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

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

The Daily Caller [9/11/2025 11:16 AM, Jason Hopkins, 985K] reports that House Republicans on Thursday passed legislation that would dramatically tick up penalties for foreign nationals who unlawfully enter the United States. The House of Representatives voted 226 to 197 in favor of H.R. 3486, otherwise known as the Stop Illegal Entry Act of 2025. The bill — which boasts support from President Donald Trump and key border hawks — would increase jail time for migrants who decide to unlawfully re-enter the U.S. after deportation or exclusion, according to the legislation. The legislation did garner bipartisan support, with 11 House Democrats voting in favor of the bill Thursday. No Republicans voted against it. Oklahoma GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice, the sponsor of the Stop Illegal Entry Act, said the bill will help deter the possibility of a future border crisis, such as the one experienced under President Joe Biden. "The Biden Administration let over 10 million illegal immigrants into the country and failed to prosecute those who defied U.S. immigration law," Bice said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. "These individuals included people from countries designated as state sponsors of terror, with 400 illegal aliens on the Terrorist Watch List being encountered at the border." "We must deter future illegal immigration and give our law enforcement and border patrol officers the tools they need to hold dangerous criminals accountable," Bice continued. "This is why I was proud to see my colleagues vote to pass the Stop Illegal Entry Act." The Roll Call [9/11/2025 1:07 PM, Chris Johnson, 511K] reports eleven Democrats joined Republicans in a 226-197 vote to pass the legislation, which is part of a wider tough-on-immigration push from President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers. Among other changes, the bill would set a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years, and allow up to a life sentence, for migrants who either improperly enter or attempt to improperly enter the United States and then are convicted of a felony. The bill also would increase the maximum term of imprisonment from two to five years for repeated improper entry. Oklahoma Republican Rep. Stephanie Bice, who sponsored the bill, issued a statement after the vote that the measure is necessary to respond to the immigration policies of former President Joe Biden, whom conservatives have criticized for allowing an influx of migrants into the United States.

The AP [9/11/2025 1:59 PM, Jacques Billeaud and Morgan Lee, 1648K] reports that an Arizona judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s effort to remove Guatemalan and Honduran children living in shelters or foster care after coming to the U.S. alone, according to a decision Thursday. U.S. District Judge Rosemary Marquez in Tucson extended a decision made over the Labor Day weekend. Lawyers for the children said their clients have said they fear going home, and that the government is not following laws designed to protect migrant children. A legal aid group filed a lawsuit in Arizona on behalf of 57 Guatemalan children and another 12 from Honduras between the ages 3 and 17. Nearly all the children were in the custody of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement and living at shelters in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. Similar lawsuits filed in Illinois and Washington, D.C., seek to stop the government from removing the children. The Arizona lawsuit demands that the government allow the children their right to present their cases to an immigration judge, to have access to legal counsel and to be placed in the least restrictive setting that is in their best interest. The Trump administration has argued it is acting in the best interest of the children by trying to reunite them with their families at the behest of the Guatemalan government. The Daily Caller [9/11/2025 4:02 PM, Jason Hopkins, 985K] reports U.S. District Judge Rosemary Marquez, appointed to the bench in Arizona by the Obama administration, has paused the Trump administration’s efforts to remove certain Guatemalan and Honduran migrant children back to their home countries, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed Thursday. Marquez’s ruling was an extension of a previous order she gave over the Labor Day weekend which blocked the removal of Guatemalan children. "Judge Rosemary Marquez is blocking flights to *reunify* Guatemalan and Honduran children with their families," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. "Now these children have to go back to shelters. This is disgusting and immoral." The Honduran and Guatemalan children are living in shelters or foster care after entering the U.S. as unaccompanied minors, which are migrant children who appear at the border without a parent or guardian. The Trump administration has previously argued that it’s in the best interest of the children to reunite them with their families back in their home countries.

NBC News [9/12/2025 3:23 AM, Janis Mackey Frayer, Ed Flanagan, Jennifer Jett and Stella Kim, 43603K] reports hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a U.S. immigration raid arrived in Seoul on Friday, ending a weeklong ordeal that has created business uncertainty and strained relations with a key U.S. ally. More than 300 South Koreans — 307 men and 10 women — were among 475 people detained in the Sept. 4 raid on a Hyundai facility in Georgia by U.S. immigration and other federal officials who said they were investigating allegations of unlawful employment practices. The Korean Air plane was also carrying 14 employees of South Korean companies from China, Japan and Indonesia, while one of the 317 South Koreans decided to remain in the United States rather than agree to “voluntary departure.” Dozens of television cameras were set up behind security barriers at Incheon International Airport outside Seoul to capture the workers returning home with dignity, in what South Korean officials hope will be a salve for a public that was shocked and angered by images of their compatriots being shackled and treated like criminals by U.S. immigration officials. A man protesting in the terminal held up a sign that read in part, “Do we keep investing in the U.S. despite backstabbing?” Another unfurled a banner showing a likeness of President Donald Trump in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement uniform carrying a bag of cash. It read: “We’re friends. Aren’t we?” The workers came out of the baggage claim in groups, accompanied by officials and police officers. Some waved, some carried bags or other belongings, and many were wearing masks. There was some applause from onlookers as each new group emerged. More than a dozen buses parked outside the arrivals area waited to take the returning workers to be reunited with their families elsewhere. The plane, which was chartered by the South Korean government, took off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around noon ET on Thursday, a day after South Korean officials had originally hoped. The South Korean foreign ministry said Trump delayed the repatriation in order to discuss with South Korea whether its detained nationals should remain in the U.S. to continue their work helping to set up an electric vehicle battery plant being jointly built by South Korean companies Hyundai and LG Energy Solution. South Korean officials said it would be best for them to return home first after spending a week in ICE detention. The workers were released shortly after 2 a.m. ET Thursday from the Folkston ICE Processing Center in rural Georgia, without any physical restraints such as handcuffs — one of South Korea’s main demands in negotiations with U.S. officials. Construction on the $4.3 billion battery plant, part of a bigger complex in the town of Ellabell that is expected to create about 8,500 American jobs, has been delayed by at least two to three months, a spokesperson for Hyundai North America confirmed to NBC News on Thursday, citing Hyundai chief executive Jose Munoz. The AP [9/11/2025 1:12 PM, Kate Brumback and Kim Tong-Hyung, 34837K] reports South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the detainees released by U.S. authorities included 316 Koreans, 10 Chinese nationals, three Japanese nationals and one Indonesian. The workers were among about 475 people detained during last week’s raid at the battery factory under construction on the campus of Hyundai’s sprawling auto plant west of Savannah. They had been held at an immigration detention center in Folkston, 285 miles (460 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta. South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday called for improvements to the United States’ visa system, saying Korean companies will likely hesitate to make new investments in the U.S. until that happens. Lee said during a news conference that Korean and U.S. officials had a back-and-forth discussion over whether the detainees had to be handcuffed while they traveled by bus to Atlanta — something the Koreans "strongly opposed." He said there was also a debate over whether they would be leaving under "voluntary departure" or deportation. CNN [9/12/2025 4:26 AM, Jessie Yeung, Yoonjung Seo, 23245K] reports that one mother, who CNN is identifying only by her surname Park, said she hadn’t been able to reach her son at all after his detention. “I’m grateful he came back healthy. My son has allergies, so that was a concern,” she told CNN on Friday. “Just thinking about him being handcuffed and shackled on his ankles is deeply traumatizing.” Another mother, who CNN is not naming, said watching the videos of the ICE raid “made me feel so distressed.” She hopes one day it’ll be safe for her son to return overseas for work – “but for now, I don’t want to send him back to the US.” It’s likely been a week of confusion and fear for the workers, who were chained up during the raid and held for days in detention. But as they sat inside an ICE facility, the real maelstrom was happening outside – with South Korea’s top diplomat rushing to Washington to negotiate their release, while public fury swelled back home over what many see as a slap in the face from their longtime partner. South Korea and the US have been staunch allies since the end of the Korean War in 1953 and have stepped up cooperation in recent years, drawing closer in a joint effort to combat Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific. South Korea is also home to the US military’s largest overseas base, which houses 41,000 people including troops and their families. So images of skilled workers being handcuffed and shackled by ICE agents have outraged many in South Korea and raised questions over the economic partnership that had led these detained workers to the US in the first place – a partnership Trump himself has encouraged. In August, a summit between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung yielded promises of billions of dollars of investment into the US from major Korean conglomerates. It’s unclear whether those deals are part of an earlier tariff deal that outlined a $350 billion investment flow from Korea to the US. Auto manufacturer Hyundai was part of that investment effort, with Hyundai’s chairman pledging a $20 billion investment in the US after meeting Trump in March (and raising it by another $5 billion after the Lee-Trump summit in August). Given Trump’s personal involvement in seeking greater Korean investment, many were stunned when ICE raided the battery plant co-owned by Hyundai and LG in Georgia. It’s not clear what the workers’ visa statuses were. Immigration authorities claimed many had entered illegally or overstayed their visas, but lawyers for some of the detained workers insist their clients were legally working on the Georgia site, including on visa waivers that allow them to advise and consult. It’s also not clear whether these workers will be allowed back to continue working, what the future of Korean investment in the US may look like, or what will become of the Hyundai plant.

Reported similarly:
AP [9/12/2025 3:52 AM, Staff, 37974K]
USA Today [9/11/2025 4:12 PM, Eduardo Cuevas, 64151K]

Reuters [9/11/2025 9:45 PM, Ju-min Park and Hyunjoo Jin, 45746K] reports South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has urged the U.S. Congress to support a new visa for his country’s businesses, as hundreds of mainly Korean workers arrested during a massive U.S. immigration raid last week were set to return home on Friday. During his meetings with U.S. senators in Washington, Cho reiterated concerns among South Koreans over the detention of Korean professionals participating in investment projects in the United States, his ministry said in a statement. A plane carrying more than 300 Korean workers who were detained during the raid at a Hyundai Motor (005380.KS), opens new tab and LG Energy Solution (373220.KS), battery joint venture in the state of Georgia has left the United States, bound for South Korea. The plane is expected to touch down in South Korea at around 2 p.m. (0500 GMT), according to LG Energy Solution, whose workers and subcontractors were among the detainees. After being held for a week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the South Korean workers have been released and flown from Atlanta. The raid that sent shockwaves across South Korea has threatened to destabilise ties, at a time when both countries are seeking to finalise a trade deal, and to scare off South Korean investment in the United States that U.S. President Donald Trump has been keen to secure. Following the raid, the battery plant is facing a minimum startup delay of two to three months, Hyundai CEO Jose Munoz said on Thursday. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Thursday that hundreds of South Korean workers arrested during the immigration raid had the wrong visas. "I called up the Koreans, I said, oh, give me a break. Get the right visa and if you’re having problems getting the right visa, call me," Lutnick said in an interview with Axios. Asked if the raid had created tensions between the countries, Lutnick told CNBC Trump would "go and address that." "So I think he’s going to make a deal with different countries that when they want to build big here, he’ll find a way to get their workers proper work visas, meaning short-term work visas, train Americans and then head home," he said. South Korean companies have complained for years that they have struggled to obtain short-term work visas for specialists needed at their high-tech U.S. plants, and had come to rely on a grey zone of looser interpretation of visa rules under previous U.S. administrations. "Minister Cho emphasized that fundamental preventative measures are essential to ensure that our workforce is not subjected to unfair treatment in order to fulfil our companies’ investment commitments to the United States," the ministry said in a statement.

Washington Examiner [9/11/2025 11:53 AM, David Zimmermann, 1563K] reports President Donald Trump offered to let detained South Korean nationals working at a Hyundai factory in Georgia stay in the United States and train American workers, Seoul officials said on Thursday, as the Korean workers were ultimately on their way back to their native country. Over 300 Koreans were released from detention on Thursday as part of the repatriation process. They are scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Friday. The detained nationals were set to leave the U.S. in a charter plane on Wednesday, but discussions between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held up their departure. Trump reportedly delayed their release because he wanted to explore the prospect of letting the Koreans stay because they are all skilled workers who can then train Americans on the job, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said, according to Washington Post. Cho said South Korea wanted to bring its citizens home, noting they could return to the U.S. in the future if the Trump administration wishes. Rubio agreed to that proposition. Last week, federal agents apprehended 475 employees at a Hyundai electric vehicle manufacturing site near Savannah, Georgia, in the Trump administration’s largest immigration enforcement operation at a worksite to date. Of the detainees, 316 people were from South Korea. The $7.6 billion Hyundai plant began production in October 2024 and aims to employ 8,500 workers, according to the facility’s website. It currently employs over 1,300 people. Trump previously offered to expedite visas for foreign workers if companies investing in the U.S. agree to hire and train American workers. "Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so," he wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday. "What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers.” Over a week before the immigration raid at the Georgia factory, Hyundai raised its U.S. investments from $21 billion to $26 billion through 2028. The announcement came on the same day that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung visited Trump at the White House. In a Thursday press conference, Lee warned that the raid could make South Korean companies reconsider investing in the U.S. "I think this will have a significant impact on direct investments in the United States moving forward," Lee said. Lee revealed the U.S. and South Korea are discussing how to change the visa system in order to allow foreign employees to work in the U.S. for longer periods of time. South Korean companies provided skilled workers with temporary visa waivers or short-term business visas to work in their factories. The Trump administration also gave the South Korean detainees the choice to continue living in the U.S., Lee said. At least one person chose to stay with their family.

