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.

NewsNation [11/23/2025 2:12 AM, Linsey Lewis, 8017K] Video: HERE reports U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem awarded bonus checks to several Las Vegas TSA agents and announced that the department will be investing over $1 billion into TSA security enhancements at airports across the country during a press conference at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas Saturday. Noem held the press conference at the Innovation Checkpoint at Harry Reid International Airport, where the Department of Homeland Security partnered with several other industries and companies, including the Clark County Department of Aviation, TSA, and federal security offices, to advance and promote new technology for screening at security checkpoints. Noem announced that the department will be investing over $1 billion in new technology and new advancements in security systems in airports across the country. It will be the biggest investment in screening technology in over a decade, according to Noem. The new technology will include new X-ray technology to scan bags and travelers, as well as new training for TSA agents, and deploying additional K-9 units at security checkpoints. "[Harry Reid Airport] is a wonderful facility for us to test new technology, and this security checkpoint is called our Innovation Center, which means this is where we typically deploy new technology, new screening processes, new x-ray systems to see as to their efficacy, to how they work as far as detecting new threats, or giving us higher rates of detection and where we can train individuals as well," Noem said. During the press conference, Noem highlighted several TSA agents who faced hardships during the 43-day government shutdown, the longest shutdown in U.S. history. "It was devastating for so many people. We were amazed by the ability of our security checkpoints and our transportation security officers to still continue to show up and do their jobs and do it with excellence, but they also did it without pay," Noem said. Noem said there were "only a handful of many" across the county who the department could point to as examples of exceptional TSA agents, four of whom she highlighted during Saturday’s press conference. "Many of them, while the politicians were in D.C. posturing and trying to win political points to advantage themselves, these individuals were still showing up for work every day. They were doing it while they didn’t have a paycheck, they couldn’t pay their bills, they couldn’t put food on the table for their families, but they also did it with a smile on their face," Noem said. Neom also announced that the department will be giving bonus checks to many TSOs across the country for "doing their job with excellence," by not just showing up for their shifts during the government shutdown, but also taking extra shifts and extra responsibilities, as well as going above and beyond to serve those in their communities and help fellow employees. Noem touched on the Department of Homeland Security’s partnership with the state of Nevada regarding immigration enforcement and the 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that allows local officers to assist immigration enforcement. "The fact that all of the individuals and officers across the state are partnering with us to make sure we are getting criminal, violent, illegal aliens off of our streets, brought to justice," she said. The Washington Examiner [11/22/2025 9:14 PM, Zach LaChance, 1394K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Saturday a new $1 billion investment in TSA security checkpoints at airports across the United States. Speaking from inside Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Noem said the money will go toward "new technology and advancements in security systems," touting it as the largest investment in airport screening technology in over a decade. "We know it is our responsibility to not only keep travelers safe, but also to make sure that we’re getting them to their locations safely and in a manner that is pleasant and an enjoyable experience for them and their families," she said alongside about 28 TSA agents. Noem later added that the new technology will be used at airports "in the coming months.” The press conference also included Noem handing out $10,000 bonus paychecks to the TSA agents behind her, highlighting some of their stories of working through the 43-day government shutdown without pay and thanking them for their service. It is unclear how many agents will receive the bonuses, though this is at least the second press conference Noem has held where she handed out checks. She previously said her agency would be "looking at every single TSA official who helped serve during this government shutdown and do what we can to recognize that and help them financially with a bonus check.”

AP [11/22/2025 8:45 PM, Staff, 31753K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday presented bonus checks to some TSA officers for going “above and beyond” and working during the recent government shutdown. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [11/22/2025 10:57 PM, Rory Carroll, 36480K] reports FBI Director Kash Patel and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem were in attendance at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, arriving on the red carpet with Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali before touring the paddock and McLaren’s garage. "This is a fantastic event to celebrate not just these drivers and teams but also the great competition F1 is," Noem told Reuters. Patel said he was "absolutely" an F1 fan and that he supported McLaren. Asked whether he would switch allegiances when the American team Cadillac joins the grid next year, Patel hedged. "I’ll have to see how they do," he said. Security at major events in Las Vegas has been heightened since a gunman killed 58 people and wounded more than 500 more at a country music festival in 2017 in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. The third edition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is held along the Las Vegas Strip, has drawn a raft of celebrities including Beyonce and Jay-Z, who met with Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton before the race, and actress Cynthia Erivo of Wicked fame.

FOX News [11/22/2025 10:47 AM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports a surge in car-rammings and other assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during targeted operations in California, Illinois and North Carolina has coincided with sharp criticism from local and state leaders against federal officers. Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security reported a 1,300% increase in vehicular attacks on ICE since President Donald Trump took office, and a 58% spike against CBP officers in that same time period. In comments to Fox News Digital on Friday, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: "Since January 20, there have been 99 vehicle attacks against DHS law enforcement, a 1,000% increase in assaults against them, and an 8,000% increase in death threats to ICE officers. Make no mistake: The uptick in these kinds of attacks is being fueled by the constant demonization of ICE and CBP officers by Democrat politicians. They need to knock it off before they get one of our officers killed."

FOX News [11/22/2025 12:35 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks joins ‘Saturday in America’ to address rising attacks targeting ICE agents, the latest border numbers and more. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [11/22/2025 1:50 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin discusses the arrest of two Virginia brothers for alleged threats against ICE agents, reports of Somali gangs terrorizing Minnesota residents and more on ‘Fox News Live.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [11/22/2025 3:28 PM, Staff, 1394K] reports the number of English language proficiency violations for commercial drivers in Illinois year-to-date has nearly eclipsed last year’s totals, with nearly 1 in 5 having CDLs coming from the state of Illinois. Since guidance was incorporated into the North American Standard Out-of-Service criteria in June, the Illinois State Police tells The Center Square that 221 citations were issued for violating English Language Proficiency assessments. A spokesperson said, "Every ISP officer conducting a commercial motor vehicle inspection initiates the inspection in English. If there is an indication the driver may not understand the inspector’s instructions, the inspector then conducts an English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment." Year to date, about 550 drivers were cited for not understanding English. That’s just shy of totals for all of 2024. In 2023, there were 385. So far this year, 18% of those citations have been given to in-state CDL holders. "The vast majority of citations are given to out-of-state CDL holders," the ISP spokesperson said. State Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, reacted to nearly 1 in 5 citations going to Illinois CDL holders. "So we need to solve the problem in the state of Illinois, the federal government, other states need to solve the problem within their states," Niemerg told The Center Square. "But it really does scare me." ISP said it could not accommodate The Center Square’s request to ride along with an enforcement officer to observe the frequency of such citations.

FOX News [11/22/2025 9:00 AM, Alec Schemmel, 40621K] reports an illegal alien released into the country by the Obama administration, provided a driver’s license by a sanctuary state, and eventually ordered to be deported was arrested earlier this month for killing an 8-year-old girl during a fatal car crash in Boise, Idaho. Elvin Elgardo Ramos-Caballero was driving a pickup truck legally via a driver’s license granted to him by the state of Oregon, attempting to make a right-hand turn at an intersection in Boise on Tuesday, Nov. 11. As he was attempting to make the turn, 8-year-old Mora Gerety was also attempting to crossing the street. The pair ultimately collided, killing Gerety, an 8-year-old girl. At the time of the incident, Ramos-Caballero had an outstanding federal warrant with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for his failure to appear for an immigration hearing, which ultimately resulted in a judge ordering him to be removed from the country in absentia in May 2019. "8-year-old Mora Gerety’s precious life was taken by an illegal alien who should have never been in our country, let alone issued a driver’s license by the sanctuary state of Oregon," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

NewsMax [11/22/2025 6:38 PM, Jim Thomas, 4109K] reports a veteran border official told Newsmax on Saturday that the recent federal immigration sweep in North Carolina reflects long-standing labor incentives in the state rather than a political effort. Twenty-one-year Border Patrol veteran Art Del Cueto, who now serves as a border security adviser at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, appeared on "The Count" to weigh in on the federal enforcement surge unfolding across North Carolina. His comments came as local authorities in the Charlotte region reported a slowdown in arrests, even as Homeland Security insisted operations would continue. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said the action would not ease. "The operation is not over, and it is not ending anytime soon," she said. The push forms part of President Donald Trump’s broader national strategy that has placed federal immigration agents in Democratic led cities from Chicago to Los Angeles. Del Cueto argued the North Carolina focus reflects economic realities he says he has witnessed during his repeated visits. When asked whether the administration was targeting the state or simply enforcing existing statutes, he pointed to labor dynamics he believes drive resistance to deportations. "The reason these people don’t want a lot of these individuals deported, especially in North Carolina, and again, I tell you, because I go there often, it’s because they like hiring that cheaper labor. They don’t want that cheap labor to leave North Carolina. They want to continue to hire them.” Del Cueto added that some businesses prefer workers without legal status because it allows them to avoid complying with payroll regulations. "They have no desire to actually give them some type of status in the country, because they know once they get status, they might look at other jobs. A lot of these individuals, they want to keep those people illegally in the country, especially in those areas, so they can give them those jobs that they can pay them under the table. They can save a lot of money.” He also criticized the recent protests that emerged during the operation. "And when you start looking at these protesters, and this is what just irks me, especially from someone that’s a legal immigrant. And I came here legally along with my family. If you don’t want to go to Mexico and you want to stay and embrace America, why are you protesting all the while waving the flag of the country that you don’t want to go to?".

NewsMax [11/22/2025 11:49 AM, Jim Thomas, 4109K] reports a top Costa Rican official says his country remains willing to accept Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia for humanitarian relocation, directly contradicting statements from the Donald Trump administration that removal to Costa Rica was not an option. Costa Rican Security Minister Mario Zamora told ABC News that "Costa Rica’s offer to receive Mr. Abrego Garcia for humanitarian reasons remains in place" and referred to his letter of Aug. 25, 2025, as "the official position of the government." The letter, obtained by ABC News, stated Costa Rica is willing to provide Abrego Garcia refugee status or residency. In contrast, during recent testimony in U.S. District Court in Maryland, a senior official with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asserted that removal to Costa Rica is "not an option at the moment." The discrepancy between the U.S. government’s position and Costa Rica’s public statement raises questions about the administration’s handling of third-country removal agreements and the transparency of its decision-making. For the Trump administration, which has made immigration enforcement a signature issue, such divergences carry political weight.

