckers and our goods and services people that transport goods back and forth there will have to take alternative routes,” said NYS Assemblyman Billy Jones. “Often times they do travel before 6am in the morning and after 6pm at night.” Another concern Jones addressed is that of emergency response crews that often cross the border to fight fires or provide mutual aid. There’s been communication with the Port Authority. They have said that there will be a person there to let them across the border,” Jones said. CBP cites staffing shortages as the cause for the reductions. CBP said there just isn’t enough manpower to keep these crossing open 24 hours. They also said there will be someone at each crossing overnight to allow emergency crews through. “If the issue is manpower, and there’s going to be somebody there to let emergency vehicles in and out, why can’t we come to a solution to keep the border open for those hours.” asked Jones. Jones said he and his colleagues, including Gov. Hochul, will continue to press the federal government to re-open these crossings 24 hours. He also said he’s hopeful the new administration may consider reversing the closures.

Yahoo! News [1/6/2025 12:06 PM, Staff, 57114K, Negative] reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agents recovered a missing child last week and apprehended a driver wanted for their alleged abduction. CBP said Border Patrol agents assigned to the Campo Station, east of San Diego, stopped a "suspicious" SUV traveling west on Interstate 8 near Buckman Springs Road, north of Boulder Oaks, at around 9 a.m. Wednesday. The SUV was driven by a 36-year-old woman, and an adult woman and a 6-year-old child were in the vehicle with her. Agents confirmed the identities of the SUV’s occupants, and learned there was an active warrant against the driver. The warrant was issued by the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office in Texas for interference with child custody, involving the 6-year-old passenger. After transporting the driver and child to a local Border Patrol station, agents contacted the U.S. Marshals Service, which later took custody of the driver. The child, meanwhile, was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services until she could be reunited with her family. "This is yet another example of how agents’ vigilance serves our communities and nation," San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel said in a statement. "In this case, as they often do, agents went beyond their traditional border security duties to reunite a missing child with their family."

Reported similarly:
FOX 5 [1/6/2025 3:44 PM, Rhea Caoile, Negative]

NewsNation [1/6/2025 7:32 PM, Jorge Ventura, 57114K, Neutral] reports sources in Mexico tell NewsNation a caravan of migrants has just taken off from Tapachula, Mexico, with hundreds heading north to Chiapas, Mexico, on foot. The majority of migrants are Venezuelan, sources say. The ultimate destination is reportedly Juarez, Mexico, located just miles from the border, and El Paso, Texas. It’s the 10th such caravan to form in the southern municipality since October. According to Mexican immigration authorities, they expect even more of these caravans to form and depart in the coming days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump and his "border czar," Tom Homan, have promised to carry out mass deportations on a historical scale, decrying sanctuary cities and their leaders who plan to oppose such actions. The chances of the caravan reaching the United States’ southern border are slim to none as Mexican immigration authorities continue to step up their efforts to deter and block migrant groups from even reaching Mexico City. Sources tell NewsNation authorities have dubbed this "Operation Carousel" and that they are breaking up migrant groups and negotiating with them to travel to other Mexican states.

Yahoo! News [1/6/2025 8:10 AM, Emily Hibbitts, 57114K, Neutral] reports that after the deadline closes for FEMA disaster assistance on Tuesday, document processing centers will open in the area on Wednesday. FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers in Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, Washington and Cocke counties will close at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Tuesday marks the last day for Tennesseans impacted by Hurricane Helene to apply for FEMA disaster assistance. Document Processing Centers be open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the following locations: Carter County: Carter County Public Library (201 N. Sycamore St., Elizabethton). Johnson County: Tennessee National Guard Armory (1923 S Shady Street Mountain City). Unicoi County: National Guard Armory/Unicoi EOC (615 S. Main Ave. Erwin, TN). People will be able to turn in documents and follow up on applications and appeals at the centers, according to FEMA.

WJTV [1/6/2025 5:16 PM, Kaitlin Howell, Negative] reports officials with the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) believe a wildfire in Tallahatchie County was ignited by children playing with bottle rockets. According to the MFC, the 124-acre wildfire erupted Sunday night. Officials said the fire required the response of three MFC units and four volunteer fire departments. They said firefighters were able to contain the fire and protect two homes.

Yahoo! News [1/6/2025 7:32 PM, Sierra Rains, 57114K, Negative] reports families hit hard by the storms are up against another major setback. Many haven’t been able to return to their homes and now a looming deadline could force them to pack their bags once again. Hurricane Helene’s surge left several Treasure Island communities in shambles. The City of Treasure Island is moving through a backlog of permit applications, and many property owners haven’t been able to start the process to rebuild their homes. “Our condo doesn’t even have permits yet,” said Lisa Flinn. “No one is working in our building. I don’t know what the issues are with HOA or insurance or FEMA or Treasure Island. It’s the big unknown.” Flinn had to turn a small hotel room into her home after Hurricane Helene flooded and destroyed her condo. However, her list of questions and concerns is growing. Flinn’s hotel fees were covered by the FEMA Temporary Sheltering Assistance Program, but her 90-day stay is about to expire next week. “FEMA is kicking us out on the 14th and all of us here, at least 92 units, have no place to go,” Flinn said. “What are we supposed to do?” Val Wolford is also sounding the alarm. “We can’t go back to the original places,” Wolford said. “Everyone is scrambling for the few places that may have vacancy. Where are we going to go?” The walls inside Wolford’s home are still missing since Helene made landfall in late September. “We have to start over from silverware to furniture to personal belongings,” Wolford said. “Fortunately, I have my car and a bag full of some clothes. That’s pretty much all that was left.” The community is calling on local and state officials to extend the deadline while the city works to clear the backlog of permit applications. “We need some more assistance or an extension until they get something straightened out with the permits,” Wolford said. News Channel 8 reached out to FEMA about the looming deadline. “I suspect that this is FEMA reviewing each survivor’s eligibility to determine eligibility to continue in TSA housing,” an official said. “That review can take place every 14 days.” FEMA also issued the following response: “Generally, every 14 days FEMA will review applicants’ eligibility for continued TSA. Applicants who meet the conditions of continued eligibility may remain in TSA.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

WFLA [1/6/2025 2:48 PM, Rachel Tucker, Neutral] reports Tuesday marks the final day for Floridians to apply for FEMA aid after back-to-back hurricanes. Residents who suffered damage in hurricanes Helene or Milton face a January 7 deadline to apply for assistance. Homeowners and renters who were denied by FEMA have 60 days within the date of the decision letter to dispute it.