Reuters [9/12/2025 2:54 AM, Nora Eckert, 45746K] reports a battery plant co-owned by Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) is facing a minimum startup delay of two to three months following an immigration raid last week, Hyundai CEO Jose Munoz said on Thursday. The Georgia plant, which is operated through a joint venture between Hyundai and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution (373220.KS), was at the center of the largest single-site enforcement operation in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s history last week. Munoz, in his first public comments since the raid, said he was surprised when he heard the news and immediately inquired if Hyundai workers were involved. He said the company discovered that the workers at the center of the raid were mainly employed by suppliers of LG. "For the construction phase of the plants, you need to get specialized people. There are a lot of skills and equipment that you cannot find in the United States," Munoz said on the sidelines of an automotive conference in Detroit. The plant, part of a $7.6 billion factory complex to make battery-powered models, was slated to come online later this year. About 475 workers, including more than 300 South Koreans, were arrested, according to U.S. immigration officials. The raid was conducted over suspicions about the "unlawful" visa and immigration status of workers at the site, U.S. officials have said. A plane carrying the workers is flying them home from Atlanta, after Seoul and Washington agreed to their release and to discuss setting up a visa programme for workers needed at such sites being constructed by South Korean businesses. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung said on Thursday he was "really worried about that incident" but was relieved the workers were returning home to South Korea. “Maybe our government and the U.S. government, they are working closely, and the visa regulation is very complicated," Chung said at the Detroit conference. "And I hope we can make it together a better system." It is typical for an automotive battery plant to employ these workers as it is getting off the ground, Munoz said. Munoz said Hyundai will source batteries from other plants as it waits for the LG plant to start up, including from a Georgia plant co-owned with Korean battery-maker SK On. Fallout from the raid has cascaded across the country. Reuters first reported that workers at other LG plants, including those co-owned by GM, were asked to return home.

Reported similarly:
Axios [9/11/2025 12:40 PM, Joann Muller, 14595K]

New York Times [9/12/2025 3:27 AM, Lydia DePillis and Hamed Aleaziz, 143795K] reports almost 500 people were detained during a raid of a Georgia battery plant owned by two South Korean manufacturers last week, the largest immigration enforcement operation at one location in the history of the Department of Homeland Security. But in at least one instance, officials admitted a worker was employed legally and forced him to leave the country anyway, according to documents reviewed by New York Times. The Times obtained internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest records for 11 of the detained workers. Six entered the country with B1 or B1/B2 visas, which are issued for business trips of up to six months. Four entered through the visa waiver program, which allows travel for 90 days. In one case, the worker’s status was unclear. The records stated that all but one of the 11 were working unlawfully at the time of the raid, but did not provide details about why. In the one exception, agents said that although the worker “has not violated his visa,” the local ICE field office director “mandated” that he be considered someone who was voluntarily departing the country. The file noted that he worked for the South Korean engineering firm SFA, which did not respond to a request for comment. Two-thirds of the people arrested on Sept. 4 were South Koreans, and nearly all of them were flown back to their home country this week. They landed in Seoul on Friday afternoon local time — only after sitting in limbo for 24 hours while President Trump told his government to consider letting them stay and train American workers, South Korean officials said. “What ICE is doing here is illegal, and people should be held to account,” said Charles Kuck, an Atlanta immigration lawyer who is representing some of those who were detained. “If we’re turning from ‘let’s enforce the law against people who violate the law’ to ‘let’s enforce the law against everybody regardless of their legal status,’ I think we’ve changed the kind of country that we’ve become.” The fallout from the operation at the plant was the latest example of the dragnet-like nature of Mr. Trump’s immigration policy and how it can conflict with other stated policy objectives, such as bolstering production in the United States. It also highlighted a strategy used by multinational firms to temporarily import workers into the United States to establish new operations.

Reuters [9/12/2025 4:46 AM, Ju-min Park, 45746K] reports South Korea’s top security adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Friday that the government would talk to U.S. officials in order to provide clear visa guidelines for Korean companies operating there and to ease concerns for workers remaining in the United States. Wi made the comments as the administration in Seoul seeks to avoid a repeat of a recent U.S. immigration raid on a battery factory that led to the arrest of hundreds of Korean workers. The detention of the Korean workers took place as a collateral effect of U.S. immigration authorities searching for four target individuals, Wi said.

AP [9/11/2025 8:01 PM, Didi Tang and Paul Wiseman, 4779K] reports President Donald Trump’s push to revitalize American manufacturing by luring foreign investment into the U.S. has run smack into one of his other priorities: cracking down on illegal immigration. Hardly a week after immigration authorities raided a sprawling Hyundai battery plant in Georgia, detained more than 300 South Korean workers and showed video of some of them shackled in chains, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung warned that the country’s other companies may be reluctant to take up Trump’s invitation to pour money into the United States. If the U.S. can’t promptly issue visas to the technicians and other skilled workers needed to launch plants, then "establishing a local factory in the United States will either come with severe disadvantages or become very difficult for our companies," Lee said Thursday. "They will wonder whether they should even do it.". The raid and subsequent diplomatic crisis show how the Trump administration’s mass deportation goals are running up against its efforts to bring in money from abroad to drive the U.S. economy and create more jobs. Moves like workplace immigration enforcement and visa restrictions could risk alienating allies that are pledging to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. to avoid high tariffs. Trump’s economic agenda is built around using hefty tariffs on imports, including a 15% levy on South Korean products, as a cudgel to force manufacturing to return to the U.S. He’s repeatedly said foreign companies can escape his tariffs if they produce in America. South Korea, already a top investor, pledged to invest $350 billion in the U.S. when the two sides announced a trade deal in July. While demanding that foreign investors "LEGALLY bring your very smart people," Trump also promised to "make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so.". "President Trump will continue delivering on his promise to make the United States the best place in the world to do business, while also enforcing federal immigration laws," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement Thursday.

NPR [9/11/2025 5:44 PM, Anthony Kuhn, 34837K] Audio: HERE reports hundreds of South Korean workers are headed home after last week’s dramatic immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia. The images of handcuffed workers sparked outrage in Seoul.

Reuters [9/12/2025 4:21 AM, Ju-min Park and Heejin Kim, 45746K] reports South Korea has ramped up calls for changes to the U.S. visa system so that its workers can visit for longer periods after an immigration raid at a battery plant in Georgia led to the detainment of hundreds of its citizens. The two countries are looking at establishing a working group to consider a new type of visa for Koreans, according to South Korea’s foreign minister who visited Washington this week. South Korean companies have become major investors in the U.S., building factories that often require highly technical skill sets that are not easy to find in the United States. But unlike some countries such as Australia, Canada and Mexico, South Koreans do not have access to special treaty work visas. "There’s really no mid-term business visa for Korean businessmen to work in the U.S. for several months," said Kim Yong-sang, a Seoul-based lawyer specialising in international disputes at Yulchon LLC. Instead, sources have said employees of South Korean companies commonly use either the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), a type of visa waiver that allows for stays of up to 90 days or B-1 visas - a temporary visa for some business-related activities. Both of these visas limit what work can be done in the United States, which has meant that some South Korean workers have been relying on grey areas in U.S. visa enforcement. There’s also been a "lack of coordination between federal and state immigration policy," said Jihae Han, a U.S. attorney at Maru Law Firm. "Many U.S. state and local officials are unaware of how complex and serious the visa bottleneck is."

Axios [9/11/2025 3:11 PM, Ben Berkowitz, 14595K] reports the workers at a Hyundai-linked plant in Georgia raided by ICE last week had the wrong visas — and the company should have asked for help getting the right ones, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick tells Mike Allen in the premiere episode of "The Axios Show." The images of hundreds of South Korean workers being shackled and hauled off like criminals shocked a close U.S. ally, and raised the question of whether the Trump administration’s economic and immigration policies are at odds with each other. The images provoked outrage in Seoul, where the government quickly arranged a flight to bring all the workers home voluntarily. The workers were released a week later, with South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung warning that the raid could chill investment in the U.S. Hyundai Motor’s CEO told Axios Thursday that the impact of the raid would delay plant construction at least two to three months, given it required expertise that only the Korean workers have. Lutnick said in the debut episode that fault for the raid lay entirely with Hyundai, which he alleged brought the workers in on tourist visas. The right visa, as Lutnick puts it, is hard to come by. It’s also not entirely clear how a company could call up the Commerce secretary and get the right visas in sufficient quantities without the rules being bent somehow.

Latin Times [9/11/2025 12:30 PM, Pedro Camacho] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Wednesday that the Alligator Alcatraz detention center in Florida remains fully operational despite what it described as "media hoaxes" and interference from "activist judges" seeking to shut the facility down. Through a statement on its official website, DHS also released names and criminal histories of detainees held there, describing them as "some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens." "Despite repeated hoaxes peddled by the media and activist judges, Alligator Alcatraz is still open and housing some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, pedophiles, weapons traffickers, and drug dealers, until they are swiftly removed from our country," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in the statement. McLaughlin also praised "innovative state partnerships" like Alligator Alcatraz, Louisiana Lock-up, Speedway Slammer, and Cornhusker Clink, calling them critical to "turbocharging our efforts to get criminal illegal aliens out of our country."

Chicago Tribune [9/11/2025 9:44 PM, Olivia Olander, 5352K] reports immigration rights groups have seen a massive spike in hotline calls for legal and other help as federal Homeland Security officials this week launched a much-anticipated immigration enforcement surge in the Chicago area, the groups said Thursday. "The Trump deportation machine is out of control, and it’s our communities and our families that are being torn apart," Lawrence Benito, executive director at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said Thursday at a news conference in Brighton Park, a heavily Latino neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Benito said the group’s family support hotline received 500 calls on Tuesday alone, the highest volume since January, with the "vast majority" reporting sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Before the start of the Trump administration, the hotline at 855-435-7693 received about 100 calls per month, he said. Benito attributed the surge in hotline calls this week to a greater prevalence of federal officers, but also a community awareness of ICE activity. "This is why ICE is having such a difficult time rounding people up in the numbers that they want - that they’re trying to change their tactics based on what their conditions are on the ground. And we have a very informed community that know their rights," he said. Trump’s Department of Homeland Security on Monday announced the immigration enforcement surge dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz," as he also this week seemingly backed off on a previous threat to send in the National Guard to the city to quell crime. Though activists and the administration have reported ICE activity this week, the exact scale compared to previous sweeps since Trump took office in January remained unclear as of Thursday. As Trump has zeroed in on Chicago over crime and immigration, activists said children attending school may have been affected. Preliminary numbers show that Chicago Public Schools this school year have seen a drop in enrollment by 12,000 students, board member Yesenia Lopez said at the same news conference, "primarily English learners." Lopez said she didn’t know whether that drop was directly attributable to fears of immigration enforcement. The school district enrolled more than 325,300 students in the school year that started in 2024, according to the CPS website. ICIRR did not have an estimate for the number of people detained this week. But the group’s leadership said that more people are being arrested than initially reported by the Trump administration, as activists know of different individuals who have been arrested than those who the administration has publicly posted about, ICIRR spokesperson Brandon Lee said.

Chicago Sun Times [9/11/2025 9:00 AM, Violet Miller] reports in a letter to top federal officials, U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., and U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin are demanding the federal government lay out parameters for using Naval Station Great Lakes for its immigration operation and that federal agents properly identify themselves while operating in Illinois. The letter, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, demands answers in writing from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on how the base would be used, an end date to the operation and all communications and documents from their agencies about using the base. The letter said the Defense Department’s reliance on “verbal agreements” for base support was “easily susceptible to mission creep, difficult to communicate widely to all parties involved and not transparent or accountable to the taxpayers and their elected representatives.” It requests confirmation that no more base resources will be diverted to the operation, that it won’t house “DHS-managed lethal munitions” or anyone detained by the agencies, that troops stationed there will not be asked to assist in immigration enforcement and that federal officials will wear “clear labels” identifying themselves while in Illinois. “Your actions surrounding a threatened surge of law and immigration enforcement activity in Chicago so far accelerate a dangerous — and cowardly — trend of dodging reasonable and constitutionally-established oversight and basic accountability to the citizens of this country,” the officials wrote. “An agency of the U.S. government does not operate in secrecy in American communities if it thinks its actions are legal and defensible.” Duckworth, Durbin and Schneider are set to meet Thursday with Navy Secretary John Phelan in Washington, D.C..

FOX News [9/11/2025 7:28 AM, Brooke Taylor, 40019K] Video: HERE reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested several dangerous criminal illegal aliens in the sanctuary city of Chicago, for heinous crimes such as sexually assaulting a child family member, rape, armed robbery and domestic battery. As part of Operation Midway Blitz, these arrests honor Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunk-driving hit-and-run car wreck caused by criminal illegal alien Julio Cucul-Bol in Illinois. "In just the last few days in Chicago, ICE has arrested pedophiles, rapists, abusers, armed robbers, and other violent thugs," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "These are the criminal illegal aliens Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, and their fellow sanctuary politicians protect over the law-abiding American citizens.". "These criminal illegal aliens flocked to Illinois because sanctuary policies allow them to roam free and terrorize innocent Americans without consequence," McLaughlin said. "President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message: no city is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return.". [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [9/11/2025 6:00 AM, Peter Pinedo, 40019K] Video: HERE reports Illinois Republican Rep. Mary Miller, a critic of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, is introducing a bill to crack down on sanctuary states "gambling with American lives" by allowing illegal immigrants to obtain commercial driver’s licenses. In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Miller’s office said the bill, titled the SAFE Driving Laws Act, will address the 19 sanctuary states creating an "extreme level of risk for all those on the road" by allowing illegals to obtain both individual driver’s licenses and commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). If passed, the bill would withhold funds from the National Highway Performance and Surface Transportation Block Grant programs from states that give illegal immigrants driver’s licenses or fail to share information about criminal aliens with the federal government. States not in compliance with the law by fiscal year 2027, which begins in October 2026, will have 50% of the funding from the two programs withheld for the entire fiscal year and for any subsequent year that the state remains in noncompliance. Besides cracking down on states issuing illegal licenses, Miller’s bill would also penalize states that prohibit or restrict local or state government entities from collecting and sending to or receiving immigration enforcement information from the Department of Homeland Security. The bill also stipulates that both the secretaries of Transportation and Homeland Security maintain a publicly available database of each state’s compliance or noncompliance with the law. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [9/11/2025 6:00 AM, Taylor Penley, 40019K] Video: HERE reports the Trump administration is stepping up its defense of the homeland while Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers a chilling warning to narco-terrorists: attempts to harm Americans will no longer be "tolerated." "President Trump’s locking the border down… now we go on offense to make sure these cartels can’t be funded, that they can’t sustain what they’re doing," Hegeth told Fox News’ Rachel Campos-Duffy. In his first interview as secretary of war, Hegseth detailed the Pentagon’s precision efforts to secure the western hemisphere, stressing his mission as defense chief to protect the homeland, the American people and U.S. national interests. Stopping the "poisoning" of American citizens, he said, is crucial to fulfilling that mission. The war secretary’s remarks come after U.S. officials touted a lethal strike against a Venezuelan drug boat that killed 11 alleged Tren de Aragua members earlier this month, though Venezuelan officials have disputed footage of the event. The Coast Guard also sank a suspected drug boat over the weekend and apprehended seven alleged drug smugglers, according to video released by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [9/11/2025 1:17 PM, Staff, 45746K] reports none of the 11 people killed in a U.S. military strike on a boat in the Caribbean last week were members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Venezuela’s interior minister said on Thursday, as the South American nation deployed troops amid heightened tensions with the U.S. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has said the boat was transporting illegal narcotics, but has provided scant further information about the incident, even amid demands from members of the U.S. Congress for a justification for the action. "They openly confessed to killing 11 people," Interior Minister and ruling party head Diosdado Cabello said on state television. "We have done our investigations here in our country and there are the families of the disappeared people who want their relatives, and when we asked in the towns, none were from Tren de Aragua, none were drug traffickers." "A murder has been committed against a group of citizens using lethal force," added Cabello, questioning how the U.S. could determine whether drugs were on the boat and why the people were not instead arrested. The Venezuelan government said after the incident that a video post by Trump of the strike was artificial intelligence.