New York Times [11/23/2025 4:28 AM, Eli Saslow, 153395K] reports Dan Kluver saw the police lights flashing in his rearview mirror late last year and eased his car onto the shoulder, thinking there had been some kind of mistake. He had spent four decades in rural Minnesota without ever getting into trouble. He prided himself on a life built around dependability and routine, working at the same factory where his father once did and spending his weekends coaching baseball and teaching Sunday school. He had never fired a gun, or smoked a cigarette, or missed a payment, or been arrested. “License and registration, please,” the officer said. Kluver, 42, handed them over and waited while the officer went back to his patrol car. He listened to the church bells that rang every hour and watched sunlight reflect off the grain silos in downtown Olivia, where he knew most of the 2,400 residents, including the officer who was walking back to his car. “Is everything all right?” Kluver asked. “It’s strange, but it looks like your license has been suspended,” the officer said. “You’ve got another driver’s license with some issues down in Missouri.” “What?” Kluver said. “I’ve barely ever been to Missouri. How’s that possible?” The officer had no answers, but Kluver feared he might know what was happening. Over the years, there had been signs that something wasn’t right — stray letters about wages earned in unfamiliar towns and collection notices for debt that wasn’t his. Kluver had tried to untangle the mess several times by hiring tax specialists and driving to government offices across the state only to run into the same bureaucratic dead ends. But now the problem was bigger than unpaid taxes. Someone was impersonating him, moving through the world as Dan Kluver, building a life in his name with a government-issued ID. His case was one version of a problem that’s been spreading across the country for years. The government estimates that as many as one million undocumented workers are using fraudulent or stolen Social Security numbers — a survival tactic used to pass background checks and get jobs. The numbers are skimmed from data breaches, sold in black markets online for as little as $150 or handed out in border towns by human smugglers. Many numbers connect back to U.S. citizen children, dead people or Puerto Ricans whose numbers circulate easily across the mainland. But thousands of others belong to people like Kluver, Americans whose names and identities are no longer theirs alone.

The Hill [11/22/2025 10:25 PM, Hannah Brandt, Dylan McKim, Jennifer Sanders, Josh Hinkle and John Thomas, 12595K] Video: HERE reports justice is elusive for many impacted by the deadly realities of a multi-billion dollar industry: human trafficking. A KXAN investigation reveals while Texas is a leader in legislation to stop it, few people actually face trafficking charges. We uncover difficulties Texas prosecutors face in dismantling modern-day slavery and what it means for those seeking accountability. Our team wanted to gain a better understanding of the prosecutorial barriers and delays affecting human trafficking cases in Central Texas counties and areas of comparable size. Those include Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bexar and Dallas counties. We requested all publicly releasable fields of data associated with cases that fall under Texas Penal Code: Chapter 20A (trafficking of persons) from 2021 to September 2025. Those fields included the defendant’s name, case number, case year, offense, final disposition or case status and the reason for the disposition. Our team found there are more than 90 human trafficking cases still pending in the counties we analyzed and found victims there waiting an average of more than 530.5 days for closure in their case, so far, since their alleged offenses occurred. It took an average of 674 days to reach a final disposition for closed cases in those counties. Since 2021, district court data shows prosecutors filed more than 1,600 human trafficking cases statewide. But Texas Department of Criminal Justice data shows only 112 people currently serving prison sentences statewide for trafficking convictions in that same time period. We asked Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick what makes human trafficking cases so difficult to prosecute in the state of Texas. "There are a lot of reasons. I think it starts with really identifying (the cases). It’s like a closed community," Dick said. "I think the secondary challenge is it’s crossing state lines. It’s crossing national borders. Finding witnesses, even once you locate them originally, has become a problem.” Dick admits – across Texas – prosecutions under the human trafficking statute are rare because usually there are more elements of the crime to prove for a conviction. Thus, prosecutors often explore other offenses with comparable sentences. "When you can prosecute someone for a first-degree felony … you can still put that information on in punishment. So, a jury can still sentence them based on all the factors," Dick said. "It’s usually preferable to take our easier charge to prove and then they’ll hold the individual accountable for all of their conduct, as opposed to trying to go into a very specific charge and prove very specific factors.” In the counties where we focused our data analysis, human trafficking cases that result in plea agreements are most often negotiated down to "compelling or promoting prostitution." In exchange for a guilty plea to those charges, prosecutors typically drop the trafficking charge. To secure trafficking convictions, Dick said his office is focused on specialized training and getting prosecutors involved in cases earlier to work with police and build a case that can secure a conviction under the human trafficking statute. "I know every prosecutor cares about human trafficking. Every prosecutor wants to prosecute human trafficking cases," Dick said. "It’s a matter of educating the public, educating law enforcement, and then educating prosecutors and providing us the resources to do it.”

FOX News [11/22/2025 1:52 PM, Rachel Wolf Fox, 40621K] Video: HERE reports Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara apologized to the Somali community for a comment he made connecting "East African kids" to crime. "The Somali community here in Minneapolis has been welcoming and has shown love towards me, and I appreciate it," O’Hara said at a news conference on Thursday. "Over the last three years we have been working together to try and address some of the real serious problems that we have in our community.” "We have to be honest at times with the problems that we’re having in our community, and we need our community to help us fix those problems together because it’s real and it’s serious. At the same time, if people have taken anything that I have said out of context in a way that’s caused harm, I apologize, and I’m sorry for that because that’s not my intention at all," O’Hara added. In an interview with WCCO earlier this month, O’Hara was speaking about a deadly Halloween shooting as well as juvenile crime plaguing the city when he made the comment. Alpha News reported that the Dinkytown area, where the shooting took place, has seen a series of crimes including assaults, robberies, shootings and auto thefts. During the interview, he stated that the young people committing the crimes were not "poor kids from Minneapolis," but rather kids that come from out of town who take "mommy’s Mercedes-Benz to Dinkytown, and they don’t know where they are." "Groups of kids, groups of East African kids that are coming from surrounding communities and not just one community, kind of all over the place," O’Hara told WCCO. Following the report, President Donald Trump announced he was ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis in Minnesota. The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a country for TPS if nationals cannot return safely or if the country "is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately." Countries currently under TPS are Burma, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Lebanon, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen. "Minnesota, under Governor Waltz, is a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity. I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately the Temporary Protected Status (TPS program) for Somalis in Minnesota. Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Los Angeles Times [11/22/2025 10:00 AM, Staff, 14862K] reports To the editor: What a frightening story that leaves so many unanswered questions ("Border Patrol is monitoring U.S. drivers and detaining those with ‘suspicious’ travel patterns," Nov. 20). Questions about who is being pulled over: Was the system tested before being made operational? Does the targeting algorithm have built-in biases? What is the racial composition of the people being surveilled? What is the conviction rate of those being surveilled? Questions about oversight: Were members of Congress informed of this system? Who is providing oversight of the system? Why was the American public not informed? Questions about data collection and AI: Are the databases that are being populated with raw data from the license-plate readers vulnerable to hacking? Can a given license plate provide access to other databases with more information about the registered owner of that vehicle? How is AI being used to find targets? Questions about the money trail: What companies are involved with the design and operation of the system? Who is making money on it? The list of unanswered questions could go on and on. One thing is certain: Because the system has existed under both political parties, both are complicit in creating a surveillance state. However, it is especially worrisome now that we have a wannabe dictator at the helm who is hellbent on waging war against immigrants.

Chicago Tribune [11/23/2025 6:00 AM, Clarence Page, 4829K] reports they’re gone? Really gone? President Donald Trump’s invasion of Chicago with Border Patrol agents has seemingly fizzled out for now. Here’s a bit of advice from a longtime political observer: If Trump or his minions at the Department of Homeland Security claim success at anything, check it out. News of the Border Patrol’s departure broke in much the same way as its arrival, without much explanation or justification. But Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and the agents he commanded in the operation known as Operation Midway Blitz are gone, although some sources say the operation is not over. Bovino and agents may return in the spring. For now, the general response in Chicago is “good riddance,” but the Border Patrol is merely taking its dangerously aggressive raids to another unfortunate city, Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of Trump’s crusade to deport immigrants in the country without legal permission. Left behind in Chicago are agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, which runs a detention facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview and maintains a field office downtown. Chicagoans can take a lot of pride in the help-your-neighbor spirit with which they stood up to Operation Midway Blitz. They weren’t going to stand by as masked federal agents snatched children and families as they made their way to work, school or shopping, or just tried to live their lives. Citizens formed protective patrols, they protested at the ICE detention facility and at courts downtown. In the city and suburbs and small towns where Border Patrol showed up, they stood up and turned out in numbers, sending the message to Trump that subduing Chicago wouldn’t be a layup. The Department of Homeland Security claimed Midway Blitz was meant to target the “worst of the worst”: murderers, rapists and other violent offenders. However, the Chicago Tribune reported that of 614 people arrested whose identities were made available, only 16 had criminal histories that would present a “high public safety risk.” More than 3,300 have been arrested so far inthe Chicago area. We may see, as more names get released, whether a higher proportion of violent criminals were netted, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Yet that has not stopped Trump and Co. from crowing about how the surge of federal agents has curbed crime in Chicago.

CNN [11/22/2025 6:55 PM, Melani Bonilla, 18595K] reports video shows ICE agents detaining a 16-year-old intern outside a Rhode Island courthouse after mistaking him for a “child predator” they were searching for.