The Hill [1/6/2025 12:34 PM, Sarah Fortinsky, 16346K, Negative] reports that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) said he will push for President Biden to issue a disaster declaration during the president’s visit to the state on Monday. In a Monday statement, Landry also pushed for Senate Democrats to move swiftly with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R) confirmation process for her expected nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security. "I look forward to speaking with President Biden today on quickly approving my request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration," Landry said in a statement. "This is no time to play around," he continued. "Which is why I am also calling on Senate Democrats on the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee to allow Kristi Noem to get to work on Day 1 as our Secretary of Homeland Security. There should be no gap in leadership." "In the wake of the Bourbon Street and Las Vegas attacks, our nation’s security depends on her quick confirmation," he added. Biden, who has two weeks left in office, is visiting New Orleans in what is likely to be his last visit to the aftermath of a tragic crime to meet with families of victims. "I’ve been there. There’s nothing you can really say to somebody that’s just had such a tragic loss," Biden told reporters Sunday, The Associated Press reported. "My message is going to be personal if I get to get them alone."

AP [1/7/2025 1:10 AM, Staff, 47097K, Neutral] reports the strongest winds in more than a decade could hit Southern California on Tuesday, potentially causing structural damage and bringing extreme fire risk to areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months. Beginning Tuesday afternoon, the windstorm will affect Los Angeles and Ventura counties and peak in the early hours of Wednesday, when gusts could reach 80 mph (129 kph), the National Weather Service said Monday. Isolated gusts could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills. The weather service warned of downed trees and knocked over big rigs, trailers, and motorhomes. Powerful offshore gusts will also bring dangerous conditions off the coasts of Orange County and LA, including Catalina Island, and potential delays and turbulence could arise at local airports. Public safety power shutoffs are being considered for nearly 300,000 customers across the region, according to Southern California Edison’s website. The upcoming winds will act as an "atmospheric blow-dryer" for vegetation, bringing a long period of fire risk that could extend into the more populated lower hills and valleys, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. "We really haven’t seen a season as dry as this one follow a season as wet as the previous one," Swain said during a Monday livestream. "All of that extra abundant growth of grass and vegetation followed immediately by a wind event of this magnitude while it’s still so incredibly dry," elevates the risk. Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been very little rain so far this season. Southern California hasn’t seen more than 0.1 inches (0.25 centimeters) of rain since early May. Much of the region has fallen into moderate drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [1/6/2025 1:38 PM, Lauren Rosenthal and Mark Cheddar, 1450K, Negative]
AP [1/6/2025 5:42 PM, Staff, 33392K, Negative]

Federal News Network [1/6/2025 6:13 PM, Jory Heckman, 470K, Neutral] reports Congress is giving a small, independent agency more time to identify underutilized buildings the federal government no longer needs. Lawmakers created the Public Buildings Reform Board when it passed the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act in December 2016. The board helps the federal government’s landlord, the General Services Administration, identify properties that agencies no longer need, and to sell or repurpose them. Last Friday, President Joe Biden signed a slew of bills targeting underutilized office space as part of a water infrastructure bill. The omnibus package includes the FASTA Reform Act, which extends the tenure of the PBRB through December 2026. The PBRB was originally scheduled to sunset in May 2025. The extension gives the board more time to identify underutilized federal buildings, and recommend that GSA sell or offload them. Paul Walden, the board’s executive director, told Federal News Network in an email that "the board is very excited that we’ve been extended to the end of 2026 and that we have the opportunity to present another round of recommendations.” The FASTA Reform Act also gives the board access to Federal Real Property Council meetings chaired by OMB, and would allow agencies to receive the proceeds from building sales sooner. It also requires PBRB to submit a report to Congress on federal properties that should be sold.

Washington Examiner [1/6/2025 7:00 AM, Jack Birle, 2365K, Neutral] reports one of the top changes was the Department of Homeland Security designating the joint session of Congress’s certification as a National Special Security Event. The designation was already afforded to the inauguration, along with other top events such as the Super Bowl, but for 2025, it was extended to the Jan. 6 session of Congress. "National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance," Eric Ranaghan, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dignitary Protective Division, said in a statement when the special session of Congress was given the designation last year. "The U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners, are committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated security plan to ensure the safety and security of this event and its participants," Ranaghan added. The increased collaboration is designed to improve awareness of any activities or unrest planned ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Preparations for this year’s inauguration also began ahead of schedule, with efforts starting outside the White House in Lafayette Park in October. Construction on the inauguration stage on the West Front of the Capitol Building began in September. "Construction for the Presidential Inauguration Parade reviewing stands typically starts on Nov. 1 the year before the inauguration. Sometimes, closures and construction occur earlier. This year, work began Oct. 1 to accommodate additional time needed for a safer and more secure environment for construction activities," the National Park Service said about the preparations beginning at Lafayette Park last year. In the weeks leading up to the certification and inauguration, fencing has returned to the Capitol Building, and it was placed around the Capitol for several months after the 2021 riot. The fencing has returned around the Capitol multiple times since 2021, including for the State of the Union address. In addition to these efforts, the Capitol Police, the force that defends the complex where the election certification and the inauguration will take place, have changed their training and received more funding in their mission to defend lawmakers. The budget for the Capitol Police ballooned from $515.5 million for fiscal 2021 to roughly $900 million requested for fiscal 2025.

FOX 31 News KDVR [1/6/2025 6:11 PM, Heather Willard, 1992K, Neutral] reports Leadville’s new police chief is warning residents and businesses to be vigilant after counterfeit bills were recently intercepted at a gas station in town. According to Leadville Police Chief Dan Trelka, the gas station accepted 13 fake $20 bills during a single transaction that happened at some point between Dec. 27 and Jan. 1. Police are investigating surveillance video from the six-day period, but have not yet developed any suspects, Trelka told FOX31.