CBS News [9/11/2025 6:57 PM, Eleanor Watson and Caitlin Yilek, 45245K] reports an alleged drug-trafficking boat that was destroyed last week by the U.S. military appeared to be turning around when it was hit, according to two people familiar with the matter. The individuals onboard saw the military aircraft overhead and then attempted to turn back before the U.S. repeatedly hit the boat, one of the sources told CBS News. The New York Times first reported the development. President Trump said last week that the strike killed 11 people. The administration has claimed that the vessel coming from Venezuela was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, which has been designated by the White House as a foreign terrorist organization. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to CBS News on Thursday, "The President acted in line with the laws of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring poison to our shores.". On Thursday, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said none of those killed were members of the gang. "They openly confessed to killing 11 people," he said on state television, according to a translation from Reuters. "We have done our investigations here in our country and there are the families of the disappeared people who want their relatives, and when we asked in the towns, none were from Tren de Aragua, none were drug traffickers.". When asked for a response to the Venezuelan minister, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell suggested the words of an "illegitimate narco-terrorist regime" should not be taken at face value. He reiterated the administration’s assertion that the U.S. military would act to stop any drug traffickers in international waters or the western hemisphere. "This strike sent a clear message: if you traffic drugs toward our shores, the United States military will use every tool at our disposal to stop you cold," Parnell said in a statement. The Pentagon did not respond to a question about whether the boat was turning around before it was hit.

Daily Caller [9/11/2025 10:31 AM, Jason Hopkins, 985K] reports that the Trump administration is successfully pushing the Mexican government into re-honoring an air transportation agreement it repeatedly broke during the Biden era, a memo shows. In response to a slate of retaliatory measures taken by President Donald Trump’s Department of Transportation (DOT), Mexican government officials have "taken immediate action" to fall back into compliance with the U.S.-Mexico Air Transport Agreement, according to a memo exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The developments mark the latest instance in which the Trump White House has strong-armed Mexican counterparts into action better aligned with U.S. interests. "We commend President Trump and the Department of Transportation for bringing into compliance with the U.S.-Mexico Air Transport agreement in a way the Biden administration could not," the memo states. "Thanks to the Trump administration’s tough stance, the [government of Mexico] has taken immediate action to enhance the transparency of the Mexico City Airport slot framework and to return slots to U.S. carriers that were temporarily withdrawn in 2022," the memo continues. "These developments are a testament to the strength and negotiating prowess of the Trump administration and DOT Secretary Sean Duffy." The DOT did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF about the memo.

Reuters [9/11/2025 2:35 PM, Nellie Peyton, 45746K] reports the government of Eswatini said on Thursday it did not have any agreement with the United States to receive Kilmar Abrego, who President Donald Trump’s administration said last week could be deported to the small African state. "The Government of Eswatini has not received any communication regarding this person," government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli told Reuters. "Any proposal to send more deportees to Eswatini will be discussed between the governments of Eswatini and the United States of America prior to initiating processes, and the country will be properly informed," Mdluli added in a text message. The Trump administration has sought to deport more migrants to so-called "third countries," saying the step is necessary if their home countries will not accept them. Critics have questioned that rationale. Eswatini accepted five third-country deportees from the United States in July, for which it is facing a court challenge by local human rights activists who have called their government’s secretive deal with the Trump administration illegal. Abrego, whose arrest in March and subsequent fight to stay in the United States have become a flashpoint in Trump’s immigration crackdown, is originally from El Salvador and is currently being held in an immigration detention centre in Virginia. A sheet metal worker who entered the United States illegally, Abrego had been living in Maryland with his wife, their child and two of her children - all of whom are American citizens - until he was arrested, accused of being a gang member and sent to a prison in El Salvador despite a U.S. judge’s ordering prohibiting his deportation to his native country. A September 5 email from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security official to Abrego’s lawyers said: "We hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini." The official said the change was made because Abrego, 30, had stated that he feared persecution or torture in Uganda, previously designated for his deportation. Abrego has no ties to Eswatini. In response to a request for comment, a senior Trump administration official referenced U.S. government allegations against Abrego, including criminal charges related to migrant smuggling, and said he would be deported, even if it was to another nation. "We are not going to allow this public safety threat to remain in our country," the official said. Abrego has pleaded not guilty.

ABC News [9/11/2025 6:59 PM, Beatrice Peterson, 27036K] reports as the federal emergency that created the surge of law enforcement and National Guard winds down, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the "useful life" of the Guard in Washington is "coming to an end.". The emergency order expired Sept. 10, but federal officers and National Guard troops extended in the District until November will remain visible in the nation’s capital. Bowser stressed the District’s public safety mission "doesn’t change," but said full authority of the Metropolitan Police Department will return to the city. The end of the surge does not mean the end of federal law enforcement in Washington. The nation’s capital is home to more than two dozen federal police agencies that will continue operating alongside MPD, including the Capitol Police, Park Police and Secret Service, all of which have authority to make arrests. "The president didn’t try to move a new emergency, and the Congress is not moving to extend the emergency, which they have every power to do," she said on Wednesday. "Immigration enforcement is not what MPD does, and with the end of the emergency, it won’t be what MPD does," Bowser added.

Bloomberg [9/11/2025 10:53 AM, Suzanne Monyak, Ben Penn, 75K] reports federal prosecutors at the Washington US attorney’s office have been required to work overnight shifts and pushed to charge more cases during a Justice Department law enforcement surge. A rotating group of four assistant US attorneys, a supervisor, and paralegal have had to be on call starting at 5:30 p.m. every night for a 24-hour shift to handle the influx of arrests stemming from federal agent patrols that began last month, according to three people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity. Prosecutors typically don’t bring criminal charges every time someone is arrested. But those at the largest US attorney’s office in the nation, now led by former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, have also been expected to charge more cases, including more federal cases, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The mandate applies to the office’s federal criminal division, and demonstrates how the office of Washington’s top prosecutor has prioritized manpower toward executing the Justice Department’s effort to crack down on crime and working to fulfill the White House’s goal to expand federal power over the nation’s capital. President Donald Trump issued a declaration of a emergency in August stating that crime in DC is “out of control,” allowing the federal government to exert some control over the city police for 30 days. The Trump administration has also deployed the National Guard, which has joined other federal law enforcement agents in continuing to patrol the streets. Though the emergency period expired Wednesday, no end date to the overnight on-duty shifts has been provided, according to two of the people who provided details to Bloomberg. Attorney General Pam Bondi has touted arrest numbers surpassing 2,000 in regular updates on the social media platform X. A spokesperson for the US attorney’s office said Pirro “has devoted a large segment of her office from both the criminal division and superior court division who are available 24/7, 7 days a week to support the surge and who continue with their normal workload responsibilities.”

New York Times [9/11/2025 6:10 PM, Emily Badger, Ben Blatt and Alicia Parlapiano, 143795K] reports in the weeks after President Trump declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C., directing a surge of federal law enforcement there, the tourists at a popular game store near the Capitol thinned. The restaurant workers in a nighttime soccer league canceled their season. The line at a weekly food pantry shrank. Sidewalk traffic in the Columbia Heights neighborhood dropped off. Bike-share trips across the city dipped. Crime in the city has declined over this same time, more sharply than the improvements Washington was already experiencing this year. But other kinds of activity have also retreated, beyond what late summer would normally bring. If the aggressive show of force has had a deterrent effect on crime, it appears to have deterred entirely normal aspects of city life, too. Washington streets are by no means empty, and some measures of activity, such as public transit ridership, have shown little change. Most residents have gone to work and their children back to school following typical routines. But other data and interviews suggest that the presence of federal agents and National Guard troops has muted the city’s social life, street culture, restaurant scene and immigrant enclaves — some of what residents say makes the city vibrant. In some neighborhoods known for their lively streets, for instance, cellphone data showed distinctly less activity, including from pedestrians or people passing through by car, after the surge began: “We are not functioning like a healthy city right now,” said Brianne K. Nadeau, a district council member who represents Columbia Heights, home to many Hispanic residents. She and others repeatedly mentioned echoes of the pandemic: parents seeking virtual learning, restaurant staff needing car rides to avoid mass transit, would-be diners choosing instead to stay home. To understand the scale of this effect, we sought data from a variety of sources tracking activity in Washington and spoke with more than 30 nonprofits, business owners, churches, restaurants and civic groups. Some data showed no obvious pattern (a traffic congestion measure, for one). Some were harder to decipher (the Nationals’ ballpark attendance is down almost 10 percent since the first week of August, but the team is also in last place). Other metrics, however, including from cellphone data, restaurants and social service providers, show a shift in the city’s normal patterns. The White House has declared the operation a success with the federal emergency expiring this week, ending, primarily, the president’s direct influence over the city’s Metropolitan Police Department. “In a short period of time, President Trump has transformed D.C. from a crime-ridden mess into a beautiful, clean, safe city,” a White House spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, said in a statement. “It will be safer for residents, visitors and businesses. Anyone in their right mind would celebrate this success, except for the criminals who have been stopped by this crime crackdown.” Mayor Muriel Bowser has praised the falling crime, too. But to other residents, the president’s talk of “liberating” Washington has been at odds with their unease navigating police checkpoints, National Guard troops in the city’s metro system and immigration raids on city streets. “That’s a slap in the face to anybody who’s ever needed liberation — to say that this is that,” said the Rev. William Young, the pastor at Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ in Ward 8, the part of the city most plagued by violence.

Wall Street Journal [9/11/2025 7:04 PM, Alex Leary and Tarini Parti, 646K] reports President Trump’s team began tightening security as shock and anger reverberated through the White House following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. A Pentagon ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was moved to a more secure location so Trump could deliver a speech, according to a senior White House official. At Yankee Stadium, where Trump attended a game Thursday evening, the law-enforcement presence was expanded, the Secret Service said. Beyond this week’s events, Trump’s team is having broader discussions about how to increase the president’s security, the White House official said. Trump and his aides were reeling, with an acute sense of sadness blanketing the West Wing, according to the president’s advisers. One White House official described the mood as one of mourning, adding that some advisers were scared for their safety. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles gathered staff Wednesday evening and told them to go home and hug their family. She acknowledged that not everyone is afforded security protection and told them to be vigilant. But she also said they shouldn’t be deterred from doing their jobs, according to a person who was at the meeting. Wiles said in the interview with Jennings that the president will redouble his commitment to countering violence in the country, protect freedom of speech and address “hate groups.”

Reuters [9/11/2025 4:59 PM, Andrew Hay and Brad Brooks, 45746K] reports U.S. investigators said on Thursday they had found the bolt-action rifle they believed was used to kill the influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk and released images of a "person of interest" as they searched for the shooter they described as "college age.” Kirk, a 31-year-old podcast-radio commentator and a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, is credited with helping build the Republican Party’s support among younger voters. He was killed on Wednesday by a single gunshot as he gave a talk at a university in Utah in what Trump called a "heinous assassination.” FBI and state officials said the killer arrived on the campus a few minutes before the event began, a talk by Kirk titled "Prove Me Wrong" outdoors in front of about 3,000 people at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Salt Lake City. Security-camera videos show an armed individual ascending stairwells to get onto a roof before firing at Kirk, the officials told a news conference. Kirk, a staunch defender of gun rights, was answering an audience question about mass shootings when the bullet struck his neck, prompting audience members to flee in panic. The shooter jumped off the roof and fled into an adjoining neighborhood, Robert Bohls, the FBI special agent in charge, told reporters. Investigators found a "high-powered, bolt-action" rifle in a nearby wooded area, and were examining that along with palm prints and footprints for clues. On Thursday, with classes canceled, the roof of the building on the otherwise deserted campus and the nearby woods were strung with yellow tape as investigators scoured them for evidence. The shooter appears to be of college age and "blended in well" on the campus, Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason told reporters. The shooter has not been publicly identified, but the FBI circulated grainy images apparently taken from security cameras showing a "person of interest": a person wearing a black top, black sunglasses and a dark baseball cap. The shooter may have engraved messages on their ammunition, the Wall Street Journal reported, but people familiar with the investigation told Reuters they were still being analyzed and it was too soon to draw conclusions.