New York Post [11/22/2025 6:54 PM, Tina Moore, 42219K] reports an illegal immigrant allegedly selling counterfeit merchandise on Canal Street in Chinatown was arrested by ICE Saturday — and the agency later blasted the NYPD for repeatedly releasing the man from custody amid its revolving door criminal justice system. Abdou Tall, who is from Senegal, was arrested at Broadway and Canal Street in lower Manhattan around noon during a "targeted operation," an ICE spokesperson said in a statement. Tall has been arrested multiple times for allegedly trafficking counterfeit merchandise, the spokesperson said. "Tall fled from law enforcement on foot for several blocks before he tripped and fell and then continued to actively resist arrest," the spokesperson said. "Our officers followed their training and successfully arrested him.” Canal Street is known to be an open market for counterfeit purses and other fake designer items. But one day after a White House meeting between Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump — during which the two appeared to be bosom buddies — the agency slammed the NYPD for not honoring an ICE detainer when Tall was busted on Oct. 7 for felony trademark counterfeiting. "But instead of turning him over to ICE custody, they released this criminal illegal alien back into the community where he immediately resumed his criminal activity leading to a second NYPD arrest for felony trademark counterfeiting on Oct. 11," the ICE spokesperson said. "This time he was released by NYPD before ICE could even lodge a detainer.” ICE also tore into the city for its liberal criminal justice policies. "Between sanctuary laws, bail reform, and soft on crime politicians’ refusal to work with ICE, New York has become a revolving door for criminal illegal aliens to terrorize the city’s neighborhoods," the ICE spokesperson said. "Secretary (Kristi) Noem has made it clear that ICE will not allow criminal illegal aliens to victimize American citizens.” The NYPD was at Canal Street and Broadway conducting routine vendor enforcement and confiscated 25 bags of counterfeit/trademark items about an hour before the ICE agents arrived, a police spokesperson said. They confiscated a single bag about 15 minutes before ICE arrived, the spokesperson said. The "federal agents appeared at the location unrelated to any NYPD activity" and "NYPD personnel immediately left the area and did not interact with the federal agents," the NYPD spokesperson said.

Chicago Tribune [11/22/2025 9:30 AM, Anna Ortiz, 4829K] reports as Operation Midway Blitz’s trail bled from Illinois into Northwest Indiana neighborhoods, Cuadra, owner of Santa Maria’s Bakery in Hammond, said some of his customers became too afraid to go out and get bread and basic necessities, regardless of their citizenship status. Churches are also seeing the ramifications, including empty pews. There’s been a noticeable decline in attendance at churches with predominantly Hispanic members, with a corresponding increase in the need for assistance from food pantries, according to the Diocese of Gary Bishop, the Most Rev. Robert J. McClory. Mayors in most of northern Lake County communities have taken to public statements, social media and resolutions to decry ICE’s presence in their cities.

NewsMax [11/22/2025 11:50 AM, Jim Morley, 4109K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced the arrest of more than 3,500 criminal illegal aliens in Houston, Texas, during the six-week government shutdown. The agency noted that many of those taken into custody included pedophiles, gang members, and murderers. "ICE officers are facing a 1,000% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats, but they refuse to bend the knee to threats of violence and lies from sanctuary activists and the mainstream media," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. ICE and other law-enforcement agencies put the final number of arrests at 3,593 criminal illegal aliens, described by the Department of Homeland Security as the "worst of the worst." Breitbart [11/22/2025 10:06 AM, Bob Price, 2416K] reports Department of Homeland Security officials said the arrests targeted the "worst of the worst," including convicted pedophiles, MS-13 gang members, kidnappers, and repeat offenders previously deported multiple times. Breitbart Texas rode with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) during the government shutdown and with ICE Houston during its first-ever nighttime enforcement action. During four hours, before getting rained out, ERO officers arrested approximately 40 illegal aliens, including at least two drunk drivers. By the end of the six-week government shutdown, ICE officers and other federal and state law enforcement partners rounded up 3,593 criminal illegal aliens. DHS officials described many of these as the "worst of the worst."

Washington Examiner [11/22/2025 2:13 PM, Staff, 1394K] reports Texas remains ground zero for targeted attacks against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. In the past few months, ICE facilities in Texas have been the target of shootings, bomb threats, and now, mail with powder substances. Federal officials are investigating two incidents in North Texas after two ICE field offices received envelopes with white powdery substances this week. No threat to the public exists at this time, the Department of Homeland Security said. One envelope was sent to the ICE Dallas Field Office, which has been the target of recent domestic terrorist attacks. The facility was targeted by a sniper in September and a bomb threat in August, The Center Square reported. The other envelope was found at an ICE field office in Irving, where the Office of Principal Legal Advisor is located. "On Friday morning, an ICE officer at the Dallas facility opened an envelope addressed to ‘Dallas Field Office,’ containing a white powdery substance," DHS said. "Out of precaution, a hazardous materials (hazmat) team was called to the facility. The Federal Protective Service (FPS) and Dallas Fire Department also responded. Following a shelter-in-place and inspection, the facility is returning to normal operations. A second envelope was also discovered at the ICE offices in Irving, Texas." "There is no threat to the public and the matter is under investigation," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.

Univision [11/22/2025 12:11 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports almost a month and a half later, the autistic teenager who was in ICE custody after being reported missing was reunited with his mother. Judge Lee Rosenthal ordered that the minor Emmanuel Gonzalez Garcia, 15, be handed over to his mother, Maria Garcia. Emmanuel had been in federal government custody since October 4th, when Houston police found him after he became separated from his mother. ICE issued a statement clarifying that Emmanuel was never under their direct custody.

KWTX 10 Waco [11/22/2025 7:06 PM, Raphael R. Roker] reports federal immigration authorities arrested a Honduran man Nov. 11 in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed 8-year-old Mora Gerety in Boise, Idaho, according to the Department of Homeland Security. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Elvin Elgardo Ramos-Caballero entered the country illegally in September 2015 and was released by immigration authorities under the Obama Administration. e failed to appear for his immigration hearing and was ordered removed in absentia on May 9, 2016, authorities revealed. According to DHS, Ramos-Caballero had been issued a driver’s license by Oregon, a sanctuary state. Authorities arrested and charged Ramos-Caballero with hit and run in the girl’s death. “8-year-old Mora Gerety’s precious life was taken by an illegal alien who should have never been in our country, let alone issued a driver’s license by the sanctuary state of Oregon,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “Mora Gerety’s classmates, teachers, friends, and our nation will carry this loss forever.” McLaughlin said the case highlights consequences of immigration policies. “Decades of open border polices have turned every community into a border town. These policies have deadly consequences,” she said.

Breitbart [11/22/2025 1:16 PM, Lowell Cauffiel, 2416K] reports Arizona laws that distance sex offenders from schools didn’t stop a felon just released from prison from entering a Phoenix elementary and posing as a doctor so he could allegedly sexually assault a 10-year-old girl. Abel Kai Gblah, 25, is accused of sexual assault and kidnapping after he showed up at the Orangewood Elementary School around noon and pretended to be a physician to entice the student into an empty classroom and assault her on November 19, according to the Phoenix Police Department (PPD). Prison officials released Gblah only two weeks ago, Fox 10 reported. Gblah also was involved in the alleged smuggling of people across the border into the United States, according to the Phoenix affiliate. Prosecutors said Gblah had two convictions in 2021 in a child sex crimes case. Gblah was offered a plea deal, Phoenix’s Channel 7 reported. He pled guilty to sexual conduct with a minor but charges of child sex trafficking and luring a minor were dismissed. According to court documents examined by local news outlets, Gblah entered the school and allegedly told the female student he was a doctor and needed to "perform tests" on her in an empty classroom. Once there, he allegedly pulled down the girl’s pants and sexually assaulted her. Police were quickly able to locate and arrest Gblah at his residence two miles away after examining security camera footage.

Los Angeles Times [11/22/2025 4:58 PM, Meg James, 14862K] reports Southern California lawmakers are demanding answers from U.S. Homeland Security officials following the deaths of two Orange County residents and nearly two dozen others while in federal immigration custody. In a letter Friday to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Reps. Dave Min (D-Irvine) and Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) pointed to the deaths of 25 people so far this year while being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The number of in-custody deaths has reached an annual record since the agency began keeping track in 2018. Two Mexican immigrants — who had long made their homes in Orange County and were sent to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center north of Hesperia — were among the deaths. "These are not just numbers on a website, but real people — with families, jobs, and hopes and dreams — each of whom died in ICE custody," the lawmakers wrote. "The following cases illustrate systemic patterns of delayed treatment, neglect, and failure to properly notify families."

Los Angeles Times [11/22/2025 8:52 PM, Itzel Luna, 14862K] reports nearly one hundred people had just one item on their list as they entered the Home Depot in Monrovia on Saturday: a small ice scraper worth a little less than a dollar. They got back in line only minutes later to return the item. The action, known as a buy-in, was part of a larger demonstration at the Home Depot to pressure the company to "scrape ICE out of their stores," said Erika Andiola, political director for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which coordinated the event. Demonstrators flocked to the location, some wearing makeshift aprons, similar to those worn by Home Depot employees, with the phrase "ICE out of Home Depot." Others used the orange Home Depot buckets as drums as they marched through the store. "Whether the corporation wants to admit it or not, Home Depot has become ground zero for this cruel, vicious immigration enforcement that’s taking place in our country," said Pablo Alvarado, NDLON’s co-executive director. George Lane, manager of corporate communications for Home Depot, said in an email to The Times that "we are not coordinating with ICE or Border Patrol, and we’re not involved in the operations. We aren’t notified that immigration enforcement activities are going to happen, and often, we don’t know operations have taken place until they’re over. "We’re required to follow all federal and local rules and regulations in every market where we operate.” Home Depot employees did not interfere with the protesters and eventually closed off one of the store’s entrances. Organizers blocked off vehicle access to the front of the store during a news conference that followed the march. S.J. Denning volunteers with East Pasadena Community Defense Corner, a group that runs patrols for ICE activity in the area, and hoped that Saturday’s demonstration would "create a little mischief" and increase awareness. "It’s not OK to kidnap our neighbors off the streets," said Denning. "This is a moral moment, and we should meet it with courage, all of us.” The efforts were in part a response to the death of Carlos Roberto Montoya Valdez, an immigrant day laborer who was struck and killed by an SUV in Monrovia after running onto the 210 Freeway while fleeing from immigration agents in mid-August. The Department of Homeland Security previously told The Times that Montoya Valdez "was not being pursued by any DHS law enforcement.” Montoya Valdez’s death was "destabilizing for the entire community," said Michael Ocon, a board member for the Monrovia Unified School District. "This issue impacts every single person that calls this region home," he said.

