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.

NBC News [3/8/2025 3:46 PM, Julia Ainsley and Jonathan Allen, 44742K] reports the Department of Homeland Security has begun performing polygraph tests on employees to determine who might be leaking information to the media about immigration operations, according to four sources familiar with the practice. The department’s plans to perform these tests was first reported by Bloomberg Government. A spokesperson for DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Border czar Tom Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have blamed lower-than-expected ICE arrest numbers on recent leaks revealing the cities where it planned to conduct operations. In a video posted on X Friday, Noem said, "We have identified two leakers of information here at the Department of Homeland Security who have been telling individuals about our operations and putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy. We plan to prosecute these two individuals and hold them accountable for what they’ve done.” It was not clear if those two employees Noem referred to had been identified through a polygraph test. It’s also not clear how many employees have been polygraphed or may face polygraph tests, but sources said the employees asked to take the tests so far have been in different agencies across DHS. Polygraphs at the department are not new and have been used in the past, such as when Customs and Border Protection is screening new hires. But according to the sources familiar with the current use of polygraphs, the so-called lie detector machines are now being used to ask employees across the agency specific questions about leaking classified documents or sensitive law enforcement information on ICE operations.

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CBS Miami [3/8/2025 7:37 PM, Olivia Rinaldi and Faris Tanyos, 51661K]
The Hill [3/8/2025 7:32 PM, Filip Timotija, 18752K]
Yahoo! News [3/8/2025 5:29 PM, Alex Woodward, 52868K]

CBS News [3/8/2025 3:37 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51661K] reports officials staffing the U.S. legal immigration system have been asked to volunteer to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, according to an internal notice obtained by CBS News, another sign the Trump administration is prioritizing deportation efforts. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) employees were asked this week to sign up for 60-day assignments — or what the government calls "details" — to assist ICE, the agency charged with carrying out President Trump’s mass deportation promise. The assignments, which could be extended beyond 60 days, are slated to start on March 10 and are planned for different states, according to the internal request sent by Kika Scott, who is leading USCIS in an acting capacity. Two officials at the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS and ICE, confirmed the authenticity of the email to CBS News. "Leadership should make every effort to support participation and approve details unless the employee’s absence will have an extreme negative effect on mission accomplishment, including supporting other critical department priorities," the email to USCIS staff said. USCIS employees administer the nation’s legal immigration system and review applications for a wide-ranging group of benefits, from requests for U.S. citizenship and permanent residency to work permit and asylum cases. ICE, on the other hand, is responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration laws in the interior of the country by identifying, arresting, detaining and deporting unauthorized immigrants. The internal email did not detail how exactly USCIS volunteers would help ICE operations. But a Department of Homeland Security source, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said the USCIS volunteers could be assigned to help with detainee processing, case management, records checks and data entry. Representatives for DHS did not respond to requests for comment. The email to USCIS employees stated that while most staff at the 20,000-employee agency could apply for the ICE assignments, the Trump administration is primarily looking to enlist the assistance of those with immigration experience. "Employees from any job series and grade may apply, but ICE particularly needs employees with relevant experience to support its operations, including immigration officers, immigration services officers, refugee officers, and mission and operations support personnel," the email said.

Reuters [3/8/2025 6:03 PM, Sarah N. Lynch and John Kruzel, 41523K] reports the head of a key U.S. Justice Department task force that combats drugs and organized crime was fired on Friday, amid a move by President Donald Trump’s administration to purge or sideline career officials. Adam Cohen, who was director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, in a social media post said he had been fired by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former criminal defense attorney who was confirmed to the department’s No. 2 role by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday. Cohen’s firing came just 18 hours after Blanche released a memo that Cohen had helped him draft which announced that the task force he led would be playing a new leading role in combating illegal immigration, as part of an initiative dubbed "Operation Take Back America.” "It was a shock," Cohen wrote of his firing on LinkedIn, noting he had been meeting regularly with leadership to discuss violent crime initiatives. "Putting bad guys in jail was as apolitical as it gets," he wrote. "My personal politics were never relevant. Not until yesterday.” Cohen’s firing is one of the latest examples of the Trump administration removing or sidelining career Justice Department officials, who typically keep their positions across presidential administrations. Also on Friday, three assistant U.S. attorneys in the Southern District of New York, including two who were involved in prosecuting the corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, were placed on administrative leave, according to an internal email by acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky that was seen by Reuters. The three attorneys’ removal comes after eight Justice Department attorneys in Washington and New York resigned in protest after refusing to file a motion to dismiss the corruption charges against Adams. The email identified the prosecutors involved in Adams’ case as Celia Cohen and Andrew Rohrbach. "We were given no notice, nor asked for our views on this decision, with which I disagree," Podolsky wrote. "On that case and others, Celia and Andrew did the right thing, for the right reasons, in the right way - every single day.” A third prosecutor, Alex Kristofcak, was also placed on leave in response to comments he made on social media, the email said. In those comments, Kristofcak criticized Washington, D.C.’s interim U.S. attorney, Ed Martin, after he warned Georgetown University Law School that he would not hire its students unless the school removed diversity, equity and inclusion from its curriculum. "This is a grotesque abuse of power," Kristofcak wrote of Martin.