Yahoo! News [1/6/2025 6:46 PM, Daniel Kool, 57114K, Negative] reports the Coast Guard is investigating after a series of red flares were set off near Willard Beach and Casco Bay, signaling false alarms and wasting the agency’s resources. Bystanders spotted one flare at Fishermen’s Point along South Portland’s Willard Beach early Monday . That came after back-to-back reports of flare sightings near Willard Beach on Dec. 27 and 28, the guard said in a statement Monday. "Spent flare casings were located on Willard Beach, but no other signs of distress were found," the guard said. All told, the three false alarms cost the agency more than $28,000 over the course of three searches that stretched more than 80 miles and included help from a handful of partner agencies, the guard said. "False reports of distress are serious," said Capt. Matthew Baker, the Coast Guard’s Northern New England sector commander. "They unnecessarily endanger our crews and needlessly cost the taxpayers money.”

Miami Herald [1/6/2025 6:32 PM, Olivia Lloyd, 6595K, Neutral] reports a cruise ship caused a smaller boat to sink, leaving two people and a dog stranded on a buoy in the middle of a bay, Florida rescuers said. The pair hit a wake created by a cruise ship near Gadsden Point in the Tampa Bay on Jan. 4, making their boat crash, according to a Jan. 6 news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The two boaters were injured and their vessel sank, but they swam to a buoy with their dog and waited for help, deputies said. Aerial and marine units from the sheriff’s office, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, reported finding them shortly after 6 p.m. Video shared on social media from the sheriff’s office shows one person on top of the large buoy and the other person in the water clinging to it. The individuals confirmed they were the only ones in need of rescue, then first responders took them to a nearby hospital, deputies said.

CBS 58 [1/6/2025 5:09 PM, Ellie Nakamoto-White, 238K, Neutral] reports that, Monday, Jan. 6, marks 85 days since a boat became stranded -- and later abandoned -- near Milwaukee’s Bradford Beach. Nearly three months later, it’s still capturing the attention of southeast Wisconsin, and many are left wondering -- will it become a permanent landmark? For Nick Scott of Milwaukee, the cold temps didn’t stop him from coming out to see the boat for the first time. "It’s pretty exciting," Scott said. "It’s another Milwaukee staple here!" Now dubbed "S.S. Minnow," the boat is decorated with stickers, graffiti, and Christmas decorations thanks to the local community. “I didn’t know it would be here this long, to see it finally frozen up on the bank here," Scott said. "But I’d love to hear more about the story, it’s crazy.” So, CBS 58 reached out to the boat’s owners who live in Mississippi. Despite initially saying they would take the call, after repeated attempts of contact, we never heard back. That’s when we heard from the regional U.S. Coast Guard, who said the owners have also stopped responding to them, and to a local towing company who has spent around $18,000 out of their own pocket to recover the boat. Coast Guard officials also pointed to a newly created GoFundMe by a man out of Arkansas who claimed the couple is being charged $400 each day the boat is not removed, but that the information is false and no one should donate to the made-up cause. As of right now, the Coast Guard said the towing company is waiting for better and warmer weather to resume their efforts.

The Hill [1/6/2025 5:04 PM, Julia Shapero, 16346K, Neutral] reports the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said Monday that there is "no indication" other federal agencies were impacted by the recent breach at the Treasury Department. The Treasury Department revealed last week that Chinese state-sponsored actors had hacked into the agency’s workstations in early December and accessed unclassified documents. CISA said in a statement Monday that it is "working closely" with both the Treasury and BeyondTrust to "understand and mitigate the impacts" of the breach. The Treasury Department has promised to provide an update to lawmakers in 30 days as required by law. However, the incoming chairs of the Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee, both of which oversee the agency, asked Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday for a briefing on the incident by Jan. 10.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [1/6/2025 5:35 PM, Raphael Satter, 48128K, Negative]
MeriTalk [1/6/2025 3:42 PM, Grace Dille, 31K, Neutral]

NBC News [1/6/2025 4:19 PM, Daniella Silva, 50804K, Neutral] reports Louisiana’s Attorney General announced Monday a "full review" of New Orleans’ security plans in the wake of the New Year’s Day terror attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 revelers and injured dozens more. State Attorney General Liz Murrill ordered the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation to examine the city’s security plans for New Year’s Eve and the Sugar Bowl after consulting with the governor, she said in a statement. The move comes after criticism and questions about New Orleans’ security protocol, in which it failed to deploy anti-vehicle barriers that it had owned for years. Additionally, other barriers, known as bollards, had recently been removed because they were malfunctioning and needed to be replaced. She said the review was expected to explore all aspects of planning and execution of security measures for New Year’s Eve celebrations and the Sugar Bowl held on New Year’s Day at the Superdome. She said funding, risk assessments and security policies would come under scrutiny. President Joe Biden on Monday upgraded the upcoming Mardi Gras in New Orleans to a Special Event Assessment Rating of 1, the highest level issued by the Department of Homeland Security for significant events in the U.S. or abroad that "require extensive federal interagency support." It had previously been assessed as a Level 2 event. The Biden administration said in a statement that federal assistance during March 4 Mardi Gras festivities could include explosive detection canine teams, cyber risk assessment, venue screening, field intelligence teams, and air security and tactical operations support. The Super Bowl, which will be held at the Superdome on Feb. 9, had already received a 1 rating, which it gets every year, no matter the host city.