The Wall Street Journal [11/22/2025 2:44 PM, Jennifer Calfas, 646K] reports President Trump said Friday he was immediately ending temporary immigration protections for a group of Somalis living in Minnesota, initiating a new front in the president’s mass deportation push. Trump said in a Friday night post on Truth Social that he would be stripping what is known as Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in the Midwestern state. The president in his post accused Somali gangs of “terrorizing the people of that great State” and referenced what he said is “fraudulent money laundering activity.” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, said in posts on X on Friday night that his office was exploring its options to respond. “Donald Trump cannot terminate TPS for just one state or on a bigoted whim,” Ellison said. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said in a post on X: “It’s not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community. This is what he does to change the subject.” This week, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) shared a story from a magazine published by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, that alleged some members of the Minnesota Somali community had been fraudulently rerouting state welfare funds to al-Shabaab, the Somali branch of al Qaeda. The Department of Homeland Security didn’t respond to a request for comment Saturday. The Daily Caller [11/22/2025 10:51 AM, Anthony Iafrate, 835K] reports Trump also took aim at Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, claiming that the state under Walz’s leadership had become a hotbed of money laundering and violence from Somali gangs. Minnesota’s Somali community channelled "untold millions" of taxpayer dollars to Al-Shabaab, a radical Islamic terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda and based in the East African nation, City Journal reported Nov. 19, citing anonymous former Minnesota officials with law enforcement connections. The AP [11/22/2025 3:21 PM, Jake Offenhartz, 31753K] reports that the announcement drew immediate pushback from some state leaders and immigration experts, who characterized Trump’s declaration as a legally dubious effort to sow fear and suspicion toward Minnesota’s Somali community, the largest in the nation. “There’s no legal mechanism that allows the president to terminate protected status for a particular community or state that he has beef with,” said Heidi Altman, policy director at the National Immigrant Justice Center. “This is Trump doing what he always does: demagoguing immigrants without justification or evidence and using that demagoguery in an attempt to take away important life-saving protections,” she added.

Reuters [11/23/2025 1:18 AM, Ted Hesson, Kristina Cooke and Disha Raychaudhuri, 36480K] reports Kateryna Golizdra has survived six months in legal limbo - so far. She thinks she can hold out another six months, waiting for Donald Trump’s administration to decide the fate of a humanitarian program that allowed some 260,000 people who fled the war in Ukraine to live and work in the United States. When her legal status lapsed in May, Golizdra, 35, automatically became vulnerable to deportation. She lost her work permit and was forced to leave a job earning over $50,000 a year as a manager at the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale. Golizdra also lost the health insurance that she used to cover check-ups for a liver condition. And she can no longer send money to her mother, who was also displaced and lives in Germany, she said. The Trump administration’s processing delays on the humanitarian program for Ukrainians launched by former Democratic President Joe Biden left nearly 200,000 people at risk of losing their legal status as of March 31, according to internal U.S. government data reviewed by Reuters. The number of Ukrainians affected by the delays has not been previously reported. The humanitarian program, introduced in April 2022, allowed nearly 260,000 Ukrainians into the U.S. for an initial two-year period. That’s a small share of the 5.9 million Ukrainian refugees worldwide, 5.3 million of whom are in Europe, according to United Nations refugee figures. Golizdra said she has no idea when - or if - her permission to stay in the United States might be renewed, threatening her short-lived sense of security in America. While she waits for an update on her application, she could potentially be arrested by federal immigration authorities, three former immigration officials said. The last six months have felt like she is on a "hamster wheel," Golizdra said. "It’s a constant stress, anxiety," she said. "If I will need to leave the States, then I will have to build something again.” Reuters spoke with two dozen Ukrainians who lost their work permits - and their jobs - due to delays in processing renewals, including tech workers, a preschool teacher, a financial planner, an interior designer and a college student. They described digging into their savings, seeking out community support and taking on debt to support themselves while they wait for a decision on their status. Some of the people interviewed by Reuters said they were worried they could be arrested by U.S. immigration authorities. Others said they were staying indoors, or had left the U.S. for Canada, Europe and South America.

NewsMax [11/22/2025 1:38 PM, Solange Reyner, 4109K] reports activists in Charlotte, North Carolina, are using warning whistles to alert illegal immigrants about approaching ICE agents, a tactic U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chief Michael Banks on Newsmax called "shocking" and dangerous for law enforcement. "So never in my lifetime have we seen anything like this," Banks told Newsmax TV’s "Saturday Report." "And it’s shocking because the job is already dangerous enough when you’ve got to go in and you’re targeting a known criminal." Banks said the method is a growing pattern in several cities where residents attempt to disrupt targeted immigration arrests. He said the practice strips officers of the "element of surprise" that can be critical to safely apprehending dangerous suspects.

NewsMax [11/22/2025 3:06 PM, Jim Mishler, 4109K] reports newly unsealed court documents describe federal allegations that a Chicago man connected to the Latin Kings placed a $10,000 bounty on U.S. Customs and Border Protection Cmdr. Gregory Bovino. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the affidavit was released at the direction of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow ahead of a hearing next week, when attorneys for Juan Espinoza Martinez plan to seek his release from custody. Federal investigators say Espinoza Martinez was a ranking member of the Latin Kings when he offered payments for information on Bovino and a larger reward for killing him. His attorneys deny that claim and say he has stable employment, strong family connections, and no criminal history. They portray him as having no gang affiliation. The case is among the most closely watched matters linked to "Operation Midway Blitz," a federal immigration enforcement effort in the Chicago area. Federal prosecutors have dismissed at least 10 cases tied to the operation, including an assault charge against a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent. According to the affidavit, Espinoza Martinez allegedly used Snapchat to send a cooperating source a picture of Bovino. He faces federal charges for soliciting the murder of a senior law enforcement officer. "This thug is off our streets and behind bars," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "We will not allow criminal gangs to put hits on U.S. government officials," she added.

Washington Post [11/22/2025 8:06 PM, Gaya Gupta and Brianna Sacks, 24149K] reports the Trump administration has denied another request from Illinois to assist in the state’s recovery from severe flash floods in late July, despite a recent assessment detailing the widespread damage and financial cost of the storms. In a letter sent Friday to a local Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator and obtained by Washington Post, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) appealed FEMA’s denial for assistance and provided a report that he said proved the state’s damage met the criteria needed to obtain individual assistance from the federal government. Earlier, the Trump administration denied a request for assistance in late October because of “insufficient severity” and the state’s resources, according to the letter. Cook County — which includes Chicago — and other parts of Illinois had severe flooding July 25-28 and again Aug. 16-19. Some lawmakers and FEMA officials have contended that decisions on federal aid for severe natural disasters — such as wildfires, hurricanes and flash flooding — have become increasingly political, favoring red states over blue, especially when it comes to the speed of approving disaster declarations. The administration has approved aid to some states reeling from storm damage, including Texas and Alaska. But FEMA aid for the Western Maryland floods that occurred this spring was denied, which Democratic Gov. Wes Moore said was to punish Democratic-led states. FEMA and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pritzker’s office also did not respond to a request for comment. The severity of Illinois’ storms would have “met any reasonable threshold” to get a disaster declaration approved, according to a veteran FEMA official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to comment publicly about the matter. After the administration turned down Illinois’ request in October, the state asked in early November for a second round of public-damage assessments. FEMA staff conducted another assessment for about a week and found even more damage, the official said. The news of the latest denial was reported earlier by E&E News. In his letter, Pritzker requested an estimated $190 million in direct assistance to support 187,500 people affected by the storms, 62 percent of whom were described as economically vulnerable. The state’s resources have been strained to support the recovery from the summer’s storms, he wrote. An analysis included in the letter “demonstrates the significant financial burden on the State’s resources and clear need for federal assistance.” According to Pritzker’s letter, the average cost for affected households was $16,784 statewide and $11,500 in Cook County, the state’s biggest county. More than half of affected households reported mold or sewage contamination, 16 percent of families were displaced, and 17 percent reported income loss due to the storms. A majority of those affected were low-income households, and more than 40 percent were elderly or disabled. The report also included examples of Illinois residents affected by the storm, including a single mother and her two children who were displaced when sewage flooded their basement. Another was a rural homeowner whose family was forced to shelter for a week after their garage and personal belongings were submerged.

Politico [11/22/2025 2:00 PM, Thomas Frank, 2100K] reports President Donald Trump, who has assailed Illinois’ governor and its largest city, denied disaster aid to thousands of Chicago residents even though his administration documented extraordinary damage from two major storms this summer, records obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News show. Trump’s denials are the first time any president since at least 2007 — including Trump to this point — has refused to help residents recover from such extensive damage to their homes, federal records show. Trump denied both aid requests from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Oct. 22, two weeks after saying Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson — both Democrats — “should be in jail” for “failing to protect” federal immigration enforcement officers. Trump has traded barbs with Illinois officials for months. The president has called Chicago a “hellhole,” drawn protests over immigration raids in the city and tried to dispatch National Guard troops to the state. Pritzker has sued to block the dispatch by Trump — dubbing him a “wannabe dictator.” Johnson has called Trump “a monster.” White House spokesperson Abigail Johnson answered questions about Trump’s denials by highlighting Illinois’ status as a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants. Pritzker “should know how to balance his budget for these types of repetitive losses,” Johnson said in a statement to E&E News, referring to damaging storms, “but instead prioritizes the state’s budget for illegals over Americans.” Trump handles each disaster request “with great care and consideration, ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement—not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters,” Johnson added. Trump’s denial of disaster aid has left thousands of residents in Cook County, which encompasses Chicago, waiting to remove mold and to repair homes that were damaged by flooding from a storm in July or a storm in August, said Alex Joves, executive director of the county’s emergency management agency.