CBS News [3/8/2025 5:04 PM, Kiki Intarasuwan, 52868K] reports cases of fentanyl poisoning in children across the U.S. has been steadily increasing for most of the past decade, according to a new study published Friday. Researchers looked at over 3,000 incidents of nonfatal fentanyl exposure in children up to 19 years old that were reported to poison centers, and found a 1,194.2% increase between 2015 and 2023, according to the study published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. The exposures were categorized as either misuse or abuse, or as unintentional. During the studied period, the percentage of misuse or drug abuse cases increased from 26.1% to 39.2%, while there was a decrease in unintentional exposures, from 47.8% to 35.4%. When the numbers were broken down into two age groups, teenagers 13 to 19 years of age were more likely to have been exposed to fentanyl than kids 12 and younger. There were 379 fentanyl exposures among children ages 12 and under reported to poison centers in 2023, compared to 514 among teens ages 13 to 19 that year, researchers found. The majority of fentanyl exposure cases among teens, 65.7%, were characterized as intentional misuse or abuse, the study’s authors found. The older group of children were also more likely to have been co-exposed with cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine and alcohol, according to the data analyzed. Among children 12 and under, 81.7% were found to have been exposed to fentanyl unintentionally. Overall, the percentage of misuse or abuse cases between 2015 and 2023 rose 50.2%, while 41% of all cases resulted in "major, life-threatening effect," the study said. The study found that 76.9% of cases in children 12 and under involved exposure through ingestion, compared to 54.1% of cases in teenagers. The researchers cited a 2024 study in the International Journal of Drug Policy that found that 49% of seized fentanyl in the U.S. in 2023 was in pill form, noting that there is a concerning trend in counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. Last week, Mexican authorities seized 275,000 fentanyl pills with a street value of $6.5 million from boxes of sliced cactus bound for Arizona. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Washington Post [3/8/2025 7:30 PM, Angie Orellana Hernandez, 31735K] reports three major brush fires scorched part of New York’s Long Island on Saturday, triggering evacuations from a nearby military base and highway closures as strong winds whipped up the flames. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) declared a state of emergency Saturday evening and said helicopters from the New York National Guard were providing air support to Suffolk County, which is under an elevated fire risk. Almost 80 fire departments have responded to the fires, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said in a Saturday news conference at Westhampton Beach. One firefighter was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital after sustaining second-degree burns to his face, Romaine said. Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency as quick-moving brush fires burned through a large swath of land on New York’s Long Island on Saturday. CBS News [3/8/2025 7:36 PM, Alecia Reid, 51661K] reports that the first fire started around 1 p.m. in Center Moriches before it spread and sparked additional fires in East Moriches, Eastport and Westhampton, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said at a press conference Saturday afternoon. The fires in Center Moriches, East Moriches and Eastport have been extinguished, and the fire in Westhampton is 50% contained, said Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Commissioner Rudy Sunderman. One firefighter suffered burns to the face and was flown to the burn center at Stony Brook University Hospital, Romaine said. Officials say he "is doing OK.” Two commercial buildings were damaged by flames – one on County Route 31 and another on Francis S. Gabreski Airport property, Sunderman said. "There’s multiple agencies with multiple jurisdictions working closely with us from the state, county, town, assisting us with fire operations, law enforcement, and we thank everybody for their support," Sunderman said. Sunrise Highway is shut down past exit 58, along with Speonk Riverhead Road, officials say. "When you come and you drive on Sunrise Highway ... you will see that the fire came right up to the road, right up to Sunrise," Romaine said, "but it did not jump the highway.” Officials say no residents are currently in the line of fire, but those in the vicinity should be prepared in the event that evacuations become necessary. "They should have their medicines, have a bag ready just in case," Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico said. "Thankfully, the concerted effort, the cooperative effort of everyone is likely going to keep this from being the fire of ‘95, which burned 4,500 acres, but the winds can be deadly, and right now, that’s the biggest problem we have in fighting this fire.” Governor issues state of emergency for Suffolk County brush fires. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a state of emergency in response to the fires. She said in a statement Saturday afternoon that she had spoken with Romaine and "informed him that the State of New York is here to provide any resources and support he needs.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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FOX News [3/9/2025 3:47 AM, Landon Mion, 46189K]
AP [3/8/2025 11:56 PM, Staff, 2600K]
CNN [3/8/2025 10:03 PM, Michelle Watson, 24052K]
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Miami Herald [3/8/2025 4:30 PM, Lautaro Grinspan, 3973K] reports that, last April, a group of Chinese migrants walked into the office of a Savannah, Ga., nonprofit with a harrowing tale: They had come to the U.S. to work at a warehouse, loading and unloading trucks, but were still waiting on a first paycheck one month after starting their jobs. "They were being victims of wage theft and labor trafficking," said Daniela Rodriguez, executive director of Migrant Equity Southeast, the immigrant-serving organization that the workers sought out for help. Following a monthslong court battle, the company that operated the warehouse, Egreen Transportation Corp., agreed earlier this year to settle with workers for $580,000, covering back wages and damages. Although only 13 immigrant workers initially reached out to Migrant Equity Southeast for assistance, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation uncovered a much wider network of abuse. A total of 48 Savannah-based workers are entitled to a settlement payout, as are others in California and New Jersey. According to the Sur Legal Collaborative, an Atlanta-based legal nonprofit that helped represent the Savannah workers, the men who were awarded back wages hailed from China and Latin America. Some are unauthorized immigrants while others are documented. For those workers who lack legal status, being victims of labor exploitation could make them eligible for a visa and a pathway to citizenship, a Sur Legal attorney told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For Rodriguez, what occurred at two Egreen-run warehouses in Savannah could presage an increase in labor exploitation and trafficking in the region going forward, as a proliferation of factories and warehouses in coastal Georgia increases the demand for lower-wage manual labor. "The more Savannah grows and becomes industrialized, the more warehouses there are. Of course, it means economic growth, but it also means a higher risk for labor injustices, especially to vulnerable populations," Rodriguez said. According to a January report from the Savannah Morning News, manufacturing in the city grew by 25% over the past two years, driven by the expansion of the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. and the start of Hyundai’s Metaplant in Bryan County.