Washington Post [9/11/2025 8:00 PM, Mark Berman, Perry Stein and Jeremy Roebuck, 29079K] reports the sprawling search for a suspect in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk intensified on Thursday, as investigators in Utah circulated images of a person they called “the potential shooter” while poring over evidence and thousands of tips and leads in the case. As the search stretched through a second day, officials said they had made significant steps forward, but their ultimate goal — identifying and locating the attacker — still remained out of reach. Late Thursday, officials said they had still been unable to find or name the person. The FBI announced a $100,000 reward in the case and pleaded with the public for help, even as the bureau’s leaders and other officials faced increasing scrutiny over their public remarks and actions so far. Kash Patel, the FBI director, in particular drew criticism for his decision to say that someone had been taken into custody in the case, only for the person to go free a short time later. Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was gunned down Wednesday during an appearance on the campus of Utah Valley University, a school about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. The gruesome slaying, captured on widely shared video footage, horrified the worlds of politics and media, in which Kirk had been a high-profile figure. Trump on Thursday called Kirk “a giant of his generation” and said he would posthumously award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. Kirk’s fatal shooting set off an expansive, high-pressure search in Utah, with a wide array of law enforcement officials casting an increasingly broad net to hunt down the person they say fired a single shot from a nearby rooftop before fleeing the campus. Officials said they recovered a “high-powered, bolt action rifle” in a nearby wooded area. The public safety agency also said investigators were examining impressions or prints left by footwear, a palm and a forearm and sifting through more than 7,000 tips and other information submitted by the public. “FBI agents have been working around-the-clock in coordination with law enforcement partners,” Robert Bohls, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office, said at a briefing Thursday. “We are and will continue to work nonstop until we find the person that has committed this heinous crime and find out why they did it.” Investigators suggested they had made some progress in the case while hitting roadblocks. Beau Mason, commissioner of Utah’s Department of Public Safety, said authorities had been able to track the attacker’s movements Wednesday through surveillance footage, doorbell cameras and witness interviews.

AP [9/11/2025 5:01 PM, Jim Mustian, Michael Biesecker, and Jack Brook, 20690K] reports that the assassination of Charlie Kirk offers the latest example of how ordinary security measures can be defeated in an era of escalating political violence, when anyone associated with the political process is a potential target, including influencers. Kirk was in a familiar setting Wednesday before a large crowd at a university in Utah, a red state where voting trends largely aligned with his pro-MAGA politics. The conservative firebrand appeared with his own security team, as he has at scores of events on other campuses. In hindsight, those with experience protecting high-profile public officials and dignitaries say more could have been done to prevent the fatal shooting. Security experts interviewed by The Associated Press questioned whether the event was sufficiently staffed but also acknowledged the limitations of both campus police forces and outdoor venues. They said only the inner ring closest to Kirk appeared to be secure, leaving the outer and middle rings exposed. Another former Secret Service agent, Joseph LaSorsa, said it was impossible "to secure 3,000 people" with half a dozen officers. "They didn’t have perimeter security. They didn’t have counter-sniper. They were wide open," said LaSorsa, who protected three presidents during a 20-year-career with the Secret Service. Kirk’s security team was likely most concerned "with people rushing the stage" or bothering him as he returned to his vehicle, said Bobby McDonald, a former Secret Service supervisory agent who is now a criminal-justice lecturer at the University of New Haven. A longer-range shooting, he said, was likely not even on the radar.

FOX News [9/11/2025 12:05 PM, Elizabeth Elkind, 40019K] reports that House lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were left shaken on Wednesday as news traveled of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing. One member of Congress described a "somber atmosphere" during the House’s evening vote series as legislators reckoned with the tragedy in Utah – which resurfaced concerns about their own safety in what has become an emotionally charged political landscape. "If we don’t do something about this, a member of Congress is going to get killed," Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. "People in my family asked me today not to run for re-election. I mean, they’re scared." Lawmakers have been forced to reckon with their own safety on multiple occasions in recent memory. The two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump in 2024, the fatal shooting of a Minnesota state lawmaker and critical injury of her colleague, a firebombing at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, and now what the governor of Utah labeled a politically motivated assassination of the Turning Point USA founder, have all inspired new conversations about how to keep elected officials safe in an increased threat environment. Both Fine and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital they would be speaking with the Capitol sergeant-at-arms about getting increased security. Mace said she and many of her colleagues would likely now "pause outdoor events" for the time being. Bloomberg [9/11/2025 4:34 PM, Joe Sobczyk, 19085K] reports that threats and attacks against elected officials at every level across the nation and across the political spectrum have escalated dramatically in recent years. President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassin’s bullet last year as he campaigned in Pennsylvania while another attempt was thwarted. In April, the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion was set on fire as Governor Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside. And in June, a Minnesota state legislator and her husband were killed by a gunman, who also wounded another lawmaker and his spouse. The US Capitol Police investigated 9,474 “concerning” statements and direct threats to members of Congress last year. That’s up from 3,939 investigations in 2017, the year that a gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball team practice, critically wounding Representative Steve Scalise, a member of the party’s House leadership. “This can’t be allowed to be acceptable,” Scalise said today on CBS Mornings. “You can be angry about politics, but you don’t express that violently.” House Speaker Mike Johnson is among the top congressional leaders with a government-paid security detail, but he said providing that level of protection for all 535 members of Congress isn’t feasible because of the cost. The leading option right now is expanding a pilot program launched earlier this year that doubles the amount available to lawmakers to pay for their own security to $20,000 per year. Only about 20 members have been taking advantage of it, but Johnson expects that number will rise in the wake of Kirk’s killing. “People have been shaken by this event,” he said.

Breitbart [9/11/2025 1:08 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 2608K] reports that an assassin murdered Charlie Kirk in part to "terrorize those who think like Charlie into silence," Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard said on Thursday, a day after the fatal shooting of the beloved Turning Point USA founder. In a lengthy social media post, Gabbard described Kirk as "one of a kind" — someone who was "kind, loving, courageous," and "lived what he preached." She championed Kirk’s view that all of our differences — whether political, social, or spiritual — should be debated "freely" and "respectfully" — something he did until the day he took his last breath. "The person who shot Charlie Kirk sought to silence him, using violence to take away his freedom of speech by ending his life and to terrorize those who think like Charlie into silence," Gabbard wrote, deeming this horrendous action the "very definition of terrorism: an unlawful use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political or ‘religious’ aims." "Today, on the anniversary of 9/11, we recognize that whether it’s Islamists like al-Qaeda, or the fanatics who try to stop Charlie Kirk and others from speaking the truth by banning them from campuses and ultimately by assassination, the one thing they have in common is that they are so afraid that their arguments, views, and policies will not stand when challenged in free and open debate, that they resort to violence — not only to silence the people they want to shut up but to terrorize everyone else into silence.

Politico [9/11/2025 7:46 PM, Ben Johansen, 14810K] reports President Donald Trump on Thursday told reporters that “we just have to beat the hell” out of “radical left lunatics,” following the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. The president, speaking on the South Lawn of the White House as he was heading to New York City, was responding to a reporter who asked what the president’s message was to conservatives who feel targeted by “radical groups.” Trump, who also had some more measured comments about Kirk’s killing during the roughly 10-minute exchange with reporters, said: “We have to be brave in life, in all fairness, we have a life. I probably shouldn’t be out here talking to you in all fairness but we will be brave. And we have a great country. We have radical left lunatics out there and we just have to beat the hell out of them.” The president added in a separate answer that he would urge his supporters to follow a nonviolent path in response to the shooting. “He [Kirk] was an advocate of nonviolence,” Trump said. “That’s the way I’d like to see people respond.” Kirk in the past argued that his message was one of nonviolence and that “Antifa and far-left activists” have forced him to cancel speaking events at college campuses. Trump’s comments come one day after the 31-year-old Kirk was killed in an attack at a college campus event in Orem, Utah, that stunned the nation. Authorities haven’t captured the shooter and a motive for Kirk’s slaying remains unknown. In the wake of the shooting, Trump recorded an address from the Oval Office and distributed on social media, where he praised Kirk and also blamed the “radical left” for his death. He said that the “radical left” compared Kirk to “Nazi’s” and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals and blamed vitriolic rhetoric for the killing of the conservative activist. “This type of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today,” the president said in the three-minute video. He also said Wednesday night that his administration will find the “organizations that funded and supported” political violence, though he didn’t go into specifics on which groups he was talking about. Trump listed off the assassination attempt on himself last year in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left one audience-member dead, attacks on ICE agents, the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in broad daylight in midtown Manhattan and the 2017 shooting of House GOP leader Steve Scalise at a congressional baseball game. “We have a radical left group of lunatics out there. Just absolute lunatics,” the president said Thursday. “And we’re going to get that problem solved.” During the remarks to reporters Thursday evening, Trump added that authorities have made “big progress” in the investigation into Wednesday’s killing of Kirk. On Thursday morning, Trump announced that he would posthumously award Kirk the medal of freedom.

NewsMax [9/11/2025 7:20 PM, Staff, 4779K] reports President Donald Trump urged supporters Thursday to respond peacefully to the killing of right-wing campaigner Charlie Kirk, as the murderer continued to evade a manhunt more than 24 hours after the shooting put an already divided U.S. on edge. Trump, who soon after the killing angrily pledged a wide-ranging response against the "radical left," told reporters that Kirk had been "an advocate of nonviolence.". "That’s the way I’d like to see people respond," he said. Kirk, a 31-year-old superstar on the Republican right who sparked surging youth support for Trump, was shot while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Trump cited "big progress" in the investigation. However, authorities said the gunman remained at large a day later. "Multiple leads are currently being investigated, but no suspect is in custody," Utah law enforcement officials posted, after canceling a previously scheduled media briefing. "We’re doing everything we can to find him, and we’re not sure how far he has gone yet," FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls said earlier. The FBI, which described the attack on Kirk as "targeted," published grainy photos of a young person it called "the potential shooter.". The pictures showed a man wearing a black baseball cap, dark sunglasses and what appeared to be jeans, with a long-sleeved top emblazoned with a design that included an American flag. A reward of up to $100,000 was posted for information leading to his capture.

ABC News [9/11/2025 1:53 PM, Ivan Pereira, 27036K] reports that while President Donald Trump has called for an end to political violence following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, he did not recognize or acknowledge the recent threats, violent attacks and killings of Democrats. During his remarks Wednesday night, hours after Kirk, a conservative influencer who worked closely with Trump and his family, was killed, Trump posted a video condemning the shooting and other political violence and brought up some recent examples. "From the attack on my life in Butler Pennsylvania last year, which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a health care executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others, radical Left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives," he said. Trump’s comments didn’t recognize several acts of violence that affected Democratic individuals within the last year. On June 14, a masked gunman police say was disguised as a police officer allegedly shot two Minnesota state legislators and their spouses in their homes. Democratic State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed along with their dog, and State Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were shot and wounded. Investigators arrested and charged Vance Luther Boelter with the shootings and alleged that he had a hit list with dozens of other targets, including other Democratic lawmakers, abortion providers and pro-choice activists. Boelter has been charged with state and federal crimes, including murder and animal cruelty, and has pleaded not guilty. Following the Minnesota shooting, Trump called the incident "absolutely terrible," however, he slammed Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, and did not call him. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [9/12/2025 1:08 AM, Jeff Mason, Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland, 45746K] reports that, hours after announcing that conservative activist Charlie Kirk had been killed at a college campus in Utah, President Donald Trump warned of consequences to come. "My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it," Trump said in a video address from the Oval Office on Wednesday. A day later, there were no signs that Trump’s administration had coalesced upon a specific policy response. The Republican president, without providing evidence, continued to blame his prominent ally’s killing on "the radical left." He said investigators were making "big progress" in the search for gunman and declined to disclose any information he had on motive. White House officials on Thursday also declined to give details on Trump’s next steps, but one said the intent of his Oval Office message was clear. "The perpetrator or perpetrators of this horrific act will pay for what they did. They will be caught and they will be brought to justice," the official said. "And any other whack jobs who engage in political violence like the tragic assassination of Charlie will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” Several top administration officials signaled an early response might build on Trump’s frequent use of presidential power to target adversaries within the government and beyond. Stephen Miller, a top White House aide, pointed on X to "those in positions of institutional authority - educators, healthcare workers, therapists, government employees," whom he said reveled in Kirk’s death and believed in a "wicked ideology." He did not specify what, if any, action should be taken against such people, nor did he identify them. State Department official Christopher Landau asked the public to identify foreigners who rationalized or made light of Kirk’s killing so that consular officials could "undertake appropriate action," while Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said his department was tracking and would address reactions he deemed "completely unacceptable.” The administration, which sometimes takes its cues on policy matters from internet-savvy MAGA loyalists, faced a loud drum beat of pressure from those quarters to respond to Kirk’s killing with more than just a manhunt for the shooter. While no suspect has been apprehended or motive established, figures including the activist Laura Loomer called for deploying new measures in a "war" against a range of ideological adversaries from the media to the Democratic Party and private citizens seen as backing leftist causes. As Trump headed to New York for a Yankees baseball game that the Secret Service said would have increased law enforcement presence, he was asked how his supporters should respond to Kirk’s death. "He was an advocate of non-violence," Trump said of Kirk. "That’s the way I like to see people.”

Breitbart [9/11/2025 9:10 PM, Olivia Rondeau, 2608K] reports Department of War (DOW) Secretary Pete Hegseth has denounced the military service members who made statements justifying or celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk, promising that they will be addressed "immediately.". Numerous men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces took to social media shortly after the Turning Point USA founder was fatally shot in front of a crowd in Utah, including a Navy petty officer who posted a nasty video to his 1.5 million TikTok followers and an Army public affairs official who wrote, "if you talk sh*t, you’re gonna get hit.". After Breitbart News and other outlets reported on several of the posts being made, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell called them "unacceptable": "It is unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American," he wrote on X. "The Department of War has zero tolerance for it.". Hegseth followed up with his own statement shortly thereafter: "We are tracking all these very closely — and will address, immediately," the secretary said. "Completely unacceptable.". Other public servants and notable people who have made light of Kirk’s tragic death include a Secret Service agent, a Democrat Florida city councilman, public school teachers, journalists, and doctors.

Federalist [9/11/2025 1:20 PM, Brianna Lyman, 982K] reports that ammunition found in a gun that law enforcement suspects could have been the weapon used to assassinate Charlie Kirk was engraved with anti-fascist ideology and transgender expressions, according to new reports. Steven Crowder shared on X an email his team purportedly received from an officer at the ATF. The email states that "ATF and other law-enforcement located an older model imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the campus." "All cartridges have engraved wording on them, expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology," the email reads. The Wall Street Journal later reported similar details, citing an internal law-enforcement bulletin and a person familiar with the investigation. Kirk was murdered on Wednesday as he kicked off his college campus tour series in which he would engage in good faith debate with students. Kirk was answering a question about violence committed by people who identify as transgender when a single shot rang out. The assassin is still at large.