AP [11/22/2025 9:10 AM, Becky Bohrer and Gabriela Aoun Angueira] reports storms that battered Alaska’s western coast this fall have brought renewed attention to low-lying Indigenous villages left increasingly vulnerable by climate change — and revived questions about their sustainability in a region being reshaped by frequent flooding, thawing permafrost and landscape-devouring erosion. The onset of winter has slowed emergency repair and cleanup work after two October storms, including the remnants of Typhoon Halong, slammed dozens of communities. Some residents from the hardest-hit villages, Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, could be displaced for months and worry what their futures hold. Moves by the Trump administration to cut grants aimed at better protecting communities against climate threats have added another layer of uncertainty. Still, the hope is to try to buy villages time to evaluate next steps by reinforcing rebuilt infrastructure or putting in place pilings so homes can be elevated, said Bryan Fisher, the state’s emergency management director. Sustained federal support is uncertain as the Trump administration cuts programs related to climate change and disaster resilience. Other federal money that could help Alaska villages has already been cut. Federal Emergency Management Agency awards to Newtok and Kwigillingok for projects related to relocation didn’t arrive before the administration in April halted billions of dollars in unpaid grants. Trump has also stopped approving state and tribal requests for hazard mitigation funding, a typical add-on that accompanies federal support after major disasters. Even the data that villages need to assess how climate change is affecting them are at risk. The Trump administration has removed information related to climate change from government websites and has fired scientists in charge of the nation’s congressionally mandated climate assessment reports.

NewsMax [11/22/2025 2:44 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports the FBI has closed its review of the 2024 attempt on President Donald Trump’s life in Butler, Penn., determining that the gunman acted alone and left no motive, a conclusion that lands amid continued scrutiny of federal security failures surrounding the rally shooting. The FBI has concluded that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the twenty-year-old who opened fire at President Donald Trump’s July 2024 Pennsylvania campaign rally, acted alone and without a discernible motive, according to senior bureau officials who briefed Fox News on the findings. The determination ends what investigators described as an exhaustive review. Officials said the probe began the moment the attack occurred and was considered a priority from the first day. FBI Director Kash Patel said Trump, described as a victim of the case, was briefed on the conclusion and "was satisfied with the results and where we left it.” Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News Digital that investigators "reviewed this case over and over" and "looked into every nugget." He added that agents spoke with the families of those harmed and with Trump himself. "There is no cover-up here. There is no motive for it, there is no reason for it," he said.

The AP [11/22/2025 5:21 PM, Julie Walker and Trân Nguyễn, 31753K] Video: HERE reports a fire on a container ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles was nearly contained Saturday afternoon, though authorities were still assessing whether enough hazardous material burned to cause significant contamination. The blaze, which broke out Friday night, prompted a shelter-in-place order for surrounding communities over concerns about hazardous materials in the One Henry Hudson’s cargo. The order was lifted in the morning, and the ship was moved out to sea. Fireboats sprayed water on the vessel to tame “a small section” that was still on fire, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Adam Van Gerpen said. The electrical fire apparently started below deck before spreading to several levels of the ship, leading to an explosion mid-deck, according to the fire department. The cause was under investigation. Roughly 100 cargo containers burned, and many of them carried dangerous materials, Van Gerpen said. Officials said some included lithium-ion batteries and other hazardous waste, though it was not clear if they caught fire. “We don’t know specifically which ones burned,” Van Gerpen said. A Coast Guard spokesperson did not immediately have more information on the hazardous materials and said the extent of potential contamination was not yet known. All 23 crew members were accounted for, and there were no injuries, according to the fire department. The Coast Guard said a safety zone of half a nautical mile and a temporary flight restriction were established around the vessel. Port operations resumed by morning. More than 100 firefighters were called to battle the blaze at the busiest seaport in North America. Their efforts continued overnight, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. The 1,102-foot (336-meter) ship is operated by Ocean Network Express, which is headquartered in Singapore. The company said in a statement that it was closely monitoring the situation and was able to confirm that all crew members were safely accounted for. It thanked first responders and said it was “fully committed to supporting incident management and subsequent investigations.” Before Los Angeles the ship was most recently in Japan, stopping in Kobe, Nagoya and Tokyo. NBC News [11/22/2025 11:35 AM, Staff, 34509K] reports that just before 3 a.m., Mayor Karen Bass announced a shelter-in-place order for the areas around the port, including San Pedro and Wilmington. The U.S. Coast Guard said a safety zone of one nautical mile had been established around the vessel. The fire spread to several levels of the ship, leading to an explosion mid-deck, according to the fire department. CNN [11/22/2025 4:07 AM, Hanna Park, 18595K] reports that an explosion shook the vessel shortly before 8 p.m., knocking out power to lights and cranes, LAFD said. A spokesperson with the LAFD said the cargo ship has since been moved. Capt. Erik Scott told CNN Saturday the ship was escorted beyond the Vincent Thomas Bridge around 3 a.m. local time. No injuries were reported, and all 23 crew members had been evacuated from the ship, authorities said. The Port of Los Angeles, which describes itself as North America’s busiest, earlier said four of its seven container terminals suspended operations Friday night and a safety zone was established around the ship. Port operations resumed Saturday morning, according to a news release. "Many of our fire boats are out there. They are trying to cool down this vessel," fire department Capt. Adam Van Gerpen said at a news conference. The Washington Times [11/22/2025 5:47 PM, Brad Matthews, 852K] reports “It’s safely been moved into open water. There’s no danger to the public,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Adam VanGerpen said, according to the Los Angeles Times. At least 100 containers on board the boat caught fire, Mr. VanGerpen said, according to KTLA-TV. A shelter-in-place order issued early Saturday morning, asking residents to close windows and doors, turn off their AC or heating, and stay in inside rooms due to hazardous materials residue in the air, was rescinded at 6:30 a.m. local time Saturday, fire officials said.

New York Post [11/22/2025 11:33 PM, Ariel Zilber, 42219K] reports three people were swept into the ocean near Big Sur California on Saturday, as dangerous surf pounded the Central Coast for the second weekend in a row. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said the search for the missing man has shifted to a recovery mission after a Coast Guard helicopter briefly spotted a body in the water before losing sight in heavy waves just off Soberanes Point. Deputies said a group of four adults was at the rocky point north of Garrapata Beach when, for unknown reasons, two women and a man were pulled into the ocean during the afternoon swell. The women were rescued and taken to a hospital in unknown condition. The man, described as being in his 30s and wearing a white turban, black shorts, a black shirt and a black vest, has not been found. The initial 911 call came in around 3 p.m. Saturday. Just before 4:30 p.m., a Coast Guard crew reported seeing a body floating roughly 100 meters from shore but could not maintain visual contact because of the surf. Search teams suspended operations at nightfall due to lack of light. The incident took place barely a week after a Calgary father and his 7-year-old daughter were killed by powerful surf at Garrapata Beach. Authorities identified the girl as Anzi Hu. Her father, 39-year-old Yuji Hu, died after running into the water to try to save her. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said a tourist and an off-duty lifeguard rushed in when they saw the family struggling in the waves during Friday’s high-surf conditions. Rosas, a public information officer with the sheriff’s office, said Yuji was swept away while attempting to pull his daughter back to shore. The tourist and lifeguard recovered him and attempted CPR. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. The child’s mother was treated for mild hypothermia and released. A 2-year-old sibling who was on the beach was unharmed. A massive search for Anzi continued from Friday afternoon through Sunday. The effort drew in deputies, state parks rangers, the US Coast Guard, California Highway Patrol air support and volunteers from search-and-rescue teams.

NewsMax [11/22/2025 10:16 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports the U.S. and Chinese militaries this week held "frank and constructive" maritime security talks, the Chinese navy said on Saturday, as the two superpowers gradually restore military-to-military communications after several months of trade tensions. The working-level meetings took place November 18-20 in Hawaii, according to a posting on the official social media account of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. "The two sides had frank and constructive exchanges ... mainly exchanging views on the current maritime and air security situation between China and the U.S.," China’s navy said in its posted statement. China also criticized U.S. freedom-of-navigation operations in the statement.

New York Times [11/22/2025 10:51 PM, Rob Copeland, Stacy Cowley and Devlin Barrett, 135475K] reports some of the nation’s biggest banks were scrambling on Saturday night to assess the fallout from a large-scale hack of a vendor whose compromise could expose sensitive customer data. The vendor, SitusAMC, has been deployed by hundreds of banks and other lenders to help originate and collect money from real estate loans and mortgages. The company confirmed on Saturday that it had been the subject of a cyberattack on Nov. 12 and that it had spent the better part of two weeks trying to determine exactly what data had been taken. The data exposed was related to residential loan mortgages, the company said. JPMorgan Chase, Citi and Morgan Stanley are among those that have been notified by SitusAMC that their client data may have been taken, according to five people who were briefed on the hack but who were not able to discuss it publicly. Representatives for those banks would not comment on their exposure. A JPMorgan spokesman said the bank had not been hacked directly. SitusAMC’s chief executive, Michael Franco, said in a statement on Saturday that the company had notified law enforcement. “We remain focused on analyzing any potentially affected data,” he said. Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said in a statement: “While we are working closely with affected organizations and our partners to understand the extent of potential impact, we have identified no operational impact to banking services.” Cybersecurity breaches are not uncommon in the business world, but this incident has raised particular concern on Wall Street because SitusAMC holds a huge collection of personal data found on loan applications, including Social Security numbers. The company has been sending near-daily updates to banks as it tries to determine the extent of the information exposed. SitusAMC, based in New York, has around 5,000 employees and is owned by several private equity firms. “If you go down the top 20 banks, if you make commercial real estate and residential loans, you probably have a relationship with Situs,” said Jon Winick, the chief executive of Clark Street Capital, a firm that advises lenders. “It’s necessary plumbing for the commercial and residential real estate market. They do a lot of important but nonsexy things.” Among the services SitusAMC offers is regulatory compliance — the boring but essential work of making sure its customers’ loans comply with a plethora of state and federal regulations. That means it has extensive nonpublic information on the banks’ internal workings. For instance, it could have information on the risks in lenders’ real estate holdings, said Jason E. Kuwayama, a lawyer who specializes in regulatory issues for banks. “You can’t look at this breach as just the nonpublic information of the banks’ customers,” he said. “It could include very sensitive information about the banks themselves and their portfolios.”