The New York Times [1/7/2025 3:21 AM, Alan Rappeport, 740K, Neutral] reports U.S. Steel and Japan’s Nippon Steel sued the United States government on Monday in a last-ditch attempt to revive their attempted merger after President Biden blocked it last week on the basis that the transaction posed a threat to national security. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Washington, accused Mr. Biden and other senior administration officials of corrupting the review process for political gain and of harming steelworkers and the American steel industry by blocking the deal under false pretenses. Mr. Biden moved to block the merger after a government panel charged with reviewing foreign investments failed to reach a decision about whether the deal should proceed. In a statement on Friday, Mr. Biden said that he was acting to ensure that the United States maintains a strong domestically owned and operated steel industry. The president had previously vowed to ensure that U.S. Steel remained American-owned. The companies are asking for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to conduct a new review of the deal. The companies also filed a separate lawsuit against Cleveland-Cliffs, an American steel company that previously tried to buy U.S. Steel but was rebuffed, along with Lourenco Goncalves, chief executive of Cleveland-Cliffs, and David McCall, international president of the powerful union United Steelworkers. The lawsuit accused Cleveland-Cliffs and the head of the union of illegally colluding to undermine the proposed deal between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel. Mr. McCall said that he was reviewing the lawsuit and would “vigorously defend against these baseless allegations.” Mr. Goncalves said in a statement that the lawsuit was “completely baseless” and that Cleveland Cliffs was prepared to fight it. “Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel continue to play the blame game in a desperate attempt to distract from their own failures,” he said. The legal actions represented a long-shot maneuver by the companies to preserve a deal that was ensnared in election-year politics. Presidents have broad authority to determine what constitutes a national security threat, and no transaction blocked under those powers has ever been overturned by the courts. The AP [1/6/2025 9:32 AM, Fatima Hussein, 30936K, Neutral] reports Biden said Friday that U.S. companies producing a large amount of steel need to “keep leading the fight on behalf of America’s national interests,” though Japan, where Nippon is based, is a strong ally. In separate lawsuits filed Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the steelmakers allege that it was a political decision made by the Biden administration that had no rational legal basis. “Nippon Steel and U. S. Steel have engaged in good faith with all parties to underscore how the Transaction will enhance, not threaten, United States national security,” the companies said in a prepared statement Monday. Nippon Steel had promised to invest $2.7 billion in U.S. Steel’s aging blast furnace operations in Gary, Indiana, and Pennsylvania’s Mon Valley. It also vowed not to reduce production capacity in the United States over the next decade without first getting U.S. government approval. Biden on Friday decided to stop the Nippon takeover — after federal regulators deadlocked on whether to approve it — because “a strong domestically owned and operated steel industry represents an essential national security priority. ... Without domestic steel production and domestic steel workers, our nation is less strong and less secure,” he said in a statement.

Reported similarly:

Washington Post [1/6/2025 9:10 AM, David J. Lynch, 40736K, Negative]
Bloomberg [1/6/2025 7:00 AM, Brendan Murray, 21617K, Positive]
NPR [1/6/2025 10:44 AM, Scott Horsley, 35747K, Negative]
AP [1/6/2025 8:25 PM, Yuri Kageyama, 47097K, Neutral]
Reuters [1/6/2025 9:35 AM, Alexandra Alper and Aatreyee Dasgupta, 36472K, Neutral]
ABC News [1/6/2025 8:21 AM, Max Zahn, 33392K, Negative]
CBS News [1/6/2025 9:12 AM, Kate Gibson, 52225K, Neutral]

Reuters [1/6/2025 7:19 PM, Alexandra Alper, 48128K, Neutral] reports Nippon Steel (5401.T), and U.S. Steel (X.N), are unlikely to convince a court to scrap President Joe Biden’s decision to block their $14.9 billion merger, but their lawsuit could give them more time to reach a deal with incoming President Donald Trump. The companies argued in a lawsuit announced on Monday that Biden violated the Constitution by blocking the merger via a sham national security review that deprived the companies of their right to a fair process. Suing the government will be "an uphill battle," said Nick Klein, a national security lawyer with DLA Piper, noting that courts are typically very deferential to the executive branch on national security issues. Still, "the lawsuit will give them more time to negotiate with the new administration or find alternatives that are acceptable," Klein added. Nippon Steel declined to comment. U.S. Steel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The order signed by Biden on Friday gives the companies 30 days to unwind their transaction. While the companies do not explicitly ask the courts to stay the order, they state in a copy of the complaint shared with Reuters that they intend to ask the government if it plans to enforce the 30-day requirement. If it does, the companies could seek "preliminary relief," the document states. Meanwhile the merger agreement includes an end date of June 18 to obtain regulatory approvals and complete the merger. The companies claim a national security review led by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which scrutinizes foreign investments for national security threats, was unfairly influenced by Biden, who took aim at the deal in March before the review began.

Washington Post [1/6/2025 7:33 PM, Abigail Hauslohner, 40736K, Negative] reports Monday’s announcement is part of President Joe Biden’s fervent effort during his final weeks in office to reduce the number of those held Guantánamo. The secretive facility, which for much of the world came to symbolize a subversion of justice by the United States, continues to divide Washington — where Democrats and Republicans disagree on the question of whether the prison should be permanently shuttered. President-elect Donald Trump mused in the past about imprisoning more people there. His pick for defense secretary, former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, worked at Guantánamo while serving in the Army in 2004 when it held hundreds of prisoners. Hegseth has said that one of Guantánamo’s major flaws is that detainees had too many rights and protections. Last month, the Biden administration repatriated four men, including two Malaysians who pleaded guilty to involvement in a Southeast Asian terrorist plot and will now serve out their prison sentences in Malaysia, plus a Tunisian and a Kenyan who were never charged. The administration also is seeking to repatriate — to an Iraqi prison — a severely disabled Iraqi detainee who pleaded guilty to terrorist involvement, the New York Times reported. Attorneys for the man, Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, have sued the U.S. government to block his transfer, arguing he will not be safe or receive adequate medical care in Iraq. The flurry of activity around the oft-forgotten prison comes days before Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, is expected to enter his guilty plea to the U.S. military commission in Guantánamo — part of a deal Mohammed reached with military prosecutors to avoid the death penalty. The Biden administration has intervened in the case, and those of two other defendants who reached similar agreements, hoping to prevent the plea deals from moving forward.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [1/6/2025 4:56 PM, Carol Rosenberg, 161405K, Neutral]
The Hill [1/6/2025 5:54 PM, Brad Dress, 16346K, Neutral]
NPR [1/6/2025 4:06 PM, Sacha Pfeiffer, 35747K, Negative] Audio: HERE
AP [1/6/2025 6:01 PM, Ellen Knickmeyer, Negative]
Reuters [1/6/2025 6:46 PM, Phil Stewart, 48128K, Negative]
ABC News [1/6/2025 5:32 PM, Luis Martinez, Neutral]
CBS News [1/6/2025 5:55 PM, Eleanor Watson, 52225K, Negative]
FOX News [1/6/2025 7:30 PM, Louis Casiano, 49889K, Negative]