The Hill [9/11/2025 2:08 PM, Filip Timotija, 12414K] reports that a top State Department official on Thursday warned "foreigners" in the U.S. against praising the death of Charlie Kirk, the conservative influencer who was shot and killed at an event in Utah on Wednesday. "In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country," Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a Thursday morning post on the social platform X. "I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action," Landau added. "Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the @StateDept can protect the American people." Since President Trump’s return to the White House, the administration has revoked more than 6,000 student visas, the State Department said last month. Most of the visas were revoked over allegations or charges related to assault, DUI, burglary and support for terrorism. The administration has targeted international students participating in pro-Palestinian campus protests, claiming they are a threat to national security. Some students have challenged deportation proceedings. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have condemned political violence after Wednesday’s killing of Kirk at Utah Valley University. The manhunt for the suspect is ongoing. The FBI is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. The FBI’s Salt Lake City office released photos of a person of interest.

New York Times [9/11/2025 5:44 PM, Mark Walker, Alan Blinder and Anushka Patil, 143795K] reports at Utah Valley University, where a single gunshot turned a midday appearance by a visiting speaker into chaos, witnesses now have an uneasy sense that an open-air amphitheater was ill-suited for a figure as polarizing as Charlie Kirk. There were around 3,000 people at the event Wednesday afternoon at the university, where Mr. Kirk, a prominent right-wing political activist, was killed when he was shot in the neck. But only six police officers were present, according to Utah Valley University’s chief of police, Jeff Long, who added that Mr. Kirk also had a private security team that traveled with him. “You try to get your bases covered, and unfortunately, today, we didn’t,” Mr. Long said during a news conference on Wednesday. “Because of that, we have this tragic incident.” Questions to the university and to Mr. Kirk’s team about whether concerns had been raised in advance about the site’s security were not immediately answered. Greg Shaffer, a retired F.B.I. special agent who served as security director for Turning Point USA until 2022, protected Mr. Kirk for seven years as crowds grew from a few hundred to thousands. Mr. Kirk often traveled with a five-person detail, with one guard stationed onstage and others arrayed in front and back, Mr. Shaffer said. The team worked with campus police on evacuation and security plans. “The goal of his private security is to protect Charlie and Charlie alone,” Mr. Shaffer said in an interview. But Mr. Shaffer said the focus had been protecting him against someone throwing a bottle or even rushing the stage with a handgun. Stopping a shooter from hundreds of yards away was out of the question, he added. “It is virtually impossible to defend against a shooter 200 yards away,” he said. “You’re just not going to see them, unless you have counter surveillance and counter sniper teams.” It is not altogether unusual for colleges and universities to host speakers whose appearances stir debate, and public and private schools alike have struggled to balance security costs and logistical demands with their professed commitments to free speech. “Canceling events must be a last resort to be used only when the campus, despite taking all reasonable steps, believes that it cannot protect the safety of its students, staff and faculty,” the University of California, Berkeley — a college with one of the nation’s richest protest traditions — notes on its website. “Events can never legally be canceled based on the likely offensiveness of the speaker’s message.”

Reported similarly:
AP [9/12/2025 3:17 AM, Staff, 37974K]

Washington Post [9/11/2025 11:32 AM, Naftali Bendavid, 29079K] reports a Minnesota state legislator killed in her home in June. The Pennsylvania governor’s house set afire in April. Candidate Donald Trump facing two apparent assassination attempts during last year’s campaign. And now conservative activist Charlie Kirk gunned down and killed Wednesday during a talk at Utah Valley University, horrifying a live audience and those who saw the shooting online. America is facing a new era of political violence reminiscent of some of its most bitter, tumultuous eras, including the 1960s, which saw the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “We are going through what I call an era of violent populism,” said Robert Pape, who heads the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago. “It is a historically high era of assassination, assassination attempts, violent protests, and it is occurring on both the right and the left.” He added: “This is way beyond the usual minor ebb and flow of militia group violence we have seen for 20 years. This is a different level, a different historical period of political violence, and that is what you see. This is a demonstrable fact.”

Washington Post [9/11/2025 6:00 PM, Joanna Slater, 29079K] reports that, for Wednesday’s midday event at Utah Valley University, conservative activist Charlie Kirk followed a formula he had used many times on college campuses. Students flowed into a courtyard for a large outdoor gathering featuring a wide-ranging, sometimes raucous political debate, with security arrangements coordinated in advance between Kirk’s team and campus police. With a single shot fired from the rooftop of a building more than 100 yards away, it all came crashing down. Kirk’s targeted killing added to an upsurge in political violence in the United States and represents a startling new type of risk for colleges and universities. College campuses are all too familiar with the possibility of gun violence and have well-established protocols for responding to mass shootings. But experts struggled to recall any event in recent decades where a campus speaker at a university appears to have been deliberately targeted and killed. Security experts said that the way Kirk was killed — a shot fired from a high-powered rifle from a considerable distance — is the type of danger normally only faced by heads of state and is difficult to prevent without Secret Service-type sweeps. That kind of heavy security presence, along with elements such as entry checks, metal detectors and bag searches, would also run counter to the ideals of American higher education, which strive to keep communal spaces as open to the public as possible. Colleges and universities will ramp up security planning and precautions after Wednesday’s shooting, said Ed Davis, a former Boston police commissioner who runs his own security consultancy and counts educational institutions as his clients. At the same time, he said, they “don’t want to be an armed camp.” As of midday Thursday, the manhunt to apprehend the shooter was still underway and the culprit’s identity and motivation remained unknown. Video from the event showed a person running across the roof of a multistory building overlooking the event site seconds after Kirk was fatally shot. A handful of metal crowd-control barriers had separated the tent where Kirk spoke from the estimated 3,000 attendees, who flowed into a terraced open courtyard without any security checks, three students told Washington Post. Utah Valley University Police Chief Jeff Long said six officers were assigned to the event. Some were in the crowd wearing plain clothes, he said, while others were visible in photos before the shooting on an elevated walkway directly behind Kirk’s tent. “We’re devastated by what happened,” Long told reporters Wednesday. “You try to get your bases covered and unfortunately today we didn’t.” Long added that he had coordinated arrangements in advance with Kirk’s lead security staffer. Videos and photographs showed the roof of the building directly behind Kirk was cordoned off and staffed by uniformed officers. There was little security presence immediately apparent beyond Kirk’s immediate vicinity. The courtyard is surrounded on all sides by higher buildings, featuring tiered roofing in many places accessible to pedestrians and offering clear vantage points into the courtyard. The event was supposed to be the kickoff for a series of fall-semester campus visits as part of Kirk’s American Comeback Tour. Long noted that Kirk’s team has experience organizing events across the country. “They’re very comfortable on campuses,” Long said.

Daily Caller [9/11/2025 6:00 AM, Ashley Brasfield, 985K] reports Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace has introduced legislation to create the Unaccompanied Alien Child (UAC) Anti-Trafficking Program, according to a press release obtained by Daily Caller . Mace’s bill, titled the "No More Missing Children Act," establishes a UAC Anti-Trafficking Program designed to protect UAC’s from trafficking, kidnapping and exploitation. "The Biden Administration’s reckless negligence left UAC to roam a lawless system, preyed upon by traffickers, predators, and cartels," Mace said in a statement. "As a mother and a lawmaker, we refuse to sit by while children are exploited. Building on President Trump’s mission to rescue missing children, our No More Missing Children Act restores law and order and takes the fight to the criminals exploiting our immigration system." This bill comes after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lost track of more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children since fiscal year 2019, according to an August 2024 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report. Additionally, nearly 291,000 children did not receive court notices after illegal crossing the Southern border.

Washington Post [9/11/2025 10:21 AM, Scott Nover, 29079K] reports a federal judge in Los Angeles imposed sweeping restrictions barring federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security as well as Los Angeles Police Department officers from using crowd-control weapons against journalists. U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday night after determining that agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Protective Service — all part of DHS — retaliated against journalists covering protests that broke out this year about the Trump administration’s immigration raids in Southern California. Vera found that DHS agents fired tear gas and other less-lethal rounds — such as rubber bullets and pepper balls — at people who were clearly marked as journalists. The judge noted that plaintiffs brought at least 50 credible claims that agents used crowd-control weapons on journalists, observers and protesters from June 6 to July 10. “Under the guise of protecting the public, federal agents have endangered large numbers of peaceful protesters, legal observers, and journalists — as well as the public that relies on them to hold their government accountable,” Vera wrote. “The First Amendment demands better.” A DHS spokesman earlier said the First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly, “not rioting.” Although the government alleged that journalists participated in violent protests, the judge said its attorneys failed to present a “shred” of evidence to support that claim. “I’ve spent countless hours compiling evidence of police misconduct toward journalists in Los Angeles. The attacks this summer have been relentless,” said Adam Rose, press rights chair of the Los Angeles Press Club, the lead plaintiff in the case. “This decision affirms our right to be free from violence while doing our jobs.” A DHS spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment. The order applies to seven counties in California, including Los Angeles and Orange counties. It prohibits federal agents from DHS from “dispersing, threatening, or assaulting” anyone they know or think is a member of the media. Any crowd-control measures will require two audible warnings to those in the area unless there is a serious threat. Former CBP commissioner Gil Kerlikowske, who served during the Obama administration and testified as an expert witness for the plaintiffs, called the restrictions “workable” and said they would still allow officers to protect public safety. The plaintiffs, which include individual journalists and their unions, also sued the Los Angeles Police Department and L.A. County Sheriff’s Department with similar allegations. On Thursday, Vera granted a preliminary injunction against LAPD as well. He called this summer’s events “the latest chapter in a long and unfortunate saga of the LAPD’s use of unlawful force against members of the media,” citing examples dating back to 2000. The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Los Angeles Times [9/11/2025 1:13 PM, Libor Jany, 12715K] reports that arguing that the 1st Amendment "deserves better," a federal judge barred federal agents from targeting reporters with crowd control weapons during protests. Lawyers for the city of Los Angeles and Homeland Security have argued that it isn’t always possible for police to distinguish journalists from protesters during chaotic demonstrations. But U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera was unmoved, extending Tuesday restrictions he first ordered in July on the use of less-lethal weapons at street protests. Vera wrote that federal officers "unleashed crowd control weapons indiscriminately and with surprising savagery." "Indeed, under the guise of protecting the public, federal agents have endangered large numbers of peaceful protestors, legal observers, and journalists — as well as the public that relies on them to hold their government accountable," Vera wrote in the 45-page opinion. "The First Amendment demands better.". Vera wrote that he expected federal authorities to disseminate the order to their officers and agents in the field. The judge has yet to make a ruling in a separate lawsuit filed against the LAPD over allegations of excessive force by its officers. Tuesday’s decision in the case against the Department of Homeland Security adds a provision to Vera’s previous ruling, also restricting the use of less-lethal weapons against "protesters who are not themselves posing a threat of imminent harm to a law enforcement officer or another person."

AP [9/11/2025 2:48 PM, Kate Payne, 3790K] reports that provisions of a Florida law restricting the state’s process for getting citizens’ initiatives on the ballot can go into effect, a federal appeals court has decided. The decision issued Tuesday overrules a lower court’s order that blocked portions of the law from being enforced while the legal challenge brought by grassroots campaigners plays out. Known as H.B. 1205, the law sets new limits on how many petitions Florida voters can collect in their effort to get a constitutional amendment on the state’s ballot, a provision punishable by a felony if voters violate it. The measure also bars non-U.S. citizens and non-Florida residents from gathering signed petitions for ballot initiatives. The citizenship and residency provisions had been blocked under a July 8 ruling by U.S. District Judge Mark Walker. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has overturned that, siding with arguments made by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ‘ administration that the restrictions are needed to reform a constitutional amendment process that lawmakers claim has been tainted by fraud. Attorneys for the voter advocacy groups and campaigns for Medicaid expansion and recreational marijuana that brought the lawsuit have argued the measure unconstitutionally hamstrings citizens’ abilities to amend Florida’s constitution, arguments the appeals court rejected in a 2-1 decision.

Reuters [9/11/2025 7:14 PM, Nate Raymond, 45746K] reports a federal judge on Thursday issued a nationwide ruling preventing U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration from barring children living in the U.S. illegally from enrolling in the federally funded preschool program Head Start. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez in Seattle at the request of Head Start associations in several states issued a nationwide injunction, barring the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from enforcing the new immigration-related restrictions anywhere in the United States. He ruled a day after a different federal judge in Rhode Island in a separate case by 21 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia issued an injunction halting the policy from being implemented within their own states. "Today the court was clear: HHS does not have the authority to impose an immigration-based restriction on Head Start families," Jennesa Calvo-Friedman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the administration expected to be "vindicated by a higher court." "Illegal aliens should not have access to federal benefits funded by the American taxpayers for American citizens," she said. "This is common sense." The case in Seattle was filed by associations whose members are Head Start agencies within the states of Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin as well as two parents’ groups, Parent Voices Oakland and Family Forward Oregon. They challenged a July 14 directive from HHS that reinterpreted a 1996 law called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) that limited migrants’ access to government benefit programs in order to expand what government services the statute covered.

SFGate [9/11/2025 7:06 PM, Olivia Hebert, 11503K] reports the Trump administration fired another San Francisco immigration judge on Tuesday, the seventh such dismissal in recent months, according to multiple media reports. The San Francisco Bar Association’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program confirmed to SFGATE that Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Loi McCleskey, who oversaw court administration and operations in one of the nation’s busiest immigration courts, was fired via email. McCleskey granted asylum in about 70% of her cases, compared to the national average of about 42%, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse database. High asylum grant rates mean a greater number of asylum claims are approved, allowing migrants seeking protection from persecution in their home countries to live in the U.S. legally. Several of the judges previously fired by the administration, including Shira Levine, Chloe Dillon and Ila Deiss in San Francisco and Kyra Lilien in Concord, also had high asylum grant rates. SFGATE reached out to McCleskey but she did not reply before publication. Legal experts are sounding the alarms, warning that the dismissal threatens to deepen case backlogs and continue to erode judicial independence. Milli Atkinson, director of the San Francisco Bar Association’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program, told SFGATE in a statement that McCleskey was a "dedicated civil servant," underscoring her years of experience navigating the complex nature of immigration law. "With millions of cases pending nationwide and over 120,000 cases before the San Francisco court, we anticipate that ACIJ McCleskey’s termination will lead to further delays and inefficiencies at the court," Atkinson said. "This unprecedented attack against the judiciary and civil servants is an attack on due process and the rule of law for everyone.". Both the SF Immigration Court and the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review declined to comment to SFGATE on the matter.