Bloomberg [11/22/2025 3:10 PM, María Paula Mijares Torres and Janet Lorin, 18207K] reports a Harvard University database of alumni, donors, some students and faculty was accessed by "an unauthorized party" after a phone phishing attack, the latest cyberattack on Ivy League schools and the second time Harvard has investigated a breach this year. The breach, which happened Tuesday, includes personal contact information, donation details and other data from fundraising and alumni engagement, Harvard said on its website. Harvard is the oldest and richest US university and is a fundraising powerhouse, typically raising more than $1 billion annually. In October, Harvard said it was investigating reports that its data was compromised in a hacking campaign targeting Oracle Corp. customers. The university didn’t identify any possible suspects in the attack. Harvard “acted immediately to remove the attacker’s access to our systems and prevent further unauthorized access,” Tim Bailey, director of communications at Harvard University Information Technology, said in a statement. “We are working with third-party cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to investigate this incident.” US colleges have been a hacker target for years, though Ivy League schools have been especially hard-hit in recent months. A Princeton University database with information on alumni, donors, students and other members of the school’s community was compromised on Nov. 15. The University of Pennsylvania discovered that a some information systems “related to Penn’s development and alumni activities” were compromised on Oct. 31.

New York Post [11/22/2025 2:47 PM, Chris Harris, 42219K] reports Russian and North Korean cybercrime groups have joined forces and sharing resources, new research suggests. Experts at cybersecurity firm Gen Digital reported finding an "unprecedented" shared infrastructure between formidable hacking groups linked to Moscow and Pyongyang — Russia’s Gamaredon and North Korea’s Lazarus collective. The cybercriminals also seem to be sharing tactics, the research found. "I don’t recall two countries working together on [Advanced Persistent Threat] attacks," said Director of Threat Intelligence at Gen Digital Michal Salat. Never before has there been a level of coordination between the two countries, according to experts.

Daily Caller [11/22/2025 12:07 PM, Hudson Crozier, 835K] reports authorities linked a foreign Satanic group to a deadly Tennessee school shooting, but another online cult leader’s whereabouts are not publicly known nearly a year after taking credit for the bloodshed. Georgian neo-Nazi "Maniac Murder Cult" leader Michail Chkhikvishvili pleaded guilty to federal charges on Monday after his propaganda incited violent plots such as the January Antioch High School shooting in Nashville, court records show. The deceased shooter’s online ramblings also point to a similar cult, "Totenation," that went unnoticed despite an unidentified leader for the group claiming responsibility, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of archived webpages. That figurehead, who appears to be an internet user going by "Liber of Love," has also promoted pedophilic themes tied to Satanist terror networks that are a top FBI target in child exploitation cases. Solomon Henderson, 17, fired ten shots in his school’s cafeteria on Jan. 22, killing one student and injuring another before fatally shooting himself. Law enforcement, media outlets and researchers found he was immersed in dark internet trends promoting hatred of humanity, occultism, child sex abuse and terrorism — traits that the Department of Justice (DOJ) associates with "Nihilistic Violent Extremists" (NVEs). Chkhikvishvili was arrested in Moldova in July 2024 for plotting violence against Jews in New York and extradited to the U.S. in May. The DOJ then revealed that Henderson cited Chkhikvishvili and his Europe-based group as inspiration after Chkhikvishvili spread materials encouraging school shootings.

FOX News [11/22/2025 2:00 PM, Julia Bonavita, 40621K] Video: HERE reports the man accused of randomly setting a woman on fire while on a Chicago transit train this week has been slapped with a federal terrorism charge, marking the latest instance of violence on public transit that continues to plague the country. Lawrence Reed, 50, was charged with one count of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system, the Northern District of Illinois U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Reed was riding on the city’s Blue Line L train at around 9 p.m. Monday when he approached a 26-year-old woman from behind and doused her with gasoline from a plastic bottle, according to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrest affidavit. The woman managed to fight Reed off as he attempted to ignite the gas, then ran from one end of the car to the other while Reed continued to chase her, the affidavit said, citing surveillance video from the train. Reed subsequently ignited the bottle, approached the victim and used it to set her on fire, prosecutors said. "Reed then ran to the front of the train car and stood watching [the victim] as her body was engulfed in flames," the affidavit said. Reed was taken into custody Tuesday morning with burn marks on his hand and wearing the same clothes as the suspect seen in surveillance footage carrying out the attack, the affidavit said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Blaze [11/22/2025 12:30 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K] reports Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has taken aggressive action this week against Sharia law, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Yet critics are demanding to know why, during his time in office, millions in taxpayer-funded grants have been allocated to alleged Islamist organizations based in Texas. Abbott announced on Tuesday that he had designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations. The following day, Abbott urged local district attorneys to investigate potential Sharia "courts" operating in Texas and defying state and federal laws to push Islamic codes. Despite Abbott’s recent actions, some have faulted the governor for allowing taxpayer dollars to be used to fund the uptick in Islamic mosques in Texas, citing a June report from the Middle East Forum. The article claimed Texas gave "over $13 million of federal and state monies to mosques and community groups aligned with Islamist movements such as Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as hostile foreign regimes." Of the 18 organizations that received funds, a dozen were said to have "extremist links." "While a few thousand dollars in the state government’s data consists of the return of escheated funds, the vast majority of the millions spent appear to be the result of direct state grants, subsidy programs, and federal sub-awards managed by the Texas state government," the Middle East Forum wrote. The Texas governor’s office told Blaze News that the funding referenced in the Middle East Forum’s report was not state tax dollars but rather federal funds distributed by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program. As part of that program, since 2016, roughly $63 million in federal funds have passed through Texas to nonprofit organizations, including $55 million to churches and synagogues, and a smaller portion went to mosques, according to Abbott’s office.

Washington Examiner [11/23/2025 6:00 AM, Mia Cathell, 1394K] reports five admitted members of a Texas antifa cell pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges this week in what is the first-known case in U.S. history of antifa militants admitting in federal court to being part of an organized antifascist cell. Their confessions signal broader implications for antifa’s forces, in particular, a pulling back of the curtains on the criminal organization by its own operatives. Seth Sikes, Joy Abigail Gibson, Lynette Read Sharp, Nathan Baumann, and John Phillip Thomas all entered guilty pleas on Wednesday, admitting to aiding "acts of terrorism" and belonging to the antifa cell that ambushed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Alvarado, Texas. Sikes, Gibson, Sharp, Baumann, and Thomas each admitted to one count of providing material support to terrorists for their roles in the coordinated July Fourth attack on the Prairieland detention center, which left a local police officer shot in the neck. The guilty pleas, as well as their accompanying admissions, mark a turning point in the national discourse over antifa’s existence. Extremism watchdogs envision that the case will help debunk the myth, propagated by the political Left, that antifa is simply an idea. Never before, in recent memory, have antifa members openly confessed in criminal court to their membership, let alone unmasked other associates. Capital Research Center president Scott Walter said their confessions "should destroy the lie that antifa doesn’t exist as organized groups.".

Washington Examiner [11/23/2025 5:00 AM, Elizabeth Stauffer, 1394K] reports there is a very thin line between irresponsible rhetoric and mutiny, and six sitting members of Congress came perilously close to crossing it earlier this week. A mutiny doesn’t need to resemble the dramatic Mutiny on the Bounty; it can just as easily take the form of a video urging U.S. military personnel to defy "illegal orders" from their commander in chief. On Tuesday, six congressional Democrats, each touting their prior military or intelligence service, released a remarkable video calling on troops to refuse what they implied to be President Donald Trump’s unlawful commands. The production had all the hallmarks of a psychological operation lifted straight from the CIA’s playbook. Its purpose was clear: to sow doubt within the ranks and to make service members question the legitimacy of orders delivered through the chain of command. In other words, if your aim is to erode confidence in the current administration, this is exactly how you would do it. The group included Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who organized the effort, and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), along with Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Jason Crow (D-CO). Taking turns reading from a prepared statement, they told viewers, "We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now. Americans trust their military. But that trust is at risk." "This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens," they continued — an apparent reference to Trump’s use of the National Guard to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents whose efforts to enforce U.S. immigration law have been increasingly obstructed by violent protesters.

Bloomberg [11/22/2025 6:02 PM, Scott Squires and Matheus Piovesana, 18207K] reports airlines canceled flights in and out of Venezuela in response to a US Federal Aviation Administration advisory telling operators to "exercise caution" amid an escalating standoff between the US and Nicolas Maduro’s regime. Carriers including Colombia’s Avianca, Tap - Transportes Aereos Portugueses, Lan Airlines, Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA and Caribbean Airlines Ltd suspended routes to and from Venezuela on Saturday, the head of Venezuela’s airlines association said in a text message. Spain’s Iberia Lineas Aereas de España will pause flights starting Monday, while others remain operating, according to the airline association. The FAA issued an advisory on Saturday telling operators to take caution at all altitudes due to the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity around Venezuela.” The agency also said in a separate statement that interference with navigation systems in the country’s airspace and Venezuelan military exercises have increased. The agency’s warning comes amid growing concerns about potential US military strikes against targets on Venezuelan soil. US has carried out lethal attacks on alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean Sea and deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — to the region. “While Venezuela has at no point expressed an intent to target civil aviation, the Venezuelan military possesses advanced fighter aircraft and multiple weapons systems capable of reaching or exceeding civil aircraft operating altitudes,” the FAA said.