CBS Austin [3/8/2025 9:34 AM, Skyler Shepard, 602K] reports a Venezuelan immigrant, who is also a suspected member of the violent transnational Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, has been charged with possessing a firearm as an illegal alien by Miami federal prosecutors. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Luis Ernesto Veliz Riera, a 23-year-old Venezuelan national, has been charged by the DOJ for possessing a firearm as an illegal alien, a federal offense. Veliz Riera appeared before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Florida following his arrest. According to an unsealed criminal complaint affidavit, Veliz Riera entered the United States at the Mexico-El Paso, Texas border in February 2023. He used the now-disabled Customs and Border Protection One Application system to book an appointment online. Upon entry, the DOJ said Veliz Riera was issued a Notice to Appear for an immigration hearing in Las Vegas, Nevada, which he failed to attend. Veliz Riera was arrested on state charges on October 17, 2024, and later placed in immigration detention. He was released into the community on electronic monitoring but was re-arrested on February 3, 2025, by Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to reassess his release. On February 14, 2025, Miami federal prosecutors charged Veliz Riera with one count of possessing a firearm as an illegal alien. During his initial federal court appearance, Veliz Riera agreed to remain in Bureau of Prisons custody pending trial.

PBS [3/8/2025 5:35 PM, John Yang, 10355K] reports that, when President Trump began his second term, the Department of Homeland Security lifted restrictions on immigration arrests at schools, hospitals and places of worship. Late Friday, a federal judge denied a request by Denver Public Schools to pause the new policy. We hear from educators and a student, and John Yang speaks with Kica Matos of the National Immigration Law Center for more. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Washington Post [3/9/2025 6:00 AM, Emma Uber, 31735K] reports a Prince William County woman who once ran for Virginia Senate owes $19,450 to seven fraud victims after prosecutors say she targeted immigrants by posing as an attorney, charging them thousands of dollars for legal services she never provided and then threatening to have them deported if they reported her. Jasmine Moawad, 49, was sentenced to six months in jail Friday. She was arrested in 2021 after police said she charged victims for legal assistance related to immigration but never did that work, placing “vulnerable members of our community at risk.” She pleaded guilty to one felony count of obtaining money by false pretenses in February 2024. Nearly a dozen victims took the stand in October in Fairfax County Circuit Court to describe their experiences with the woman they said promised to win them custody of their children, obtain U.S. visas or represent them in immigration court. One woman said Moawad showed up at her home threatening to have her husband deported if she didn’t pay, while another described paying $6,000 to Moawad’s short-lived state Senate campaign in hopes of securing a visa for her sister. But Moawad, authorities say, was never a licensed attorney. “The defendant targeted vulnerable communities to make money and preyed on clients who couldn’t verify documents because they did not speak English, or who were vulnerable to threats and intimidation because of their legal status,” Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said in a statement Friday. “Our community is only as safe as our most vulnerable members — that’s why my office is committed to keeping all of our community members safe, regardless of the language they speak or their legal status.” Schemes to defraud immigrants unfamiliar with the U.S. legal system have long been an issue. But experts fear an uptick as fear mounts in migrant communities while President Donald Trump issues executive orders and urges U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to expedite removals in an attempt to make good on his campaign promise to carry out the “largest deportation in the history of our country.”

Newsweek [3/8/2025 1:47 PM, Natalie Venegas, 52220K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have arrested a father outside his child’s school in Trenton, Michigan, on Wednesday, the Detroit Free Press reported. The Detroit Free Press reported Friday that ICE agents arrested Jose Guadalupe Jaimes, a 55-year-old immigrant father, outside Arthur Middle School in Trenton on Wednesday morning. Jaimes had just dropped off his eighth-grade son, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, when three vehicles with flashing lights approached his work van, his family said per the newspaper. ICE agents, some with guns drawn, detained Jaimes, who now sits in St. Clair County Jail. Jaimes, who has lived in the U.S. for 30 years and owns a painting business, has no known criminal record or cases pending in Wayne County courts, according to public records. An ICE spokesperson told the Free Press, Jaimes had been "ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2014" and described him as an "illegal alien from Mexico." Meanwhile, his family asserts that Jaimes had a work permit and documentation to live in the country.

FOX News [3/8/2025 10:40 AM, Michael Dorgan, 46189K] reports a federal judge has ruled against the Denver public schools system’s attempts to block immigration officials from carrying out raids on school grounds, marking a win for the Trump administration as it looks to ramp up its deportation efforts. U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico said Denver Public Schools failed to prove that a recent drop in student attendance at schools was due to the Trump administration reversing a 2021 Biden-era policy of protecting schools — and other sensitive areas like churches — from ICE raids. There are currently more than 1.4 million individuals on ICE’s final order of removal docket. Denver Public Schools filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for reversing the policy, claiming the district was "hindered in fulfilling its mission" to students who didn’t turn up to school for fear of immigration enforcement. Domenico also denied a request that he grant a nationwide preliminary injunction forcing immigration officials to revert to the 2021 guidance.

Yahoo! News [3/8/2025 2:32 PM, Garret Grove, 52868K] reports that, amid ongoing focus related to jobs held by foreigners, a recent analysis provides perspective on how many jobs immigrants have in Mississippi. USAFacts defines immigrants as foreign-born residents who became U.S. citizens, are authorized to work in the U.S., or are undocumented residents. Nationally, they make up 16.8% of the total working-age population and roughly 18% of the overall workforce. In Mississippi, those percentages are 2.9% and 3.4%, respectively. The state has the smallest share of immigrants in its overall workforce nationally. Immigrant workers in Mississippi are overrepresented in a variety of fields, including leisure, hospitality and construction. The immigrant share of the workforce for these industries was disproportionally higher compared to even national averages. In 2023, there were about 75,300 immigrants in Mississippi. This translates to about 2.6% of residents. In the United States, the foreign-born population grew more than 4% between 2019-2023. In Mississippi, it grew more than 23% during the same period. Still, the United States has a much higher share of foreign-born residents, at 14.3% of its overall population. Mississippi’s labor force participation rate has been among the lowest nationally for several years. The rate among Mississippi’s immigrant population is 12% higher than the native-born population. Many workers apply for a work visa, another focus of political controversy in recent months. Before the immigrant worker applies for a work visa, the prospective employer must effectively sponsor them to work there. This is done through a Labor Condition Application (LCA). Most job openings related to H-1B Visas relate to higher education or healthcare in Mississippi. Many H-1B workers go on to obtain permanent residency. This process, called Labor Certification, is also done by the employer.