The Hill [9/11/2025 10:30 AM, Robert J. Spitzer, 12414K] reports that in a move both predictable and inexplicable, the Department of Justice is reportedly considering a new gun ban to strip gun rights from the nation’s estimated 2.8 million people (age 13 or older) who identify as transgender. The impetus is two-fold. The Aug. 27 mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school, where two were killed and 18 injured, was committed by a person who had apparently transitioned to female several years earlier. Some people in the administration apparently believe that this may have been the impetus for this heinous act of violence. Second, the Trump administration has moved to strip other rights from transgender people, including banning them from military service, moving transgender women in federal prisons to men’s prisons and removing "X" as a gender identification on passports for those who want to identify as neither male nor female. But like many of the administration’s anti-transgender moves, the prospect of stripping gun rights from transgender people, spurred by calls from the MAGA right, suffers from both an evidence problem and a political problem. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. has witnessed over 4,100 mass shootings — defined as four or more people shot, aside from the perpetrator — since 2018. Of those, four were committed by transgender people — less than 0.1 percent.

The Hill [9/11/2025 8:30 AM, Kareem Rifai, 12414K] reports Seoul and Washington had been at odds over tariffs for months. After finally reaching the end stages of a trade deal, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung extended an olive branch to President Trump in an August White House meeting that was widely reported as an unexpected success. Lee’s reward? An ICE operation targeting hundreds of South Korean nationals at a Hyundai factory in Georgia, touted by the Trump administration as the largest raid of its kind in ICE’s history. The raid came as a surprise — South Korea thought it had done everything right. They reached the final stages of a trade deal with the U.S. that committed $350 billion in South Korean investment in the U.S. After Lee’s visit to the White House, Hyundai had increased a previous $21 billion pledge in U.S. investment to $26 billion. Now, Hyundai is warning its employees to reschedule business trips to the United States. The workers detained at the Hyundai factory were not the drug traffickers or violent criminals that the Trump administration has attempted to make the face of its immigration enforcement. Instead, they were facilitating the construction of an electric vehicle battery plant that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp had promoted as the largest economic development project in state history, employing north of a thousand people. Not only has construction at the Georgia facility been interrupted, future South Korean investment, and potential American jobs, could now be on the line. The South Korean government and industry leaders are unlikely to forget about this incident, especially if Trump stays true to his promise of continuing enforcement against foreign workers.

Bloomberg [9/11/2025 6:00 AM, Clive Crook, 19085K] reports two things were surprising about the recent immigrant-worker raid in Georgia. One is that it happened at all, given that it spoils what President Trump could otherwise celebrate as a notable victory in his trade war. The other is that it almost brought the president to admit that somebody slipped up. Last week federal agents descended on an EV-battery plant under construction by Hyundai Motor Co. near Savannah, Georgia. They arrested 475 workers, mostly South Koreans, on suspicion of visa violations, shackling them like dangerous criminals and putting them in detention. They were still there days later, amid protests in Seoul, while the South Korean government negotiated with US authorities over the workers’ release. The president had sealed Hyundai’s commitment to build the facility in part by threatening South Korea with tariffs of 25% — reduced to 15% in return for investment commitments and other concessions to US interests. On the face of it, rapid completion of the project would have spurred local output and employment, doing its bit to boost manufacturing and make America great again. For the moment, construction is on hold. Once it resumes, expect further setbacks — and maybe not just in Georgia. The foreign workers needed to finish this project and others like it might think twice about signing up, once they understand that it could involve ritualized humiliation and imprisonment.

The Hill [9/11/2025 12:00 PM, Judy Kurtz, 12414K] reports Bad Bunny says he’s not performing in the mainland United States as part of his upcoming world tour due to concerns that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “could be outside” his concerts. “There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate — I’ve performed there many times,” the Puerto Rican “Dákiti” rapper said in an interview with i-D magazine published Wednesday. “I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the U.S. But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the U.S.,” said the 31-year-old performer, who was born Benito Ocasio. The chart-topping music star launched a residency in Puerto Rico in July. “People from the U.S. could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world,” he said. “But there was the issue of — like, f‑‑‑ing ICE could be outside,” he said when asked if his decision not to make concert tour stops in the United States was due to a concern about President Trump’s sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration. Bad Bunny announced his “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” world tour in May. He’s poised to crisscross the globe on the tour that kicks off in November, with some of the stops including the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Australia, France and Italy. In recent weeks, ICE agents have been deployed to cities including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Boston. Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security launched what it called “Operation Midway Blitz.” Trump border czar Tom Homan has said immigration enforcement action should be expected “in most sanctuary cities across the country.”

Reported similarly:
CNN [9/11/2025 5:44 PM, Gonzalo Jimenez and Isa Cardona, 23245K]

NBC News [9/11/2025 4:11 PM, Daniella Silva, 43603K] reports when immigration agents went to a roofing job site this week in Rochester, New York, they were quickly met with a crowd of protesters who came out to defend workers who stayed on the roof of a home, according to officials and advocates at the scene. A group of men were working on the roof of a private, multifamily house when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other federal law enforcement arrived midmorning Tuesday, according to a statement to NBC News from Democratic Assemblymember Jen Lunsford, who was at the scene and spoke to witnesses there. One worker was arrested, but two other men remained on the roof as protesters gathered, according to Maria Garcia, the program director of the Western New York Coalition of Farmworker Serving Agencies, a nonprofit that supports farmworkers and migrant families. Garcia said immigration officials told her they did not have warrants for the business, property or individuals. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that on Tuesday it arrested Jacinto Mayancela Guallpa, an Ecuadorian immigrant who the agency said was in the country illegally. McLaughlin said the men had confirmed to law enforcement that they did not have legal status to be in the U.S. She said an attorney for the men on the roof agreed to bring them to an ICE processing center later that day. She described the crowd as "violent rioters" who "attempted to prevent law enforcement from exercising their sworn duties." As the immigration officials were leaving, it was discovered that someone had slashed the tires on a Border Patrol vehicle, Barnhart and others said.

New York Post [9/11/2025 7:04 PM, Brandon Cruz, 43962K] reports an El Salvador man arrested by federal immigration agents outside of a Long Island high school was an MS-13 fugitive wanted by authorities in El Salvador, officials claimed. The Sept. 3 arrest of Jaime Manuel Perez at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside his son’s school in Brentwood sparked backlash from activists — but federal authorities later said he was actually an international fugitive wanted on charges of extortion and threats to injure a person in his native country. "This alleged MS-13 associate resided mere feet from school property and went about his life virtually unchecked and consequence-free — until his past finally caught up with him," Homeland Security Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said. Perez was described as a Salvadoran national flagged by Interpol with a Red Notice. He had first been apprehended crossing the US border in Texas in 2019, placed in removal proceedings, and had a hearing scheduled for February 2026, according to ICE. Perez does not appear to have a criminal record in the US, and remained in ICE custody pending his removal from the country. But friends denied the migrant was no gang member. "Jaime was arrested after dropping off his youngest son at Brentwood High School on the first day of school," said Kaylen Pentaleon, Perez’s neighbor.

Washington Post [9/11/2025 6:46 PM, Alec Dent, 29079K] reports an attempt to arrest who authorities say was an undocumented immigrant was as dramatic as a TV procedural, leading to two car chases, four arrests and a lockdown at the Central Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Park Police stopped a car on the George Washington Parkway on Wednesday morning, according to a Homeland Security spokesperson. When they approached the car, the driver refused to turn off the vehicle when asked and sped off. “U.S. Park Police and ICE pursued the vehicle, until the driver jumped the median traveling south on northbound lanes of the parkway, jeopardizing the safety of officers and the public,” the spokesperson said in a statement. Authorities arrested one of the three occupants of the car after they abandoned the vehicle and tried to escape on foot. The other two fled. Then, Act II came. A second vehicle pulled up to the scene, only to promptly drive away at the sight of law enforcement, who began pursuing the second car. The car inadvertently drove to the CIA headquarters, activating security protocols. ICE agents and U.S. Park Police officers pursued them onto the property. A CIA spokesperson confirmed that there was a “security incident that law enforcement responded to at CIA headquarters” but declined to offer more details. Employees arriving for the day were told to stay in their cars until the matter was sorted, according to one person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak. DHS said it arrested one person from the first stopped car, while two people escaped on foot. Three of the four occupants from the second vehicle were caught. The DHS spokesperson said one of the people arrested had been deported twice previously. DHS and the Justice Department did not respond to queries about what charges those arrested will face.

AP [9/11/2025 4:56 PM, Adrian Sainz, 93K] reports that Immigrant detainees have started arriving at a former Tennessee prison that’s been turned into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, the facility’s operator said. CoreCivic Inc. said late Wednesday that it has begun receiving detainees at the West Tennessee Detention Facility in the rural town of Mason, located about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Memphis. The arrivals come after Mason officials approved agreements with ICE and CoreCivic on Aug. 12, despite loud objections from upset residents and activists during a contentious public meeting. For years, the prison served as an important economic engine for Mason. It was closed in 2021 after President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to stop renewing contracts with certain detention facilities. President Donald Trump reversed that order in January. The contracts were approved amid a push by Trump for mass deportations of immigrants. Trump has touted a detention facility in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” where allegations of mistreatment of detainees have drawn lawsuits from civil rights advocates and environmental groups. Opponents of the Tennessee detention center, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, have expressed concerns that detainees could be subjected to abuse and neglect. Mason Mayor Eddie Noeman has said the ICE facility will bring jobs and economic development to the town, which has struggled with financial problems and needs infrastructure improvements.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [9/11/2025 5:02 PM, Tara Suter, 12414K]

The Hill [9/11/2025 4:09 PM, Elizabeth Crisp, 12414K] reports the massive U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at a Hyundai EV battery manufacturing plant in Georgia last week has likely set the facility’s opening back by several months, Hyundai CEO José Muñoz told reporters Thursday. When completed, the factory, jointly operated by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, is expected to hire thousands of American workers. It was originally slated to come online later this year. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) carried out its largest single-site enforcement operation ever on Sept. 4, detaining nearly 500 people — mostly Korean nationals working on the technical components of building out the factory. More than 300 South Korean workers were released from U.S. custody and are expected to arrive back in their home country on Friday, according to the nation’s foreign ministry. During a speech Sunday marking his first 100 days in office, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called on the Trump administration to adjust visa rules for some skilled positions or risk losing future investments in the U.S. Hyundai Motor Group Chair Euisun Chung also called for visa reform at the Detroit event Thursday, per Bloomberg’s report.

Univision [9/11/2025 5:32 PM, Staff, 4932K] reports 26-year-old Leopoldo Alvizu requested his deportation two months ago after being arrested by ICE after a traffic accident in Athens, but remains being held at a detention center in Georgia without a clear exit date. His mother from Spain spoke to Univision about the desperation she feels to see her son in that limbo. Alvizu arrived in the United States two years ago. He entered the country by air using an Italian passport, a nationality he acquired by his mother. In June 2025, he was arrested by ICE in Athens after an accident, despite having a valid work permit and leave, which were granted to him by the pending asylum process.

FOX News [9/11/2025 3:55 PM, Charles Creitz, 40019K] reports the architect of DHS’ immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles arrived in Chicago this week, against the backdrop of Illinois leaders condemning President Donald Trump’s purported plans, according to reports. Gregory Bovino, the former Border Patrol section chief for the El Centro Sector in California, most recently became the face of ICE raids in the Golden State – where he even participated directly in intensive operations at MacArthur Park and regional Home Depot stores, according to CBS News. On Sept. 2, Bovino said Operation At-Large – the Los Angeles endeavor – will be "taking the show on the road" and "trading palm trees for skyscrapers." Meanwhile, in Chicago, DHS launched Operation Midway Blitz, modeled after immigration enforcement successes in Los Angeles, in which Bovino is reportedly chiefly involved. When asked for details about Bovino’s role in Midway Blitz and whether he is official in town, a Border Patrol spokesman told Fox News Digital: "Stay tuned."

Chicago Tribune [9/11/2025 1:45 PM, Gloria Casas, 5352K] reports that the Elgin City Council is taking a symbolic stand against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, approving a resolution demanding laws be passed prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks. Proposed by council members Anthony Ortiz and Diana Alfaro, the measure was backed by the council and will be formally approved at a future meeting. The resolution has no legal standing and it cannot be enforced locally because the city has no governance over federal government actions. ICE’s actions are "terrorizing our citizens, in my opinion" and causing division in the country, Ortiz said at the Monday night council meeting. "It’s a really bad situation in our nation right now with what these federal agents are doing. They are only doing it because the person at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is giving them the authority to do this ridiculous crap," he said. ICE has been charged with locating people who are in the country illegally so they can be deported. Initially the mandate was to find those with criminal histories, but others who have not committed crimes are being detained as well. Agents have been observed in the Elgin area on multiple occasions since January, and President Donald Trump’s call for increased immigration enforcement has put the community on guard. Advocates have documented ICE agents wearing masks while detaining people and not identifying themselves. The administration’s actions are breaking the trust in the community and breaking the rule of law, Alfaro said. "No one is above the law," she said.

FOX News [9/11/2025 6:26 PM, Charles Creitz, 40019K] reports a Chicago-area mayor and congressional candidate stood by his actions to thwart even passive cooperation with federal immigration enforcement operations as DHS launches "Operation Midway Blitz" in the area. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, a Democrat who is running to succeed retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., in 2026, told CNN he is "in the dark" as to DHS’ plans for Illinois in the coming days. He also said he informed residents Tuesday about his concerns and what actions he took in response. "The Trump administration wants to keep us guessing, wants to use our uncertainty to keep us afraid, but the reason that we communicated with our residents this morning is that I got information from a senior state official last night indicating that they had good intel that it was likely that ICE would be coming to Evanston in today and in the coming days.". Biss said he did so for residents to "protect themselves" from federal law enforcement. "We’ve been doing everything we can to protect our residents from before Donald Trump took office, passing strong sanctuary laws to make sure police are not cooperating with federal civil immigration enforcement," he added. Biss explained he ordered Evanston’s license plate cameras turned off after learning the data was being shared. Unlike red light cameras, which issue tickets, license plate readers are often used to collect and store vehicle data for later retrieval. In some cases, state or federal law enforcement might use the data to track a suspect’s known vehicle, finding that it navigated a certain interchange at a specific time.