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NewsMax [11/22/2025 5:16 PM, Staff, 4109K]
Univision [11/22/2025 9:28 PM, Staff, 5004K]

Politico [11/22/2025 7:00 AM, Eric Bazail-Eimil and Nahal Toosi, 13586K] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hoping the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Venezuela breaks strongman Nicolás Maduro’s will to stay in power. But if the effort goes sideways, it could wreck Rubio’s presidential prospects instead — damaging his standing with key voters, especially in his home state of Florida. Rubio, who also serves as acting national security adviser, is a main architect of the administration’s Venezuela strategy, which includes a massive U.S. military build-up in the Caribbean and deadly airstrikes on boats alleged to be ferrying drugs. The stated goal of the campaign is to battle drug cartels, but U.S. officials and people close to the administration say Rubio and aides hope the effort will lead to Maduro’s fall from power. President Donald Trump’s willingness to place so much pressure on Maduro is in some ways ideal for Rubio and other hawkish Floridians who have long loathed left-wing Latin American autocrats. But for Rubio, whom Trump has named as a possible 2028 successor alongside Vice President JD Vance, the operation carries special political risks. If it fails to oust Maduro, Rubio could lose support among Latin American exiles, especially in Florida. If Maduro exits, but the administration’s actions leave Venezuelans in even more political and economic instability, it could hurt his standing with those same voters. At the same time, if Rubio succeeds in ousting Maduro, it could damage his position with MAGA isolationists who want to limit U.S. adventurism abroad after the painful experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the MAGA base, “there’s no political appetite or political will for a regime change in Venezuela,” said Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist who served at the State Department during the first Trump administration. While that group of voters may be willing to accept military action that has a specific purpose, it’s leery of more ill-defined U.S. interventions. “As we saw with the Iran strikes, kicking ass is in the GOP’s DNA. People came around to that. But there’s still a large hesitancy about greater engagement with unclear motives,” Bartlett said. Many GOP MAGA activists and commentators have long been suspicious of Rubio’s past hawkish views. But Rubio has shown tremendous ideological flexibility over the years, surviving longer than many expected in a Republican Party that has swung further and further right. That includes being less vocally supportive of U.S. actions — military or otherwise — overseas.

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NewsMax [11/22/2025 5:10 PM, Jim Morley, 4109K]

Washington Post [11/22/2025 8:03 PM, Alex Horton, 24149K] reports the White House recently proposed an idea for U.S. military planes to drop leaflets over Caracas in a psychological operation designed to further pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, timed possibly to Sunday to coincide with his birthday, according to people familiar with the matter. The operation, which those people said was not yet authorized, would be an escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign to oust Maduro from power, which has been a fixation since President Donald Trump’s first term and a priority among his top advisers. Trump has deployed an armada of warships in the Caribbean Sea and thousands of American troops in the region in an operation that has killed more than 80 alleged drug traffickers since early September. The Trump administration steamrolled concerns that some government lawyers posed in internal conversations over whether it is legal to kill alleged criminals who are not enemy combatants. The administration has claimed in a notification to Congress and parallel opinion by the Office of Legal Counsel that the U.S. is in a “non-international” armed conflict with “designated terrorist organizations.” That claim has roiled Democratic and some Republican lawmakers who have said the administration has not made a compelling case that it can wantonly kill alleged criminals in international waters, rather than interdicting and arresting them. Trump said in mid-November that he had “sort of made up my mind” about how he will proceed with the possibility of military action in Venezuela, and he has previously threatened to expand the current operations to targets on land. The leaflets were expected to contain information on a $50 million reward for assistance leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive planning for a potential operation. In August, U.S. officials increased the reward from $25 million, citing his 2020 indictment for corruption, narcoterrorism and drug trafficking. The United States and more than 50 other countries allege that Maduro lost Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election and do not recognize him as the country’s legitimate leader. The leaflets could be dropped as early as Sunday, which is Maduro’s 63rd birthday. The timing appeared intentional, the people familiar said. It is unclear how the leaflets may be dispersed, though there are some readily available options. In recent years, U.S. forces have used aircraft-dropped PDU-5 canisters, which leaves a long stream of leaflets to flutter to the ground. Each PDU-5 is filled with “pucks” of leaflets, with rolls of the messages stacked inside. Such an operation is designed to further pressure Maduro to step aside or embolden opposition to his rule in a way that falls short of attacking Venezuela directly. Trump, who vowed to avoid creating new U.S. military engagements, has overseen numerous air campaigns in Iran, Yemen and now the Caribbean in the first year of his second term. The White House declined to comment. The Pentagon did not immediately return a request for comment.

AP [11/23/2025 12:03 AM, Ben Finley, Ope Adetayo and Sam Metz, 34509K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration is promoting efforts to work with Nigeria’s government to counter violence against Christians, signaling a broader strategy since he ordered preparations for possible military action and warned that the United States could go in “guns-a-blazing” to wipe out Islamic militants. A State Department official said this past week that plans involve much more than just the potential use of military force, describing an expansive approach that includes diplomatic tools, such as potential sanctions, but also assistance programs and intelligence sharing with the Nigerian government. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also met with Nigeria’s national security adviser to discuss ways to stop the violence, posting photos on social media of the two of them shaking hands and smiling. It contrasted with Trump’s threats this month to stop all assistance to Nigeria if its government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.” The efforts may support Trump’s pledge to avoid more involvement in foreign conflicts and come as the U.S. security footprint has diminished in Africa, where military partnerships have either been scaled down or canceled. American forces likely would have to be drawn from other parts of the world for any military intervention in Nigeria. Still, the Republican president has kept up the pressure as Nigeria faced a series of attacks on schools and churches in violence that experts and residents say targets both Christians and Muslims. “I’m really angry about it,” the president said Friday when asked about the new violence on the “Brian Kilmeade Show” on Fox News Radio. He alleged that Nigeria’s government has “done nothing” and said “what’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.” The Nigerian government has rejected his claims. Following his meeting Thursday with Nigerian national security adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Hegseth on Friday posted on social media that the Pentagon is “working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists.” “Hegseth emphasized the need for Nigeria to demonstrate commitment and take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians and conveyed the Department’s desire to work by, with, and through Nigeria to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States,” the Pentagon said in a statement. Jonathan Pratt, who leads the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, told lawmakers Thursday that “possible Department of War engagement” is part of the larger plan, while the issue has been discussed by the National Security Council, an arm of the White House that advises the president on national security and foreign policy. But Pratt described a wide-ranging approach at a congressional hearing about Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as “a country of particular concern” over religious freedom, which opens the door for sanctions. “This would span from security to policing to economic,” he said. “We want to look at all of these tools and have a comprehensive strategy to get the best result possible.” The violence in Nigeria is far more complex than Trump has portrayed, with militant Islamist groups like Boko Haram killing both Christians and Muslims. At the same time, mainly Muslim herders and mostly Christian farmers have been fighting over land and water. Armed bandits who are motivated more by money than religion also are carrying out abductions for ransom, with schools being a popular target.

CNN [11/23/2025 12:01 AM, Tim Lister, 606K] reports the 28-point plan hammered out by US and Russian envoys and put to Ukraine this week came with a deadline and an implicit threat: Sign up or face the risk of being abandoned. US President Donald Trump said Friday that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky would "have to like" the US plan, suggesting he is in no mood to negotiate. Since then, Trump has sent mixed messages, saying the plan was not his final offer but adding that if Zelensky did not accept it he could "continue to fight his little heart out.” Zelensky recognized the stark choice in a somber speech to the nation on Friday, casting the plan as a choice between losing the United States as an ally and giving in to Russian demands, which many of the 28 points cater to. If Kyiv were to lose US support, the consequences would be grave for its weapons supplies and access to intelligence, compounding existing crises: a lack of soldiers, a financial crunch and a deepening lack of confidence among Ukrainians in a presidency tainted by scandal. Above all, rejecting the proposal would herald an existential separation from the US, with massive strategic implications for Ukraine and its European backers. It would risk the US turning its back on the conflict altogether, reneging on pledges of a security guarantee for Ukraine and telling not just Zelensky but the Europeans: You’re on your own. Not getting US weapons would hurt Ukraine, but not as much as it would have done three years ago. That’s partly because the conflict has changed so much: Tanks, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles now play a subordinate role to the ever-present drones. And it’s partly because the weapons pipeline from Europe is now bigger than that from the US. From the start of the war through June 2025, Europe has allocated at least $40 billion in military aid, $5 billion more than the US. The loss of US weaponry would most of all affect Ukrainian air defenses, which include Patriot batteries and missiles. Zelensky has repeatedly pleaded for more air defenses from the US, but the Patriots are in short supply. Even if the US cut off its own supply of missiles and spare parts, it might allow European and other allies to continue helping. Ukraine has also had a limited supply of highly effective US ATACM missiles. The Trump administration has shown greater willingness to sell US weapons to a European-financed fund known as the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) worth some $90 billion. But it could punish Ukraine by abandoning the program – if Kyiv rejects the plan.

Reuters [11/23/2025 5:18 AM, Olivia Le Poidevin and Emma Farge, 36480K] reports officials from Europe, the United States and Ukraine gathered in Geneva on Sunday to discuss a draft plan presented by Washington to end the Ukraine war, after Kyiv and its allies voiced alarm over what they saw as major concessions to the aggressor Russia. On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had until Thursday to approve the 28-point plan, which calls on Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits on its military and renounce ambitions to join NATO. For many Ukrainians, including soldiers fighting on the front lines, such terms would amount to capitulation after nearly four years of fighting in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two. Since the plan was announced, there has been considerable confusion about who was involved in drawing it up. European allies said they had not been consulted. A U.S. official said U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had arrived on Sunday for the talks on ending Russia’s full-scale invasion. "We hope to iron out the final details...to draft a deal that is advantageous to them (Ukraine)," a U.S. official said. "Nothing will be agreed on until the two presidents get together," the official said, referring to Trump and Zelenskiy. Ahead of Rubio’s departure for Geneva, Trump said his current proposal for ending the war is not his final offer. A U.S. official said there would be coordination meetings on Sunday morning before talks started in earnest in Geneva. There would be a full day of talks in different formats between U.S. and Ukrainian officials, the official added. Ahead of the Geneva gathering, there were also positive and constructive talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Convoys of diplomatic vehicles shuttled through Geneva on Sunday morning as the talks were about to get under way. U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll was also in Geneva for the talks, while Ukraine’s delegation is led by the head of Zelenskiy’s office, Andriy Yermak. National security advisers from the E3 alliance of France, Britain and Germany are joining the discussions, alongside the European Union. Italy was also sending an official. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would speak with Zelenskiy later on Sunday about the peace plan. European and other Western leaders said on Saturday the U.S. peace plan, which endorses key Russian demands, was a basis for talks to end the war but needed "additional work", as they seek a better deal for Kyiv before Thursday’s deadline.