Washington Post [3/9/2025 5:00 AM, Arelis R. Hernández, 31735K] reports the businessman arrived at the border in a freshly pressed shirt and polished leather shoes. In his backpack were the records detailing how he’d been kidnapped, sodomized and stuffed in a closet by members of a Mexican cartel. JC walked to the midpoint of the international bridge that connected the industrial Mexican city known for its violent past and the U.S., one that has drawn droves of migrants seeking a future in America. Days before, President Donald Trump had taken office and quickly shuttered the border to almost everyone who didn’t have a visa or a U.S. passport. JC, who spoke with The Washington Post on the condition that his full name not be used, out of fear his assailants will target him, hoped to convince immigration officials that he needed to be let in anyway. There were still-healing scars on his face, wrists and legs. He had records from Mexican prosecutors corroborating the cartel’s savagery. His life depended on it. As he approached, he said, U.S. immigration officials quickly turned him away. “There is no more asylum,” he recalled them saying, minutes before Mexican officers stationed on the bridge chased him away. Biden enacted rules last year aimed at curtailing illegal immigration that also reduced how many people could enter on a given day and request asylum. Now, Trump has enacted executive orders that have helped reduce illegal border crossings to their lowest levels in decades — and simultaneously made it essentially impossible to seek refuge at the border. “We may lose a whole array of humanitarian measures out of this very strong and nasty backlash that we’re seeing that comes out of the chaos of the last few years,” said David Martin, a professor emeritus at the University of Virginia School of Law who was involved in writing the 1980 Refugee Act that outlines the requirements for seeking asylum in the United States and remains in place today.

NBC News [3/8/2025 7:04 AM, Fredlyn Pierre Louis, 44742K] reports with the Trump administration’s decision to end TPS by August 2025, an estimated 500,000 Haitian immigrants living in the U.S. face an uncertain future, forced to decide whether to stay and fight for legal status or prepare for a return to a country in crisis. The end of the program will create a disruption, as many TPS holders have jobs, attend school and are parts of their communities.

Univision [3/8/2025 12:49 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports on one side of the border, U.S. soldiers deployed barbed wire. On the other, Mexican soldiers guarded a gap in the border wall. On both sides, they have the same objective: to stop illegal migration. Mexico and the United States have deployed thousands of troops along their 1,900-mile border since President Donald Trump returned to power in January, immediately declaring an "emergency" at the border. The efforts appear to be yielding results, even as numbers have been declining: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported a 65% decrease in migrant interceptions in January compared to the same month in 2024. The official, who spoke to the agency on condition of anonymity, attributed the drop to coordination between U.S. and Mexican border patrols, including a WhatsApp chat where they share data, photos and videos of their operations.

CBS 7 [3/8/2025 8:59 PM, Akim Powell, 4K] reports a border patrol agent admitted to making women expose their breasts to him to get into the U.S., according to authorities. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Syracuse, 53-year-old Shane Millan pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. The office said Millan deprived multiple victims of their constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches when, during virtual processing concerning their admission to the United States. Authorities said he commanded the victims to expose their bare chests to him via webcam.

Yahoo! News [3/9/2025 4:57 AM, Yogita Limaye, 52868K] reports Gurpreet Singh was handcuffed, his legs shackled and a chain tied around his waist. He was led on to the tarmac in Texas by US Border Patrol, towards a waiting C-17 military transport aircraft. It was 3 February and, after a months-long journey, he realised his dream of living in America was over. He was being deported back to India. "It felt like the ground was slipping away from underneath my feet," he said. Gurpreet, 39, was one of thousands of Indians in recent years to have spent their life savings and crossed continents to enter the US illegally through its southern border, as they sought to escape an unemployment crisis back home. There are about 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants in the US, the third largest group behind Mexicans and El Salvadoreans, according to the most recent figures from Pew Research in 2022. Now Gurpreet has become one of the first undocumented Indians to be sent home since President Donald Trump took office, with a promise to make mass deportations a priority. Gurpreet intended to make an asylum claim based on threats he said he had received in India, but - in line with an executive order from Trump to turn people away without granting them asylum hearings - he said he was removed without his case ever being considered. About 3,700 Indians were sent back on charter and commercial flights during President Biden’s tenure, but recent images of detainees in chains under the Trump administration have sparked outrage in India.

SFGate [3/8/2025 7:00 AM, Jim Glab, 12335K] reports big trouble could be brewing among the ranks of Transportation Security Administration officers at the nation’s airports after the Trump administration abruptly canceled the government’s collective bargaining agreement with the TSA workers’ union on Friday. While the administration has yet to impose mandatory job cuts on TSA, the unilateral termination of its union contract leaves the agency’s airport workers without a way to negotiate for improvements in salaries and working conditions. DHS, which oversees TSA and is now run by Trump appointee Kristi Noem, said in its announcement that getting rid of the union contract "removes bureaucratic hurdles that will strengthen workforce agility enhance productivity and resiliency, while also jumpstarting innovation." The current contract with TSA’s 40,000 workers was negotiated in 2024 and was supposed to remain in effect through 2031. It boosted pay levels and eased working conditions in order to reduce an ongoing problem of high employee turnover. TSA workers are represented by the American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100. A union official told the Wall Street Journal on Friday that the unilateral contract cancellation is a violation of the law, so it is likely to be challenged in court. But it’s unclear how TSA officers might react in the short term.