Newsweek [1/6/2025 4:45 PM, Natalie Venegas, 56005K, Negative]President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González at the White House on Monday, according to a senior administration official. The meeting comes as the Biden administration recognized González as the nation’s "president-elect" following Venezuela’s disputed July elections. González claims to have decisively defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s contested presidential election, a claim backed by opposition data but denied by Venezuela’s government. His claims have also been met with aggressive pushback from Maduro’s government, which accuses him of fabricating vote tallies. Meanwhile, Maduro declared victory in the contested vote but has refused to release the election’s official results, a move that has drawn sharp international criticism. Since then, Venezuela has faced widespread protests following the disputed election as protesters are demanding that election officials release the results from each polling station, claiming this would reveal Maduro’s alleged efforts to rig the election. In an effort to consolidate international support, González, a retired diplomat representing Venezuela’s main opposition coalition, has embarked on a tour of the Americas to bolster his campaign against Maduro’s rule.

New York Times [1/6/2025 6:52 PM, Euan Ward, 161405K, Negative] reports a top U.S. envoy who helped broker the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah issued reassurance on Monday that Israel would withdraw fully from southern Lebanon, as called for in the fragile 60-day truce deal that paused the bloodiest war between the two sides in decades. Speaking to reporters in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, the envoy, Amos Hochstein, said that Israeli troops had pulled out on Monday from the southern town of Naqoura. In a statement, the Lebanese military said it had redeployed in the town, after the Israeli withdrawal. “These withdrawals will continue until Israeli forces are fully out of Lebanon,” Mr. Hochstein said after meeting with senior Lebanese officials. “There’s been much progress in recent days, and I expect to see additional progress being made in the days to come.” Although the truce reached in late November continues to hold, there is growing frustration among Lebanese and Israeli officials about the pace at which the cease-fire agreement is being carried out, with the deadline fast approaching for the terms to be fulfilled. Mr. Hochstein did not specify when Israeli troops would withdraw completely from Lebanon, and it remains uncertain whether the cease-fire agreement will be fully in place by the end of the 60-day period. The deal ended a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful militant group in Lebanon that began firing rockets into Israel in support of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran, part of its network of regional proxies.

Bloomberg [1/6/2025 6:41 AM, Dan Strumpf, 1450K, Neutral] reports the US is finalizing steps to remove longstanding barriers to civil nuclear cooperation with India as the two countries look to bolster relations further. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, in likely his last official trip overseas, said “formal paperwork will be done soon” to scrap regulations that prevented Indian entities and American companies from cooperating on nuclear energy projects. “This will be an opportunity to turn the page on some of the frictions of the past,” he said Monday in a speech at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. “This is a statement of confidence in the progress we’ve made and the progress we will continue to make as strategic partners.” India, one of the world’s biggest carbon dioxide emitters, is seeking to rapidly expand its use of nuclear power over the next decade as it aims to both decarbonize and meet rising energy demand. The remarks followed a meeting between Sullivan and India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar earlier Monday. The visit by Sullivan is likely the last meeting by a senior Biden administration official to India, Asia’s third-largest economy that the US has sought to cultivate as a regional partner and a counterweight to China. President-elect Donald Trump also prioritized closer ties with India during his first term and is expected to continue to bolster links in his second. Even so, he’s criticized India’s high tariffs on imported goods, and his pledge to impose across-the-board duties threatens the South Asian nation’s trade surplus with the US.

The Hill [1/6/2025 11:06 AM, Julia Shapero, 57114K, Negative] reports that China slammed the U.S. Monday for sanctioning a Beijing-based cybersecurity firm allegedly behind a botnet targeting American infrastructure, accusing Washington of "using the issue of cybersecurity to vilify and smear China." "On the so-called issue of cyberattacks, China has made clear our position more than once," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press conference. "China has all along firmly opposed hacking and fights it in accordance with law." "For quite some time, the U.S. has been trumpeting so-called ‘Chinese hacking’ and even using it to impose illegal and unilateral sanctions on China," he added. "China firmly rejects this and will do what is necessary to safeguard our lawful rights and interests." The U.S. announced sanctions Friday on the Chinese cyber company Integrity Technology Group. Hackers associated with the firm are accused of targeting multiple U.S. and foreign corporations, universities, telecommunication firms, government and media organizations as part of an operation referred to a "Flax Typhoon," according to the State Department. The Justice Department initially announced a court-authorized operation to disrupt the botnet, or network of compromised devices, run by Integrity Tech in September.

Reported similarly:
Newsweek [1/6/2025 10:49 AM, Lilith Foster-Collins, 56005K, Negative]