The Los Angeles Times [11/22/2025 9:36 PM, Rob Gillies, 14862K] reports several U.S. senators said Saturday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them that the Trump administration’s plan for ending the Russia-Ukraine war that it is pressing Kyiv to accept is a Russian "wish list" and not the actual plan. A State Department spokesperson denied their account, calling it "blatantly false.” The 28-point peace plan was crafted by the Trump administration and the Kremlin without Ukraine’s involvement. It acquiesces to many Russian demands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory. Trump says he wants Ukraine to accept the plan by late next week. At a security conference in Canada, independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said they spoke to Rubio after he reached out to some of them while on his way to Geneva for talks on the plan. King said Rubio told them the plan "was not the administration’s plan" but a "wish list of the Russians.” "This administration was not responsible for this release in its current form," Rounds said. "They want to utilize it as a starting point.” Rounds said that "it looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with.” Rubio, who serves as both national security advisor and secretary of State, was expected to attend a meeting in Geneva on Sunday to discuss Washington’s proposal as part of a U.S. delegation, according to an American official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the U.S. participants before the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity. Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesperson, denied the senators’ claim. "As Secretary Rubio and the entire Administration has consistently maintained, this plan was authored by the United States, with input from both the Russians and Ukrainians," Pigott wrote on X. The senators earlier Saturday said the plan would only reward Moscow for its aggression and send a message to other leaders who have threatened their neighbors. The senators’ opposition to the plan follows criticism from other U.S. lawmakers, including some Republicans, none of whom have the power to block it. "It rewards aggression. This is pure and simple. There’s no ethical, legal, moral, political justification for Russia claiming eastern Ukraine," King said during a panel discussion at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada. Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the proposal late Friday, saying that it "could form the basis of a final peace settlement" if the U.S. can get Ukraine and its European allies to agree. Zelensky, in an address, did not reject the plan outright, but insisted on fair treatment while pledging to "work calmly" with Washington and other partners in what he called "truly one of the most difficult moments in our history.” CNN [11/23/2025 12:01 AM, Billy Stockwell, 606K] reports that the plan puts pressure on Kyiv to cede territory, limit the size of its military and promise not to join NATO in exchange for an end to the war – all long-standing Kremlin demands. A group of Western and European leaders who met on the sidelines of the G20 in South Africa on Saturday welcomed the uptick in diplomatic efforts but expressed concern over the proposal, saying it was only "an initial draft" that "will require additional work.” "We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force. We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack," a statement from the leaders said. Trump cast doubt over his own timings ahead of the Geneva meeting, telling reporters on the South Lawn of the White House the plan was not his "final offer.” Asked by CNN what happens if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky doesn’t accept the plan by his deadline on Thursday, Trump replied, "Then he can continue to fight his little heart out.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to join the talks on Sunday, a US official said. The goal of the meeting is to iron out language before Zelensky meets with Trump, the official added. British, French and German national security advisers are also due to meet with their Ukrainian and US counterparts, according to a diplomatic source. One European diplomat told CNN that any future deal "cannot entail recognition of occupation. The contact line should be a point of departure.” "There should be no removal of the right to choose alliances, no cap on Ukraine’s armed forces, or back door introduction of Russia’s demands on European security," the diplomat said. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he plans to speak with Zelensky Sunday to discuss the peace plan, Reuters reported. "The follow-up is being done by our national security advisors. I will be speaking with President Zelensky later today, just to close the loop on some aspects," Carney said on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Johannesburg. Planning for a separate meeting between a Russian delegation and the US to discuss the proposal is also in the works and "will happen quickly," the US official said – but not in Geneva. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said he believed the US proposal "could form the basis of a final peace settlement.”

Reported similarly:
AP [11/22/2025 8:56 PM, Rob Gillies, 31753K]
NBC News [11/22/2025 4:06 PM, Julie Tsirkin, Gordon Lubold, Megan Shannon, and Alexandra Marquez, 34509K] r

NewsMax [11/23/2025 5:30 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Geneva Sunday morning for discussions on a US plan to end the Ukraine war, after Washington signaled room for negotiation on the controversial proposal. Trump has given Ukraine until November 27 to approve the plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, but Kyiv is seeking changes to a draft that accepts some of Russia’s hardline demands. Rubio, whose reported comments about the plan have thrown an extraordinary element of confusion into efforts to negotiate an end to the war, landed shortly before 9:30 am (0830 GMT), according to AFP journalists on site. Ukrainian, European and Canadian officials were also gathering in the Swiss city, although the format for the talks remained unclear. The US plan to end the Ukraine war has drawn pushback from Kyiv, its allies and US lawmakers ahead of Sunday talks. The 28-point plan would require the invaded country to cede territory, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO. Trump told reporters Saturday it was not his final offer and he hoped to stop the fighting "one way or the other". Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, speaking on Fox News, described the plan as "a work in progress".

Politico [11/22/2025 6:48 PM, Daniella Cheslow, 13586K] reports Ukraine’s allies are still trying to figure out how seriously to take the U.S. threat to halt intelligence-sharing with Kyiv if it does not agree to a proposed peace plan — but some said Saturday they’re thinking through how to patch shortfalls. “U.S. capability is unique. That’s absolutely clear and irreplaceable, even in a NATO context,” said James Appathurai, interim head of NATO’s DIANA defense innovation program. However, he added, “there are commercial options available to any country that were not available or not thought of even a few years ago.” He pointed to satellite imagery in particular as an area where commercial products could provide a boost on the battlefield to Ukraine. Real-time satellite imagery has been key to Ukraine’s defense against Moscow, giving its military the ability to anticipate incoming Russian attacks and target their own strikes. Appathurai spoke to POLITICO on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum, an annual gathering of defense officials and national security professionals in Nova Scotia. He pointed to one alternative to U.S. providers in the form of the Finnish space company ICEYE, which was formed to monitor ice from outer space but now provides mobile Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance. It has sold satellites to the militaries of Poland and the Netherlands, along with Finland’s armed forces and those of Portugal. It also provides some data to Ukraine already. That said, retooling and reorienting technology can be a slow and expensive process, and Ukraine’s needs are immediate. ICEYE, for example, is still coming into its own as a defense contractor. Its VP for missions, Joost Elstak, told DefenseNews this month that it had between five and 10 sovereign satellites in orbit and expected to launch another 10 to 15 within the next two years. He said European interest in his company soared after President Donald Trump paused sharing space intelligence with Ukraine in March of this year. Elon Musk’s threats to cut Ukraine off from his Starlink satellite internet service added to the appeal of alternatives. Andrius Kubilius, the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, told reporters at Halifax that Europe already has some top-performing satellite offerings, including the Galileo global navigation satellite system and the Copernicus weather observation system. However, he said, “there are some systems where we are being a little bit behind,” and named Starlink. A European alternative to the service, IRIS², is scheduled to go online in 2030. In the meantime, the EU is working on integrating the national assets of its member countries, he said, but voiced confidence in the bloc’s ability to support Ukraine. “Ukraine, if they will decide that they want to continue, they will continue,” Kubilius said.

Reuters [11/23/2025 2:42 AM, Nellie Peyton and Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo, 36480K] reports Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he will speak with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy later on Sunday, as Canadian and other Western security advisers meet in Geneva to discuss a peace plan put forward by the U.S. European and other Western leaders said on Saturday that the 28-point plan was a basis for further work. Their common position has been communicated to Washington, Carney said. "Each of us do not need to call President Trump and communicate that position," he told reporters on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Johannesburg. "The follow-up is being done by our national security advisers. I will be speaking with President Zelenskiy later today, just to close the loop on some aspects of that.” About the plan, Carney said: "We like point number one, Ukraine as a sovereign nation, that is a good start." He added that "a host of other issues" will be discussed on Sunday among the national security advisers and that feedback will be sent to Washington.

CNN [11/22/2025 9:10 AM, Sophie Tanno and Mitchell McCluskey, 18595K] reports world leaders on Saturday expressed concern over a US peace plan for Ukraine seen as favoring Russia, saying it needs "additional work" as they scramble a coordinated response to the proposal. European powers have been caught off guard by the plan which contains major concessions to Russia and was drawn up with little input from Ukraine or Europe. While welcoming the US efforts, the leaders highlighted the "proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces" in the draft document as a particular areas of worry. "We reiterate that the implementation of elements relating to the European Union and relating to NATO would need the consent of EU and NATO members respectively," the statement added. The 28-point plan calls for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia, abandon its long-held pursuit of NATO membership and cut the size of the army. "The initial draft of the 28-point plan includes important elements that will be essential for a just and lasting peace," the statement said. "We believe therefore that the draft is a basis which will require additional work. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country faced the choice of losing its dignity or vital US support but Donald Trump has given Kyiv until Thursday to accept the plan. Still, Trump said that the peace plan is not the final offer to end the war with Russia.

Washington Examiner [11/23/2025 7:00 AM, Pedro Rodriguez, 1394K] reports Barr characterized China’s actions as "systematic and constant persecution of Christians," in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "Specifically the recent move by the CCP to arrest at least 22 pastors and church members including the founder of Zion Church, Pastor ‘Ezra’ Jin Mingri." The CCP has yet to respond to Congress’s unanimous passage of the resolution, making it unclear if it will proceed with the hostages’ release. However, the lawmakers believe the resolution could have a lasting effect, even if China were to ignore the congressional demands. "I want this resolution to have a lasting impact. We need to condemn the CCP’s suppression of religious freedom. It is an unacceptable human rights abuse," Barr said. "America was founded on the principle of religious liberty, and Congress will always stand firmly against the persecution of Christians. If China wants to be seen as a serious player on the global stage, they need to have respect for basic human rights," Barr added. Aside from China’s infringement on human rights having been brought up on the global stage, the resolution also brought China’s oppression of religious liberty to the national stage once again. Former Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback expressed the need to treat China’s oppression as a national security threat on Monday.

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