CBS Austin [3/8/2025 5:23 PM, Staff, 602K] reports Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, alongside several colleagues, called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to address pressing concerns regarding access to sensitive disaster victim data, mass firings, and funding freezes. The inquiry follows reports of Elon Musk’s "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) gaining access to this data. The Senators, including Peter Welch, Alex Padilla, Bernie Sanders, and others, expressed their concerns in a letter to Cameron Hamilton, the Senior Official Performing the Duties of FEMA Administrator. They highlighted the impact of FEMA’s recent actions on disaster resilience and recovery efforts. "Our constituents—rebuilding from severe flooding in Vermont, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, as well as catastrophic wildfires in Hawai’i, New Mexico, Oregon, and California—have experienced first-hand the shortcomings of the federal approach to disaster resilience and recovery," the Senators wrote. "Instead of addressing their needs and concerns, the Trump Administration has taken a sledgehammer to the foundation of FEMA.” The letter criticized FEMA’s firing of over 200 probationary employees amid staffing shortages, questioning the claim that only "non-mission critical" personnel were affected. "We have yet to receive any evidence to support that assertion," the Senators said. "Instead, reporting indicates that these firings will undermine federal disaster response and hamper FEMA’s ability to provide critical support to our constituents.” The Senators also addressed the suspension of certain FEMA grants, noting that a local health care provider in Oregon has been unable to proceed with a crucial emergency response project due to a communications freeze. "These apparent freezes have left frontline organizations in limbo and our communities in jeopardy," they stressed. The letter concluded with a demand for prompt responses to their inquiries, including details on the authority and procedures behind the firings and the impact of frozen grants on disaster-impacted communities.

New York Times [3/8/2025 2:32 PM, Raymond Zhong, Austyn Gaffney and Christopher Flavelle, 145325K] reports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the nation’s premier agency for weather and climate science, has been told by the Trump administration to prepare to lose another 1,000 workers, raising concerns that NOAA’s lifesaving forecasts might be hindered as hurricane and disaster season approaches. The new dismissals would come in addition to the roughly 1,300 NOAA staff members who have already resigned or been laid off in recent weeks. The moves have alarmed scientists, meteorologists and others at the agency, which includes the National Weather Service. Some activities, including the launching of weather balloons, have already been suspended because of staffing shortages. Together, the reductions would represent nearly 20 percent of NOAA’s approximately 13,000-member work force. Managers within NOAA have been told to draw up proposals for layoffs and reorganizations to trim the agency’s staff by at least 1,000 people, according to eight people who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the plans publicly. The effort is part of the “reductions in force” that President Trump required as part of an executive order last month, as he and the billionaire Elon Musk make rapid, large-scale cuts to the federal bureaucracy. NOAA managers have been asked to complete their proposals by Tuesday, one of the people said. The proposals are likely to involve eliminating some of the agency’s functions, though managers have received little guidance about which programs to prioritize for cutting.

Yahoo! News [3/8/2025 8:27 PM, Raymond Baccari, 52868K] reports crews in Charlestown knocked down a large brush fire that broke out Saturday afternoon. This happened just after 3 p.m., according to the department, and Richmond provided support. After the fire was contained that area was mopped up, the department said.

AP [3/8/2025 5:31 PM, Christine Fernando, 51661K] reports the country’s preeminent federal fire training academy canceled classes, effective immediately, on Saturday amid the ongoing flurry of funding freezes and staffing cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that National Fire Academy courses were canceled amid a "process of evaluating agency programs and spending to ensure alignment with Administration priorities," according to a notice sent to instructors, students and fire departments. Instructors were told to cancel all future travel until further notice. Firefighters, EMS providers and other first responders from across the country travel to the NFA’s Maryland campus for the federally funded institution’s free training programs. "The NFA is a powerhouse for the fire service," said Marc Bashoor, a former Maryland fire chief and West Virginia emergency services director with 44 years of fire safety experience. "It’s not a ‘nice to have.’ It is the one avenue we have to bring people from all over the country to learn from and with each other. If we want to continue to have one of the premier fire services in the world, we need to have the National Fire Academy.” The academy, which also houses the National Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial, opened in 1973 to combat a growing number of fatal fires nationwide. At the time, the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control envisioned it to be the "West Point of the Fire Service," according to a report from the organization. Bashoor said the NFA was set to welcome a new set of fire safety officers for training next week. "People had made their plane and travel reservations. And all of a sudden, they get an email that ‘Sorry, it’s been canceled,’" he said. "It’s really upsetting.”

Washington Post [3/9/2025 6:00 AM, Brianna Sacks and Jake Spring, 31735K] reports a two-lane highway in western North Carolina winds through a landscape littered with crushed cars, houses knocked off their foundations and thousands of downed trees. Every few miles, next to washed-out bridges, signs in MAGA red make the same plea: “Trump Make this Bridge Great Again!” Five months after Hurricane Helene, about 300 privately owned bridges in this county have yet to be fixed. While Americans typically rely on a mix of state and federal aid in the wake of a disaster, the recovery for many here has become akin to a personal test of their relationship with President Donald Trump. The lingering frustration across parts of 27 hurricane-hit counties in North Carolina’s Appalachian mountain region speaks to the complexity of rebuilding in a place dotted with Federal Emergency Management Agency centers — but people say they feel abandoned. Trump and his allies have blasted President Joe Biden’s response, feeding an online frenzy that has portrayed FEMA’s response as disastrous. Robin Ollis, who grew up here and runs a local horseback-riding company, organized a group called Bridges for Avery because there has been limited assistance for rebuilding private infrastructure. She said the signs were an attempt “to get some attention” before Trump visited last month, a few days after he took office. “There was a lot of desperation here and a lot of hurt at the time when he came and when the signs went up,” she said. “The people that have been suffering from this storm, really, there was so much anticipation for Trump to come in.”