CBS News [9/11/2025 8:14 PM, Jason Allen, 45245K] Video: HERE reports the long white tents, visible to anyone driving across East El Paso, Texas, are designed to be part of the biggest immigration holding facility in U.S. history, with a capacity for as many as 5,000 immigrants. "That’s what it is, a giant tent city," Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas, who has been inside twice, told CBS News. "...There are hard floors. There are walls that go up, probably about three-quarters of the way to the ceiling.". Escobar said she saw about 1,500 people inside during her last visit two weeks ago. The government awarded Acquisition Logistics a $1.24 billion contract to build and operate the detention center, dubbed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as Camp East Montana, which opened last month. A house in suburban Richmond, Virginia, is listed as the headquarters of Acquisition Logistics and has no public record of running a detention facility before this one. The government has built the facility on the edge of Fort Bliss, an Army post. But the immigration facility is nowhere near anything that resembles an active military base. It’s in the middle of sand dunes and scrub brush.

Houston Chronicle [9/11/2025 11:56 AM, Matt deGrood and Julián Aguilar, 2356K] reports federal immigration authorities say they made an eye-catching 822 arrests during a weeklong operation last week meant to tamp down on dangerous criminals — but provided scant details about the people caught up in the operation. Officials published a news release about "egregious immigration offenders" and specifically identified 10 people who’d been convicted of charges ranging from robbery and armed carjacking to intoxication manslaughter and homicide. But beyond those 10 names, federal authorities only said that 330 were previously ordered removed from the U.S. and around 112 had been deported and illegally reentered the country at least once. Critics argue that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement often touts huge arrest numbers but doesn’t say who was arrested or why in most cases, raising questions about how dangerous the detainees really are. "ICE will use this inflammatory language of ‘criminals’ and ‘gang members,’ but for so many, the truth behind this is opaque, and it’s impossible to fact-check them at the moment," said Aron Thorn, a senior attorney on the Beyond Borders team with the Texas Civil Rights Project.

Breitbart.com [9/11/2025 6:06 PM, Bob Price, 2608K] reports a 37-year-old illegal alien from Cuba is in the Dallas County jail after he allegedly decapitated a man at an area motel. A video shows the man carrying what appears to be a blood-dripping severed head across the motel parking lot and throwing it into a dumpster. The Cuban national with a lengthy violent criminal history was released by the Biden administration into Texas on January 13 — one week before Donald Trump was sworn in as president, according to ICE. "This is a horrible and senseless act of violence that could have been prevented had this dangerous alien not been allowed to stay in the U.S," an ICE spokesperson told Breitbart Texas in a written statement. The spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) provided the following statement: On Sept. 10, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Officers assisted the Dallas Police Department in the interrogation of Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, an illegal criminal alien from Cuba who allegedly beheaded a man in front of the victim’s spouse and child. Cobos-Martinez did the unthinkable and proceeded to kick the head around like a soccer ball. ERO Dallas swiftly lodged an immigration detainer on the suspect. Cobos-Martinez has a lengthy criminal history that includes arrests and convictions for grand theft motor vehicle, false imprisonment, carjacking, and indecency with child through sexual contact. He was most recently in ERO Dallas custody at the Bluebonnet Detention Center until he was released on an order of supervision on Jan. 13, 2025, because there were no removal flights to Cuba under the Biden administration.

Univision [9/11/2025 4:23 PM, Staff, 4932K] reports the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has added José Osman Aguilar Cantillano, 32, of Honduras, to the state’s 10 Most Wanted Undocumented Immigrant Criminals list. The decision came after he was identified as responsible for a shooting at the Alas Locas nightclub in Colony Ridge, Liberty County, in the early morning of September 7, 2025, which left two people dead and four injured. According to the Liberty County Sheriff, responding deputies found six people shot; two of them died as a result of their injuries. Aguilar Cantillano has a criminal history in Texas dating back to 2016, with arrests for assault causing bodily injury to a family member and drunk driving. The DPS detailed that a reward of up to $7,500 is being offered through Texas Crime Stoppers for information leading to his capture.

Univision [9/11/2025 10:47 PM, Staff, 4932K] reports a Hispanic father from California’s Central Valley was outside his home preparing to take his daughter to daycare when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained him and took him to a detention center. "They told me I had a warrant for failing to appear at an immigration appointment," says Silvano Torres. The Hispanic man was transferred to the McFarland detention center. However, after days of uncertainty and legal battles, he was released on bail a month later. But what was different in his case? Q. Li’s appeal, which has increased the likelihood that more people detained for immigration reasons will be held in federal custody and denied bail, was dismissed. Torres’ lawyer, Jesús Ibáñez, said they were lucky that the judge did not give "much importance" to Q. Li’s appeal, which considers that people who entered the US outside a port, entry point, or inspection point must be detained mandatorily and are not eligible for a bail hearing. "Silvano had been here for more than 20 years, so he (the judge) accepted my argument that Q. Li did not apply," Ibáñez said. Torres was arrested on May 29 and released on June 25 after posting $7,500 bail. "Silvano is not a criminal. He never broke the law. He came to California as a child with his family in search of protection," said his partner, Nicole Calderón, at the time. According to the report, Torres was detained due to an administrative error. In 2013, when he applied for DACA, his legal representative failed to submit some additional documents requested by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Therefore, after the deadline passed and these documents were not submitted, USCIS denied the program, resulting in the initiation of deportation proceedings after a decade. Despite being "lucky" with the judge in his case, his lawyer believes that something else that helped him get released was his reputation for integrity. "Silvano is a loving father to his 8-year-old daughter and his new stepson. He is very hardworking. He is the kind of person who would do anything for his family and friends," his partner shared. In addition to the statement from his wife, who is a citizen, the judge also received several letters from Torres’ community and workplace, stating that he was not a threat to public safety. Now, his next immigration hearing is scheduled for 2028.

San Francisco Chronicle [9/11/2025 8:07 PM, Sara DiNatale, 3790K] reports California lawmakers passed measures Thursday that would ban federal and local law enforcement officers — including immigration agents — from covering their faces and require them to clearly identify themselves. The bills now head to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who, despite being an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, will have to grapple with potential legal questions presented by one of the measures. The bills came as part of slew of legislation filed this session to combat Trump policies, especially those aimed at carrying out mass deportations. While Democrats in Congress have struggled to thwart the administration, the party holds a supermajority in both chambers of the state Legislature and can more easily push through its priority bills they say will "send a message.". The face-covering bill, SB627, sparked heated floor debate along party lines, with Republican critics and law enforcement groups calling it political theater and arguing the state has no authority over federal officers. Opponents argued that the bill’s actual targets will be unaffected by the measure, and that it represents misdirected frustrations over Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns that will complicate the duties of local police. Democrats called the law a necessary step to fight back against "secret police" — immigration agents hiding their faces — who have dramatically escalated deportation efforts under Trump. Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, the bill’s author, defended the legality of the bill and said it is enforceable against federal agents in the state. He pointed to legal analysis by UC Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, who has written about the bill and said the state can require federal employees to follow laws, unless following those laws would significantly interfere with their duties. Chemerinsky compared it to federal officers having to follow local traffic laws. Wiener said the bill targets "extreme masking," including ski masks that federal agents have used that he doesn’t want to seep into local police agencies. The bill includes exemptions for those working undercover or as part of special weapons and tactics missions, medical masks, breathing apparatuses, clear face shields, and motorcycle helmets or eye protection.

Los Angeles Times [9/11/2025 2:16 PM, Jasmine Mendez, 12715K] reports Rami Othmane was driving to the supermarket to pick up ingredients to make dinner when he noticed a car following closely behind. "I thought [the driver] was just being aggressive, but a few moments after, they blocked my way," Othmane said. "They ordered me to leave my car. But I kept asking them — who are you?". Othmane is a 36-year-old Pasadena resident from Tunisia, and his wife is Dr. Wafaa Alrashid, chief of medical staff at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, whom he was speaking with as federal agents descended. "I was surrounded by like five or six masked people in unmarked cars," Othmane told The Times. "I kept telling them I have my ID and I’m a green card applicant. … I was following the right procedure.". Othmane spoke with The Times this month about his July 13 arrest and subsequent 13-day detention in harsh conditions while suffering from a brain tumor. The experience, he said, left him altered. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to The Times’ request for comment on Othmane’s case. Othmane said that prior to the arrest he was in the process of obtaining an I-130 petition, which would allow him to stay in the country by qualifying his marriage to Alrashid — a U.S. citizen. The couple wed in March. Othmane said he provided the agents with a receipt of his green card application but was ignored and ordered to get out of the car. "They took my wallet," he said. "They just took me.". He was brought to the downtown Los Angeles ICE facility known as B-18, or "the basement," a temporary immigration processing center. According to the Pasadena-based Barcena Law Offices, "this is where people go to be detained for less than 12 hours ... [and] are either released or deported.". But Othmane’s stay was many times longer than that.

Bloomberg Law [9/11/2025 7:39 PM, Isaiah Poritz, 790K] reports the Department of Homeland Security must reopen online registration for temporary immigration protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans after the agency’s website registration form was down, a San Francisco federal court ruled Thursday. Sept. 10 was the last day for Venezuelan migrants to re-register for Temporary Protected Status, granting them temporary immigration and employment authorization, but the website was inoperable for a 12-hour period for technical reasons. Judge Edward M. Chen at a hearing Thursday said DHS must reopen registration by 5 p.m. eastern time Friday and keep it open for a 24-hour period.

FOX News [9/11/2025 3:36 PM, Morgan Phillips, 40019K] reports the State Department will be monitoring the words of foreign nationals who "glorify violence" after the Charlie Kirk shooting and take "appropriate action.". "In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country," Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau wrote on X. "I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action. Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the @StateDept can protect the American people.". Landau said in a subsequent post he would direct his consular officials to monitor replies to his X post calling out foreign nationals in the U.S. on visas who posted such rhetoric. In June, the State Department said it would monitor the social media posts of visa applicants and would instruct applicants to set their social media to "public.". The State Department has already revoked over 6,000 student visas, because recipients had either overstayed visas or broken the law. The "vast majority" of legal violations were assault, driving under the influence, burglary or "support for terrorism.". On Wednesday, Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist, father of two and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The event was part of his "American Comeback Tour," which drew a crowd of about 3,000 attendees.

Breitbart [9/11/2025 11:02 AM, John Binder, 2608K] reports a number of the 19 Islamic terrorists who hijacked commercial planes on September 11, 2001, killing almost 3,000 Americans, were able to remain in the United States unchecked by immigration authorities thanks to the nation’s visa overstay loophole, which remains wide open. All of the 9/11 terrorists had arrived in the U.S. legally, often by successfully defrauding immigration authorities. Sixteen of the terrorists secured tourist visas, while three obtained business and student visas. On September 11, 2001, the terrorists carried out the largest terrorist attack in American history, flying planes into the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City; flying a plane into the Pentagon in Washington, DC; and attempting to fly United Airlines Flight 93 into the U.S. Capitol Building until brave passengers foiled the plan. United Flight 93 ultimately crashed in an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The terrorist attacks killed 2,977 Americans and left countless more with lasting illnesses that have caused their deaths. Seven of the terrorists overstayed their visas either before the attacks or at the time of the attacks. Failures in federal immigration enforcement ensured that none of the seven were deported from the United States before the attacks were carried out. The terrorists who overstayed their visas are: The 9/11 Commission Staff Report, published in 2004, warned that the lack of an entry-exit monitoring system to track visa overstays had contributed to many of the terrorists being able to remain in the United States despite having no legal basis to do so. "… while the hijackers were preparing for the planes operation in the United States, immigration authorities had no way to determine whether any of them had overstayed their visas or traveled in and out of the country," the report details. "The lack of an entry-exit system was especially significant for Satam al Suqami and Nawaf al Hazmi…". Trump’s State Department is planning a crackdown on visa overstays that would require bonds of up to $15,000 for foreign nationals traveling to the United States on B-1/B-2 tourist and business visas from a select group of countries with high overstay rates. Visa holders would only receive their bonds back once they have departed the United States. According to the latest visa overstay report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which covers most of 2023, about 400,000 foreign nationals overstayed their visas and failed to depart the United States when they were supposed to. Several countries have business and tourist visa overstay rates that exceed 20 percent, including Burma, Chad, the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, and Haiti. DHS has long estimated that about half of the nation’s 11 million to 22 million illegal aliens arrived on visas but eventually overstayed those visas.

New York Times [9/11/2025 9:40 PM, Allison McCann and Zach Montague, 143795K] reports that, last week, a federal judge in California ruled that the Trump administration had overstepped when it moved to end the extension of Temporary Protected Status granted to nearly 600,000 Venezuelans in the final days of the Biden administration. The ruling, by Judge Edward M. Chen of Federal District Court in San Francisco, capped a monthslong legal fight over the fate of Temporary Protected Status, or T.P.S., for Venezuelans, which the president has sought to end as part of his campaign to deport hundreds of thousands of people. But in the days since Judge Chen told the Department of Homeland Security to allow the Venezuelans to retain T.P.S. until next year, the agency hadn’t updated its website to show that the Venezuelans were still covered by T.P.S. and wasn’t allowing many of them to re-register as they needed to by a Sept. 10 deadline. On Thursday, lawyers for the Venezuelans who sued the Department of Homeland Security were back in Judge Chen’s courtroom asking him to compel the agency to comply. The delay, they argued, was making it difficult for the Venezuelans to work, as they are permitted to do if they have T.P.S. “This matters for employers in particular, who look to the website to determine whether somebody is eligible to work and whether their T.P.S. is still valid,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, one of the lawyers representing the immigrants. William Weiland, a government lawyer, offered explanations for the concerns raised by the plaintiffs. Mr. Weiland said that the problem with registration was a “coding issue” that had not been resolved until nearly 4 p.m. on the day of the deadline and that three people had been able to register once it was resolved. Mr. Weiland also said the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website hadn’t been updated to reflect that T.P.S. for Venezuelans was in effect because the government had not thought the judge’s Sept. 5 decision was effective immediately. “My view is that the order was effective immediately,” Judge Chen said in the hearing on Thursday. “So I’m making that triply clear at this point.” He ordered the government to update its website by 5 p.m. Eastern time on Friday. Lawyers for the Venezuelans also asked Judge Chen to make the government reopen online registration for T.P.S. to Venezuelans for 24 hours and to give the plaintiffs four hours’ advance notice of the reopening. As of late Thursday, Judge Chen had not yet issued an order on that request.