The Wall Street Journal [1/6/2025 6:45 PM, James T. Areddy, Neutral] reports the Pentagon on Monday added a number of well-known Chinese businesses to a list of companies it identifies as military in nature, including some of the country’s largest internet, battery, science and shipping firms. The additions to the Defense Department’s list of “Chinese military companies” reflects its assessment that China fuses commercial and military technology. Beijing aims “to strengthen all [China’s] instruments of national power by melding aspects of its economic, military, and social governance,” as the Pentagon put it in a threat assessment published last month. The report cited efforts to harness advanced artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and integrated circuits for military means. Among the new names on the list of more than 50 business groups plus subsidiaries are shipping and port industry giants China Overseas Shipping—or Cosco—Sinotrans & CSC Holdings, and China International Marine Containers; airplane producer Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China, or Comac; battery behemoth Contemporary Amperex Technology, or CATL; telecommunications modular maker Quectel Wireless Solutions; facial-recognition business SenseTime Group; and WeChat owner Tencent Holdings. In a sign of investors’ attention to the list, Tencent’s U.S.-listed shares dropped almost 8% in Monday trading after the Pentagon published it. A spokesman for Tencent said its inclusion “is clearly a mistake. We are not a military company or supplier. Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business. We will nonetheless work with the Department of Defense to address any misunderstanding.” The other companies didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. To land on the Defense Department’s list, a company based in China must have some operations in the U.S. The latest additions join telecommunications-equipment maker Huawei Technologies, plane maker Aviation Industry Corp. of China, life-sciences group BGI Genomics and cellular business China Mobile. The Washington Post [1/6/2025 9:02 PM, Ellen Nakashima and Cate Cadell, 40736K, Neutral] reports the Pentagon will blacklist China’s largest EV battery manufacturer and its largest tech firm beginning in June 2026, barring them from Defense Department contracts and sending a powerful signal to American firms about the potential risks of doing business with them. In a notice in the Federal Register on Monday, the Defense Department published a list of firms that it deems to be operating in the United States for, or on behalf of, the Chinese military or that contribute to China’s military buildup. The “1260H list,” mandated annually by Congress since 2021, now includes CATL, the world’s largest electric-vehicle battery-maker, which supplies Tesla, the EV manufacturer owned by President-elect Donald Trump’s ally Elon Musk. It also lists the social media giant Tencent, China’s most valuable technology company. Other firms of note added to the list are China’s top commercial-jet-maker, a DNA-sequencing firm with U.S. ties and two companies at the heart of China’s surveillance-technology boom. “When the Pentagon affirms you are a Chinese military company, it’s an official scarlet letter that can impact everything from the risk perception of working with a company that might affect its share price to its long-term viability in the U.S. market,” said Eric Sayers, a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former aide to the top U.S. military commander in the Pacific. Some of the designated firms are already included on a Treasury Department list of Chinese military-industrial-complex companies, subjecting them to investment restrictions because of their assessed military ties. That includes the AI firm SenseTime Group and subsidiaries of the state-owned military contractor, Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

Reported similarly:
CNN [1/7/2025 1:31 AM, Juliana Liu, 57114K, Neutral]

Newsweek [1/6/2025 8:01 AM, Ryan Chan, 56005K, Positive] reports China has a new military aircraft that can detect U.S. combat jets approaching the country’s airspace at longer ranges, experts told Newsweek. Newsweek has contacted the Pentagon and Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email. Clayton Swope, the deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project and a senior fellow in the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Newsweek there is some concern that the new Chinese military airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, known as the KJ-3000, "could detect stealth aircraft.” The ability to detect stealth aircraft could give China a significant new edge, Swope added, which could complicate the U.S.’s ability to project airpower across the western Pacific Ocean, including over the contested South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. The KJ-3000 has a design based on the Y-20B transport aircraft. In December, photos of its maiden flight, which reportedly occurred the month prior, circulated on social media after the emergence of two Chinese next-generation combat aircraft prototypes. Serving as "eyes and ears" in the air, the KJ-3000 is designed to detect aircraft and cruise missiles and to provide a comprehensive understanding of the operational environments in real time, reported the Aviationist, a military aviation website. It is expected to have a rotodome that houses its radar antenna, which provides 360-degree coverage. China operates three types of AEW&C aircraft—the KJ-200, the KJ-500 and the KJ-2000—which amplify its ability to detect, track and target threats in varying conditions, in larger volumes, and at greater distances, the Pentagon said in its 2024 report on China’s military power. The U.S. military has several types of stealth aircraft in service, including the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets and the B-2 and B-21 bombers. They use low observable technology, also known as stealth technology, to become less visible to radar detection.

Bloomberg [1/6/2025 7:00 PM, Jamie Tarabay, 21617K, Negative] reports Chinese-state sponsored hackers penetrated the executive branch of the Philippines government and stole sensitive data as part of a yearslong campaign, according to three people familiar with the matter. Cybersecurity experts discovered an infiltration of the executive branch and reported it to Philippine officials in 2023, and the same breach was flagged again in August of last year, according to the people, who asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The president’s office wrote one of the experts in May asking for details of the hack, according to emails reviewed by Bloomberg News. Government officials have said in the last year or so that they are facing a constant threat of cyberattacks and have thwarted past attempts to hack into government agencies, including the president’s office. The breach of the president’s office hasn’t been previously reported. Jeffrey Ian Dy, undersecretary for cybersecurity from the Department of Information and Communications Technology, declined to comment on whether the president’s office was breached or data was stolen. “What we can confirm right now is that it is persistent, and it is consistent with advanced persistent threat groups,” said Dy, using a term often associated with state-sponsored hacking groups. “We are not confirming any data breach.” Allies of the Philippines including Australia, the US, the UK and Japan were helping with technical support and technology, as well as exchange of information, Dy said, adding that authorities had also tapped cybersecurity firms for assistance. The attacks targeted Philippine agencies concerned with coastal defense, he said.

Newsweek [1/6/2025 1:00 PM, Micah McCartney, 56005K, Negative] reports that the Philippines said on Monday it was monitoring a massive Chinese coast guard ship nicknamed "the Monster," as it continued to operate within the U.S. ally’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for a third-consecutive day. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese foreign ministry with a written request for comment. Beijing’s claims over the South China Sea overlap with those of neighboring countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Taiwan. Pushback from the U.S. ally under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has resulted in increasingly aggressive responses from China. Clashes last year left several Philippine servicemen injured and raised the specter of Manila invoking its seven-decade Mutual Defense Treaty with the U.S. Beijing has maintained that it is Manila stirring up trouble in the region, acting as a pawn in Washington’s efforts to contain China. Video shared to X (formerly Twitter) by Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela showed the 541-foot CCG-5901, the world’s largest coast guard vessel, being intercepted by the much smaller BRP Cabra. Tarriela had suggested Sunday that the ship’s presence was aimed at intimidating local fishermen.