CBS Austin [3/8/2025 10:52 AM, Alyse Rhue, 602K] reports South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced Saturday the state secured federal assistance to combat a wildfire near Myrtle Beach. The state received a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) to support the Covington Drive Fire. The grant, funded through the federal Disaster Relief Fund on a cost-share basis, helps local, state, and tribal agencies apply for 75% reimbursement of eligible firefighting costs, including personnel, equipment, and operations. The fire ignited shortly after 2:30 p.m. on March 1 and has burned more than 2,050 acres.

Reported similarly:
WBTW [3/8/2025 9:11 AM, Adam Benson]

NBC News [3/8/2025 2:38 PM, Matt Lavietes, 52868K] reports a woman accused of igniting a more than 2,000 acre wildfire last week in South Carolina, threatening the lives and homes of hundreds, has been arrested and charged, officials said on Friday. Alexandra Bialousow, 40, of Myrtle Beach was arrested Thursday on charges of negligently allowed fire to spread and starting a fire in woodlands, grasslands or other places without taking certain precautions, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission. The commission said witnesses reported seeing Bialousow start a fire Sunday in a backyard fire pit close to a tree line in the Covington Lakes Subdivision. "According to the arrest warrant, the suspect ‘did not have an appropriate water source readily available,’ nor did she ‘have any garden tools on hand to control the fire, thus allowing the fire to spread to land owned by Walker Woods HOA," the commission said in a statement. That fire grew to become the still-active Covington Drive Fire near Myrtle Beach, one of the largest of the more than 175 wildfires that burned across the state over the last week, according to officials. Bialousow did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. As of Saturday afternoon, the Covington Drive Fire was 55% contained, according to the forestry commission. No major injuries have been reported from the fires. Abnormally dry conditions have fueled wildfires that scorched more than 4,000 acres statewide and prompted evacuations, according to the office of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. McMaster declared a state of emergency in response to the fires on Sunday. "Dangerous wildfire conditions require that a statewide burning ban remain in effect until further notice," he said in a statement. "Those who violate this ban will be subject to criminal prosecution.” Neither the governor’s office nor the Myrtle Beach Police Department immediately responded to a request for comment on Bialousow’s arrest. Bialousow is set to appear in court in Horry County on April 15. If convicted, each charge carries a possible sentence of up to 30 days imprisonment or fines.

The Augusta Chronicle [3/8/2025 7:39 AM, W. John Wood] reports Feb. 3 marked the end of FEMA picking up the tab to help counties pick up the debris that still remains from Hurricane Helene. However, Thursday before the called monthly meeting, Griswell received word that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp had agreed that he would make monies available to counties to be able to complete the task of debris removal. Minus the 11th hour budget move from Kemp, small rural counties would have to had to figure out how they would be able to pay for the debris removal themselves without having to sacrifice other services the county provides. The Corps of Engineers recently had a meeting in Augusta where it addressed the remaining debris in this part of Georgia. The $265 million will be for 60 counties that have remaining damage from Hurricane Helene. Griswold said that the cleanup in 20 counties will eat up 80% of the allocated budget and did not expect Glascock to be a priority under that plan. Before the news of Governor Kemp’s inclusion of state funding to aid counties in the completion of debris removal, the original breakdown was: 75% FEMA, 15% GEMA, and 10% Local Government. While many counties could furnish their 10 percent requirement, a county the size of Glascock would struggle and that kind of outlay would be a serious impediment to be able to provide other major services to their constituents.

Los Angeles Times [3/8/2025 6:00 AM, Clara Harter] reports the Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended the deadline for Los Angeles wildfire victims to apply for federal aid to March 31. So far, FEMA has distributed more than $84.2 million to 30,468 people impacted by what officials warn could be the costliest disaster in modern history. FEMA grants do not need to be repaid and can be used to cover rental assistance, temporary housing, home repairs, property losses and other disaster-related needs not covered by insurance. The Palisades and Eaton fires, which ignited on Jan. 7, destroyed over 16,000 structures and tore through a combined 37,400 acres of Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Pasadena and Altadena. Estimates of the total economic loss from the firestorm have swelled to more than $250 billion. The original deadline for homeowners, renters and businesses affected by the wildfires to apply for federal funds was Monday, but Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s congressional delegation requested an extension to allow more people to sign up.

Telemundo [3/8/2025 2:31 PM, Staff, 2454K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday is investigating a fuel spill on a beach on the small Puerto Rican island of Vieques, popular with tourists. On Friday afternoon, local emergency medical services reported a fuel slick and a strong diesel odor along Sun Bay Beach, known for its turquoise, crystal-clear waters. "We are investigating a spill of an undetermined amount of fuel with diesel characteristics," confirmed Chief Petty Officer Jamie Testa, federal on-scene coordinator for the Coast Guard. "Our top priority is to protect public health and the marine environment while coordinating resources to contain and dispose of any recoverable material," he added in a statement. The Vieques Office of Emergency Management, in coordination with the Coast Guard and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), are working at the site, known for its crystal clear, turquoise waters.

Green Bay Press-Gazette [3/8/2025 7:04 AM, Christopher Clough] reports the Lake Michigan Sector of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter announced Friday that the southern waters of the bay of Green Bay will reopen to commercial vessel traffic at 8 a.m. Monday and the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw is scheduled to begin icebreaking operations in the bay that week. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw clears passageways on the bay of Green Bay from Marinette to Sturgeon Bay. The Mackinaw is set to begin establishing initial icebreaking tracks into Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay, with that work expected to expand geographically and increase in frequency after March 15, depending on ice conditions and the demands of commercial shipping. Its ice breaking operations will include all navigable waters in and around the ports of Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Marinette, Menominee and Escanaba, Michigan. With this commercial traffic and icebreaking, the Coast Guard recommends that those going out on the ice plan their activities carefully, use caution near the ice and avoid charted navigation areas.