The New York Times [1/7/2025 1:11 AM, Meaghan Tobin, Muyi Xiao and Amy Chang Chien, 161405K, Negative] reports Taiwan is investigating whether a ship linked to China is responsible for damaging one of the undersea cables that connects Taiwan to the internet, the latest reminder of how vulnerable Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is to damage from China. The incident comes as anxiety in Europe has risen over apparent acts of sabotage, including ones aimed at such undersea communication cables. Two fiber-optic cables under the Baltic Sea were severed in November, prompting officials from Sweden, Finland and Lithuania to halt a Chinese-flagged commercial ship in the area for weeks over its possible involvement. In Taiwan, communications were quickly rerouted after the damage was detected, and there was no major outage. The island’s main telecommunications provider, Chunghwa Telecom, received a notification on Friday morning that the cable, known as the Trans-Pacific Express Cable, had been damaged. That cable also connects to South Korea, Japan, China and the United States. That afternoon, Taiwan’s Coast Guard intercepted a cargo vessel off the northern city of Keelung, in an area near where half a dozen cables make landfall. The vessel was owned by a Hong Kong company and crewed by seven Chinese nationals, the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration said. The damaged cable is one of more than a dozen that help keep Taiwan online. These fragile cables are susceptible to breakage by anchors dragged along the sea floor by the many ships in the busy waters around Taiwan. Analysts and officials say that while it is difficult to prove whether damage to these cables is intentional, such an act would fit a pattern of intimidation and psychological warfare by China directed at weakening Taiwan’s defenses. Newsweek [1/6/2025 11:09 AM, Micah McCartney, 56005K, Negative] reports that the Chinese Foreign Ministry declined to comment during its regular press conference on Monday, with spokesperson Guo Jiakun telling reporters it was "not a diplomatic matter.” The Taiwan Coast Guard Administration said in a news release: "The ‘S’ ship was found 7 nautical miles north of Yehliu and immediately asked to return to Keelung Port for investigation." The CGA said it would collect all evidence, including radar data and navigation logs, and refer the case to the District Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation and potential criminal liability.

Reuters [1/6/2025 4:07 AM, Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee, 30936K, Negative] reports Taiwan’s coast guard has said that it suspects a ship damaged an undersea communications cable over the weekend, but that bad weather prevented its personnel from boarding the vessel to investigate. The coast guard had said on Saturday that a ship registered both to Cameroon and Tanzania was suspected of damaging an undersea communications cable northeast of the island. Late Monday, the coast guard said that it had been unable to board the ship because of poor weather and that the vessel had continued to Busan, South Korea. They said that all seven crew were Chinese nationals and that the owner, which it did not name, was based in Hong Kong. "Referencing incidents of undersea cables being damaged in the Baltic Sea in Europe last year, and judging from the historical tracks of the vessel, it is not possible to confirm its real intention," the coast guard said, referring to incidents Baltic Sea nations have complained about since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained of repeated Chinese military activity in its environs, as well as operations such as balloon overflights and sand dredging. It says such activities, which it calls "grey zone" tactics, are designed to put pressure on the island without direct confrontation. A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters that Taipei has asked Seoul for help with the ship. South Korea’s coast guard told Reuters that they had received a request from Taiwan for cooperation to check and confirm information about the vessel, but there had been no request for cooperation to investigate it. "We plan to review the case if a formal request for cooperation is received through the Foreign Ministry but no decision has been made," it said. Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs said late Monday that communications had not been affected by the damage to the cable, which it expected to be repaired by Feb. 3.

Newsweek [1/6/2025 6:39 AM, John Feng, 56005K, Neutral] reports Kim Jong Un’s North Korea fired a midrange ballistic missile into its eastern seas on Monday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a series of meetings with the South Korean leadership amid ongoing political uncertainty in Seoul. The United States, South Korea and Japan separately condemned Pyongyang’s first major weapons test of the year, which will be seen as a warning directed at the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. The North Korean Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the missile test. North Korea has tested a record number of strategic missiles under strongman Kim. Bloomberg [1/6/2025 8:33 PM, Soo-Hyang Choi, 21617K, Neutral] reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the nation’s new hypersonic missile will keep any rivals in the Pacific region in check, following a test launch on Monday that coincided with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Seoul. Kim said the development of the latest weapons system is aimed at coping with security threats posed by "hostile forces," the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday, a day after the firing of the intermediate-range ballistic missile. "The hypersonic missile system will reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region that can affect the security of our state," Kim said, calling it a linchpin of the country’s strategic deterrence. While ballistic missiles commonly travel at hypersonic velocities — speeds in excess of Mach 5 — the US, China, North Korea and others are in a race to develop weapons with maneuverable gliders that are too quick and agile for traditional missile defense systems to detect in time. It remains to be seen if North Korea has actually developed a functional hypersonic glide vehicle. The missile, fired near Pyongyang, flew 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) at 12 times the speed of sound, KCNA said. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier said the missile flew around 1,100 km before splashing down in waters off its east coast. The typical full-flight distance of an intermediate-range ballistic missile would bring US military bases on Guam into range. North Korea’s ability to fire a missile that travels at Mach 12, if confirmed, would mark another milestone in Kim’s efforts to build an arsenal of weapons to erode US strategic advantages as he steps up cooperation with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. The South Korean military said North Korea’s claims to have made advances with its hypersonic technology appeared to be exaggerated, adding that the latest missile may be a variation of a solid-fuel hypersonic missile Pyongyang tested in April.

AP [1/6/2025 11:10 PM, Kim Tong-Hyung, 47097K, Neutral] reports North Korea said Tuesday its latest weapons test was a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike remote targets in the Pacific as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further expand his collection of nuclear-capable weapons to counter rival nations. The North Korean state media report came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected North Korea launching a missile that flew 1,100 kilometers (685 miles) before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The launch, conducted weeks before Donald Trump returns as U.S. president, came off a torrid year in weapons testing. North Korea demonstrated multiple weapons systems last year that can target its neighbors and the United States, including solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles, and there are concerns that its military capabilities could advance further through technology transfers from Russia, as the two countries align over the war in Ukraine. North Korea in recent years has flight tested various intermediate-range missiles, which if perfected, could reach the U.S. Pacific military hub of Guam. In recent months, North has been testing combining these missiles with purported hypersonic warheads to improve their survivability. North Korea since 2021 has been testing various hypersonic weapons designed to fly at more than five times the speed of sound. The speed and maneuverability of such weapons aim to withstand regional missile defense systems. However, it’s unclear whether these missiles are consistently flying at the speeds the North claims. The North’s state media said Kim supervised Monday’s launch, and that the weapon traveled 1,500 kilometers (932 miles), during which it reached two different peaks of 99.8 kilometers (62 miles) and 42.5 kilometers (26.4 miles) and achieved a speed amounting to 12 times the speed of sound, before accurately striking a sea target. Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the South Korean military believes North Korea was exaggerating capabilities of the system, saying the missile covered less distance and that there was no second peak.