AP [3/8/2025 9:09 AM, Staff, 48304K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday investigated a fuel spill off the tiny Puerto Rican island of Vieques, which is popular with tourists. A mile-long sheen and a strong diesel odor was reported by local emergency medical officials on Friday afternoon along Sun Bay Beach, which is known for its clear, turquoise waters. At least one person was exposed to the unknown substance and received treatment, the Coast Guard said Friday. Authorities urged people to stay out of the water.

NPR [3/8/2025 11:00 PM, Odette Yousef, 29983K] reports two recent school shootings are highlighting what extremism researchers see as a growing — and poorly understood — trend among young people who embrace mass violence. The attacks, at high schools in Madison, Wis., and Nashville, Tenn., defy categories that law enforcement and researchers have long used to understand radicalization pathways, such as radical Islamist terrorism and white nationalist terrorism. Instead, some researchers say these attacks are examples of "nonideological" terrorism. They say these attacks appear to be the result of several antisocial, decentralized, online networks coming together in ways that encourage and inspire younger children to commit atrocities. "It’s really about that violence for the sake of violence," said Matthew Kriner, managing director of the Accelerationism Research Consortium. "There is a growth of intention and design within certain subcultures and subnetworks to inculcate that belief into younger people." In December, Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow killed a student, a substitute-teacher coordinator and herself at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. The following month, 17-year-old Solomon Henderson killed himself and another student at Antioch High School in Nashville. Both appear to have been heavily influenced by mass killers of the past and preoccupied with the prospect of adding themselves to such a list. "This is sort of the next chapter of what we could call ‘far-right violence’ looks like at this stage or what terrorism looks like," said Kriner. "One thing that we’re trying to get people to start to wrap their heads around is that anything and everything is becoming a viable pathway to violence."

Yahoo! News [3/8/2025 7:58 PM, Juan Hammond, 52868K] reports the suspect in the mass shooting that occurred on Mardi Gras in Mamou was found hiding in Montgomery County, Texas. Officials said they found Trea’land Ty’rell Castille, 19, hiding at an apartment complex in South Montgomery County. They took him to a Montgomery County jail, where he is currently awaiting extradition. The arrest follows an intensive manhunt after Castille allegedly opened fire during a Mardi Gras celebration in Evangeline Parish, killing and wounding numerous victims. Castille had been on the run since the shooting, but his attempt to evade justice ended in Montgomery County. Castile was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, ten counts of attempted second-degree murder and five counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.

Washington Post [3/8/2025 2:06 PM, Perry Stein and Salvador Rizzo, 31735K] reports the Justice Department has removed top national security officials as part of a widespread purge of senior career leaders across the law enforcement agency, according to people familiar with the decisions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues. The transferring of at least three national security officials amounts to a complete gutting of leadership in the highly sensitive National Security Division, which is charged with working with the FBI and other intelligence agencies to protect the nation from threats. It is unclear if the national security officials were provided a reason for their removals. They were technically not fired, with at least some of them being transferred to other parts of the Justice Department in less desirable positions, according to people familiar with the transfers. The officials must now decide if they will accept those new assignments or resign.

AP [3/9/2025 5:37 AM, Megan Janetsky, Alma Solís and Matías Delacroix, 2600K] reports after weeks of lawsuits and human rights criticism, Panama on Saturday released dozens of migrants who were held for weeks in a remote camp after being deported from the United States, telling them they have 30 days to leave the Central American nation. It thrust many like Hayatullah Omagh, a 29-year-old who fled Afghanistan in 2022 after the Taliban took control, into a legal limbo, scrambling to find a path forward. “We are refugees. We do not have money. We cannot pay for a hotel in Panama City, we do not have relatives,” Omagh told the Associated Press in an interview. “I can’t go back to Afghanistan under any circumstances ... It is under the control of the Taliban, and they want to kill me. How can I go back?” Authorities have said deportees will have the option of extending their stay by 60 days if they need it, but after that many like Omagh don’t know what they will do.

FOX News [3/8/2025 10:11 PM, Alexandra Koch, 46189K] reports Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday he will not negotiate a nuclear deal with the U.S., citing demands about the country’s missile range and influence. In a series of posts on X, Khamenei called the U.S. government "coercive," claiming negotiations are only a means to impose new demands. "Such negotiations aren’t aimed at solving issues," Khamenei wrote. "Their aim is to exert their dominance and impose what they want." He added the "demands" relate to the country’s defense and international capabilities. "Telling us not to do this, not to meet that person, not to go there, not to produce this, and to limit the range of our missiles to a certain extend," Khamenei wrote. "How could anyone accept such things?" Khamenei posted one day after President Donald Trump said he had sent a letter to Khamenei pushing for a nuclear agreement with Tehran, suggesting there could be military consequences if a deal is not reached. Trump told reporters Friday the U.S. is "down to the final moments" negotiating with Iran, and he hoped a military intervention would not be necessary.