Washington Examiner [1/6/2025 2:43 PM, Timothy Nerozzi, 2365K, Negative] reports that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to South Korea on Monday as an affirmation of continued support for the East Asian country as it struggles to navigate a historic constitutional crisis. South Korea remains in a chaotic limbo — federal authorities are struggling to come up with a plan to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is bunkered inside his Seoul residence. Speaking at a press conference alongside South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, Blinken alluded to the United States’s own past challenges in maintaining government order and affirmed that the trans-Pacific relationship will remain strong. "I think what we’ve seen in our own country, as well as in other democracies that have faced challenges, there has been a response that has been openly transparent, that doesn’t pretend we don’t have problems or challenges, that confronts them, that confronts them directly," Blinken told the audience. "Our relationship is bigger than any one leader, any one government, any one party," he stated. Blinken did not offer a detailed analysis of the South Korean political crisis but conveyed that the U.S. government has "serious concerns" about Yoon’s brief declaration of martial law last month that led to his impeachment.

Bloomberg [1/7/2025 10:29 AM, Yoshiaki Nohara and Courtney McBride, 1450K, Positive] reports Secretary of State Antony Blinken lauded the close economic and security partnership between the US and Japan following a controversial move by US President Joe Biden to label Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. as a national security risk. Blinken met with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Tuesday in Tokyo as part of a global trip as his tenure as secretary of state draws to a close. The visit has been overshadowed by Biden’s decision last week to block Nippon Steel’s bid to acquire US Steel Corp. on national security grounds. “Our economies are extraordinarily intertwined,” Blinken said after his closed-door meeting with Ishiba. “We are the largest investors in each other’s economies. We work together to strengthen and build more resilient supply chains, critical mineral security, shaping the rules of things like artificial intelligence.” Despite the remarks, which underscored the alliance, Blinken avoided addressing the deal publicly and ignored reporters’ questions, signaling a rare tension between the allies. Japan’s foreign ministry reported that Iwaya and Blinken discussed the deal, reaffirming the importance of Japan-U.S. economic relations, including Japanese investments in the U.S. It remains unclear whether the matter was raised in Blinken’s meeting with Ishiba, who previously demanded an explanation for the national security concerns behind the decision. Earlier Tuesday, Nippon Steel Chairman Eiji Hashimoto declared the company’s intent to pursue the deal, shortly after it and US Steel filed lawsuits to save the acquisition. Publicly, Iwaya emphasized the bilateral relationship’s strength, noting, “The Japan-US partnership grew stronger than ever in the past four years.” Biden’s decision reportedly created divisions within his leadership, with Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan privately advocating for conditional approval. With Biden’s presidency ending and President-elect Donald Trump vowing to block the deal, the decision is unlikely to change. On Monday, Blinken reaffirmed U.S. security ties with South Korea amid North Korea’s ballistic missile launch. Highlighting the significance of the U.S.-Japan alliance, Blinken said, “My last trip as secretary brings me to Japan. It points to the centrality of the US and Japan alliance, partnership for the United States, the importance that we attach to it.”

Washington Examiner [1/7/2025 12:58 AM, Staff, 2365K, Neutral] reports the U.S. announced the approval of a potential sale of weapons to Japan last week. The revelation of the purchase came just days before North Korea heightened geopolitical tensions in the region by firing a ballistic missile on Jan. 5. The launch caused no damage, and the rocket landed in the waters between South Korea and Japan, according to reports. The proposed deal is for RTX-made Advanced Medium-Range Air-To-Air Missiles and additional guidance instruments and mechanisms, according to a press release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The proposed purchase is worth $3.64 billion and includes approximately 1,200 missiles, 20 AIM-120D-3 guidance sections, 4 AIM-120C-8 guidance sections, missile containers, munitions and support equipment, and other products related to the operations and maintenance of the weapons. "The proposed sale will improve Japan’s capability to meet current and future threats by defending its homeland and U.S. personnel stationed there," noted the release. "Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.” The release also touted the possible weapons sales as a core part of U.S. geopolitical strategy in Asia. It stressed selling the missiles and guidance systems to Japan would help fortify its national defense which would help bring continued stability in the area. "This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region," read the release.

Bloomberg [1/7/2025 2:41 AM, Andreo Calonzo, 21617K, Negative] reports the Philippines has accused a giant Chinese coast guard vessel, known as the “Monster,” of maintaining an “illegal presence” in its exclusive economic zone as Beijing ramps up activities in the disputed South China Sea. Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela stated on X that its vessel, the BRP Cabra, has been tailing the 12,000-ton Chinese patrol vessel since it was first spotted off the coast of Capones Island in Zambales on Saturday. The ship’s “erratic movements indicate it is not engaged in innocent passage but rather asserts that it is conducting a law enforcement operation,” Tarriela said. “In response, the crew of BRP Cabra has remained steadfast in challenging this assertion, diligently tailing and shadowing CCG-5901 to uphold Philippine sovereign rights,” he added. This highlights “the importance of persistently confronting the illegal presence of the People’s Republic of China and ensuring the safety and security of Filipino fishermen operating in the area.” The ship’s presence is the latest in China’s efforts to bolster its sweeping claim to most of the South China Sea, following large-scale combat readiness drills around the disputed Scarborough Shoal last month. State-run Global Times reported that the Chinese Coast Guard is set to increase patrols, calling its law enforcement activities “entirely justified.” “It is beyond reproach for China Coast Guard to patrol and conduct law-enforcement activities in relevant waters in accordance with the law,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said during a regular press briefing in Beijing. Beijing and Manila remain locked in a long-running dispute over the South China Sea, a vital trade route with huge energy potential, and clashes have become more frequent as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. strengthened security ties with the US to assert Philippine claims. Bigger than a US Navy destroyer, China’s CCG-5901 is armed with anti-aircraft guns and has fuel storage capacities enabling extended missions. It regularly operates in energy-rich waters, including Vietnam’s, and was reportedly anchored in Manila’s exclusive economic zone in July.

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