Newsweek [3/8/2025 6:07 PM, Mandy Taheri, 3973K] reports Syria is experiencing its deadliest period since the ousting of longtime President Bashar al-Assad three months ago, as clashes have erupted between government forces and pro-al Assad fighters this week, leaving hundreds of civilians and fighters dead. Since Thursday, more than 1,000 people-including Christian minorities and Alawites, the sect to which Assad belongs-have been killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) and local reports. Newsweek has reached out to Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations and Syria’s Ministry of Information for comment via email on Saturday evening. The death toll from clashes that began late this week between security forces and al-Assad loyalists, as well as subsequent revenge killings, has climbed to more than 1,000, according to the SOHR, a war monitoring group, as reported by the Associated Press. Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has vowed the new government will respect all communities and affiliations. He is working to gain international legitimacy and has recently met with regional leaders. However, this intense violence could undermine those efforts. Syria has been mired in conflict for more than a decade, with the Syrian Civil War beginning in 2011, which included widespread human rights violations, sectarian violence, mass killings and displacement, as well as intense battles against ISIS factions. The recent fatal clashes mark the worst violence since al-Assad was thrown out, with high casualties reported among religious minorities, including Alawites and Christians. In late November, a rapid rebel offensive led by the Sunni Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which has Al-Qaeda origins, orchestrated the sudden downfall of decades-long Syrian President al-Assad. The former leader has since sought asylum in Moscow and HTS’s al-Sharaa has taken over the top government post. On Thursday, clashes between Syrian government forces and pro-Assad forces in the coastal area of Jableh, a predominantly Alawite region, escalated to death tolls of over 200 people. The SOHR says the initial attacks started after government forces were working to detain a wanted person and were ambushed by al-Assad loyalists. Clashes have broken out in Latakia and Baniyas, among other areas.

Wall Street Journal [3/8/2025 9:00 AM, James T. Areddy, 646K] reports when Federal Bureau of Investigation agents last summer turned up heaps of cash during raids targeting former New York state gubernatorial aide Linda Sun, her husband claimed some of the money was revenue from a wine shop that he planned to deposit into its bank account. One hitch: The FBI determined $200,000 in cash had appeared in the wine shop’s accounts even before its grand opening. Another: Store sales were predominantly cashless. In an indictment last year, the Justice Department alleged that Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, got rich as she levered proximity to two New York governors to help China. She was criminally indicted in September for illegally acting as a foreign agent and, along with her husband, was hit with financial charges including money-laundering conspiracies. Now prosecutors have unsealed details of how they allege Sun orchestrated a “pay-to-play scheme” that generated a stream of funds and gifts as she did favors for China—and how managing the intake was a family affair. The government alleged Sun’s links to Chinese officials and their intermediaries had a direct bearing on the success of her husband’s lobster-exporting business, which pulled at least $15.8 million into the U.S. The couple denied charges of illegal behavior, and their lawyers referred to their past filings while saying they believe strongly in the merits of their defense. In addition to tracking large inflows from China, FBI agents turned up $405,000 in “cash of unknown provenance” at Sun’s home, her parents’ place and in a safe and deposit boxes, according to last week’s filing. The indictment listed expenditures including a $4 million Long Island home, a $2.1 million Honolulu condo and jewelry and vehicles, such as a white 2024 Ferrari Roma. And it alleged much of the purchases were made in cash and sometimes in the names of family members or shell companies.

ABC News [3/9/2025 6:32 AM, David Brennan, 34586K] reports Russia launched a fresh wave of drone strikes into Ukraine overnight into Sunday morning as the country reeled from a bloody weekend of aerial attacks that Kyiv said killed at least 24 people. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 119 Shahed attack drones into the country overnight, 73 of which were shot down and 37 lost in flight without causing any damage. Impacts were reported in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Cherkasy, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions, the air force said in a Telegram post. Ukraine continued its own long-range attacks into Russia on Saturday night. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it downed 88 Ukrainian drones over eight Russian regions, while Russia’s federal air transport agency introduced temporary operating restrictions at airports in Astrakhan, Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Sunday morning post to social media that each Russian attack represents a failure in the Western-led sanctions campaign against Moscow. "Every Shahed, every aerial bomb used by Russia includes components supplied in circumvention of sanctions," he said. "These weapons contain more than 82,000 foreign components." "Every day, we work with our partners to ensure that decisions are made precisely for the support that saves lives: the supply of air defense, investments in our defense production, strengthening sanctions against Russia," Zelenskyy wrote. "And we continue our work to bring a fair peace closer and provide reliable security guarantees."

Yahoo! News [3/9/2025 12:42 AM, Fabien Zamora, 52868K] report the United States may still have the world’s most powerful navy but it seems to have realised that this is no longer sufficient to reassert US supremacy over the high seas. If President Donald Trump’s pronouncements on shipbuilding, the Panama Canal and Greenland are anything to go by, he wants to increase US sea power on several fronts -- just as China is already doing. Beijing’s expanding influence on the world’s oceans is a challenge to Washington’s efforts to protect its interests. While the United States still dominates the seas militarily, it is weaker in other maritime sectors, such as merchant shipping and shipbuilding itself, analysts told AFP. Trump told the US Congress last week that his administration would "resurrect" the country’s nautical construction industry "including commercial shipbuilding and military shipbuilding". On China, he has complained that Beijing "controls" the Panama Canal and has refused to rule out military force to wrest control of a vital strategic asset.

Newsweek [3/9/2025 4:00 AM, James Bickerton, 52220K] reports on December 2, 1823, President James Monroe gave his 7th State of the Union address before Congress, using the occasion to advance what would later become known as the Monroe Doctrine. After a string of former Spanish colonies in the Americas declared their independence, Monroe said the United States would oppose further predation in the region from the European empires to preserve the newly emancipated states. As American power exploded during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Monroe Doctrine evolved and increasingly came to mean Washington’s opposition to any potentially hostile foreign power establishing itself in the Americas. With this and a variety of more mercantile motives in mind, the U.S. made a series of military interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, the past few decades have seen a dramatic increase in Chinese economic and diplomatic influence across the region, with one foreign policy expert telling Newsweek that Beijing wants to "turn the Caribbean Sea into a Chinese lake." There are also concerns that the cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration since it took over in January could weaken American influence in the Caribbean. One regional expert described the move to Newsweek as a "huge gift" to Beijing. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. State Department for comment via email and online inquiry form, respectively.

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