Axios [9/11/2025 5:52 AM, Emily Peck, 14595K] reports the U.S. population will be smaller and grow more slowly than previously projected, a result of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, per newly revised Congressional Budget Office estimates out Wednesday. It’s an economic red flag, with the potential to drive labor shortages, higher prices and a crisis of care for the nation’s elderly. Deaths are projected to start exceeding births in 2031, two years earlier than previously projected, as a result of the White House crackdown, plus increased funding for immigration enforcement in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, leaving fewer immigrant families to have children and add to the population. At that point immigration would be the main driver of new population growth instead of births.

Fertility rates have also declined slightly more than expected, per the CDC, since the agency published its January projection. The CBO had already revised down its growth projections in January, after the Biden administration cut back on immigration. But the nonpartisan agency’s latest estimates take into account the current administration’s more aggressive recent actions, as well as the new legislation.

Breitbart [9/11/2025 11:12 AM, Bob Price, 2608K] reports Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents interdicted a team of Mexican cartel drug smuggling mules as they crossed the border into Texas. The four illegal aliens dropped backpacks and fled back to Mexico, leaving 69 pounds of cocaine for the agents to recover. U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks posted photos on social media showing agents with their trophy of drugs found after an illegal border crossing in South Texas. Four illegal aliens were observed crossing the border from Tamaulipas, Mexico, into Texas, near Rio Grande City. The Rio Grande City Station agents moved in on the smugglers who dropped their backpacks and fled back across the border river into Mexico. Agents recovered the four backpacks and found 69 pounds of cocaine. Banks reported the street value of the drugs to be more than $2.7 million. Rio Grande Valley Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jason Schneider called the seizure a "direct hit on the cartels poisoning America." He credited the teamwork between the U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Detachment and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers with securing the illicit drugs.

NewsNation [9/12/2025 2:31 AM, Julian Resendiz, 6811K] reports a federal judge has sentenced a Nogales, Arizona, resident to 32 months in a federal prison for pointing a loaded gun at a Border Patrol agent outside his home. Tuesday’s sentencing of Erik Alberto Beal, 28, on a charge of assault on a federal officer with a deadly and dangerous weapon also comes with 36 months of supervised release and forfeiture of a Sig Sauer model P250 .45-caliber pistol. Prosecutors dropped a second assault charge as part of a plea bargain. The charges stemmed from an April 11, 2024, incident involving two Border Patrol agents chasing a migrant in the vicinity of Beal’s residence. The agents split up and were searching for the migrant when someone opened the side door of the residence and a pit bull came out toward one of the agents. Court records show the agent only identified as M.M. drew his service firearm at the pit bull and began to shout. It was then that Beal came out of the residence, walked to his pickup, retrieved the Sig Sauer, chambered a bullet and pointed it at Agent M.M. Records show a standoff ensued between the armed agent and Beal until the second Border Patrol agent arrived and pointed his gun at the civilian. Beal stopped pointing the Sig Sauer at the agent and was taken into custody. "As I pointed the pistol at Agent M.M., I ordered him to holster his weapon. In response, Agent M.M. aimed his firearm at me and ordered me to put my firearm down," Beal said in an affidavit. "I finally unloaded my firearm and returned the firearm to my truck. I knew that Agent M.M. was a U.S. Border Patrol agent engaged in his duties …". Beal told investigators his residence is "very close to the border" between Nogales and Nogales, Mexico, and that migrants have passed through his property in the past. There was no word on what happened to the pit bull. Records show Erik Alberto Beal in 2016 pleaded guilty to a charge of aiding and abetting illegal aliens. That conviction stemmed from a March 24, 2016, incident in which Border Patrol agents saw a man come of a mobile home they suspected was a migrant stash house and drive to a convenience store. The agents obtained a search warrant, entered the mobile home, apprehended eight migrants and arrested Beal. The migrants allegedly identified Beal as the person who picked them up after they were smuggled into the United States illegally and brought them to the mobile home. Court records show Beal and abetting charge and was sentenced to 180 days in prison.

The Hill [9/11/2025 3:33 PM, Brett Samuels, 12414K] reports President Trump said Thursday he had approved millions of dollars in funding for storm recovery efforts across multiple states, including in North Carolina, where residents are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Trump posted the announcements on Truth Social, saying he had spoken with lawmakers in each state. The president said he had approved nearly $32 million in aid for North Carolina in response to flooding in July which was caused by Tropical Depression Chantal. Trump cited asks from Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Senate candidate Michael Whatley (R) and Republicans. Trump said he had informed Democratic Gov. Josh Stein of the move. Budd had said he would stall nominees for the Department of Homeland Security until the issue was addressed. Trump on Thursday also announced nearly $30 million in funding for Wisconsin to help recover from major storms and flooding in August. Trump said the approval came after a conversation with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) had requested a presidential disaster declaration in late August. Trump also announced Thursday that he had approved $5.7 million to aid Kansas with recovery from severe storms and tornadoes that hit the state, as well as $500,000 for the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe in South Dakota after flooding earlier this year.

Washington Examiner [9/11/2025 9:42 PM, Ross O’Keefe, 1563K] reports President Donald Trump has approved Wisconsin’s funding request, granting the state about $30 million in funds for flood recovery. The president, like in other approved funding requests, lauded his victories in the state. "I just informed Senator Ron Johnson that, based on his request, I am approving $29.8 Million Dollars for the wonderful State of Wisconsin to help them recover from the major storms and flooding they experienced in August," he wrote on Truth Social. "We had Huge Victories in Wisconsin in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and it is my Honor to deliver BIG for Wisconsinites!" he added. Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) requested funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency last month for widespread flooding in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The area saw more than 14 inches of rainfall in under 24 hours at one point in August. "Disastrous storms and flash flooding have displaced kids and families and damaged homes, businesses, community centers, and so much more," Evers said in a news release. "It is absolutely critical that Wisconsin receives every available federal resource to respond and help our communities rebuild.” Trump lauded his election victories in other states like Kansas, South Dakota, and North Carolina when granting millions of dollars in disaster relief. "I am proud to approve nearly $32 Million Dollars in assistance for the Great State of North Carolina, which I WON BIG all six times, including Primaries, in response to their recent flooding events in July," he wrote in a post on Truth Social. He said that South Dakota "voted for me in Historic Margins in 2016, 2020, and 2024" and that he had "Big Victories in 2016, 2020, and 2024" in Kansas. The president has previously threatened to withhold disaster aid to states that didn’t vote for him, like California. When the state was enduring its wildfire disaster earlier this year, he said he would not grant the state funds unless the state implemented voter ID laws. The Associated Press reported the Trump administration is taking longer on average to approve disaster aid. The Associated Press found that it has taken more than a month on average so far during Trump’s current term.

Axios [9/11/2025 4:07 PM, Nadia Lopez, 14595K] reports wildfire season is raging across much of California, with blazes closing off some national forests and prompting evacuations. 6,844 wildfires are active across the state, according to Cal Fire, with 517,341 acres burned so far this year — already half of the nearly 1.1 million acres scorched in 2024. This year’s fire season is shaping up to be more severe than last year’s, with wildfire activity already "trending above normal" in both northern and southern California due to a warmer and drier spring, per Cal Fire. That could mean larger and more destructive blazes in September and October, especially across high-elevation forests and lowland grasslands. California’s wildfire season has evolved into a year-round threat, with the hot, dry and arid months of August, September and October posing the greatest risk. Lightning storms this month ignited several fires in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Yosemite. The fast-moving Garnet Fire east of Fresno, which stood at 15% containment as of Thursday, has burned more than 57,000 acres, prompted evacuation orders, and threatened to destroy hundred-year-old giant sequoias. The Gifford Fire in Los Padres National Forest, the largest active blaze at 131,614 acres, was nearly fully contained as of Thursday. Parts of the forest remain closed to recreation, including sites in the Santa Lucia and Mount Pinos ranger districts.

FedScoop [9/11/2025 12:30 PM, Rebecca Heilweil, 56K] reports Chris Kraft, the Department of Homeland Security’s deputy chief technology officer for artificial intelligence and emerging tech, is now serving as the acting chief information officer of the U.S. Secret Service. Kraft, who’s focused primarily on AI in his DHS role, replaces Kevin Nally, who recently left government for a position in the private sector. Kraft’s new position was not confirmed by spokespeople for the U.S. Secret Service, but he acknowledged the role on LinkedIn. Due to its mission, the Secret Service is quieter than other agencies on its technology portfolio, but the agency uses a variety of platforms and faces serious technology challenges. After the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania in July 2024, FedScoop documented a series of tools at the component’s disposal, including commercial telemetry data and Protective Threat Management System. The New York Times later reported that the Secret Service had experienced technology failures amid the assassination attempt.

FOX News [9/11/2025 2:27 PM, Diana Stancy, 40019K] reports that the Secret Service has its hands full combating an unprecedented level of political threats, an issue underscored in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. While the Secret Service is initiating a series of changes to bolster its security practices following two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump last year, the agency is now operating at an extremely heightened state amid an unprecedented level of threats, according to experts. "The Secret Service now has to play at a level of enhanced security that they’ve never dreamed of before. I think [Secret Service Director Sean Curran] is doing a good job in leading that effort," Tim Miller, who served as a Secret Service agent during Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton’s administrations, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. "But here’s the bad news for the Secret Service: They don’t have time. This threat is now. Can you imagine – they already shot our president once. Can you imagine if they’re able to kill him?". Kirk, 31, died after he was shot in the neck during his "American Comeback Tour" at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. The assassination comes a year after two attempts to take the president’s life.

New York Post [9/11/2025 8:53 PM, Ryan King, 43962K] reports the Secret Service put an employee on leave who made an inflammatory social media post about conservative icon Charlie Kirk after the 31-year-old was tragically assassinated on Wednesday, bashing those who are mourning his death. Anthony Pough, an employee of the protective agency, had shared a clip of Kirk suggesting that Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, former Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), and others were "affirmative action picks" because they "weren’t smart enough to get in on their own.". "If you are Mourning [sic] this guy .. delete me. He spewed hate and racism on his show," Pough wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, first reported by RealClearPolitics. "Especially when we should be mourning the innocent children killed in Colorado," he added, referring to the shooting at Evergreen High School by a "radicalized" 16-year-old left two students seriously injured. "At the end of the day, you answer to GOD and speak things into existence. You can only circumvent karma, she doesnt [sic] leave.". Pough’s post was up for hours before being reported and roiled members of the Secret Service who spotted it. "The US Secret Service will not tolerate any behavior which violates our code of conduct," a Secret Service spokesperson told The Post. "We are aware of the employee’s social media post from today, and the individual has been placed on administrative leave as we investigate the matter.".

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [9/11/2025 5:51 PM, Bradley Jaye, 2608K]

AP [9/11/2025 6:44 PM, Will Weissert and Stephen Whyno] reports President Donald Trump was attending the New York Yankees game on Thursday night to mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, after honoring the memories of the victims at the Pentagon earlier in the day. A presidential visit always prompts extra security at sporting events, but things were heightened after conservative activist and close Trump ally Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah on Wednesday. When Trump attended the Sept. 11 observance ceremony at the Pentagon earlier Thursday, authorities moved the ceremony inside as an added precaution. Even before Trump left the White House, security at the stadium was tight. Every entrance featured metal detectors and Secret Service agents, some with sniffer dogs, while New York Police Department helicopters thundered overhead. The Secret Service also posted a statement saying extra time would be necessary and asking fans to "consider leaving your bags at home to help speed up the security screening process." Yankee Stadium authorities installed security glass outside an upper level suite on the third base side, over the Tigers dugout. The service level was also closed at 5:30 p.m. for additional security sweeps.

Breitbart [9/11/2025 9:19 AM, Staff, 2608K] reports the U.S. Secret Service is under self-review after someone was able to get a gun into a golf club belonging to President Donald Trump and where he was present. "The Secret Service initiated an internal review into employee conduct after a member of a Virginia golf club notified the agency that they inadvertently brought their firearm into a protective site on August 31," a Secret Service spokesperson told Real Clear Politics, which first reported the story on Wednesday. According to that report, a member of the Trump National Washington, D.C. golf club in Virginia unintentionally brought a bring a semi-automatic Glock handgun into the facility. Screening agents at the time were using handheld magnetometers to check guests instead of walkthrough devices, The New York Post reported Wednesday. The unidentified club member self-reported the situation and was never close to Trump, and has since been interviewed. The agent who screened the armed guest has been placed on administrative leave, pending the decision of an incident review.

NPR [9/11/2025 2:28 PM, Greg Allen, 34837K] reports that the man charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump when he was running for president last year delivered the opening statement in his own trial Thursday. Ryan Routh was arrested after a Secret Service agent said he spotted him holding a rifle near where Trump was golfing at his West Palm Beach club in September 2024. Besides being charged with attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, Routh faces four other counts, including attempting to assault a federal officer. If convicted on the attempted assassination charge, he faces a possible life sentence. Routh has pleaded not guilty. After Routh became dissatisfied with his defense attorneys, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon gave him permission to represent himself in court. He did so during jury selection, which began on Monday, but ran into trouble with Judge Cannon soon after he started his opening statement. Former Secret Service agent Robert Fercano, now with the Department of Homeland Security, testified about his encounter with a man he first saw as a "face in the bushes" on September 15 last year as then-Presidential candidate Trump was golfing at his West Palm Beach club. As he scanned the 6th hole of the golf course, ahead of where Trump was playing, Fercano said, "I encountered what appeared to be the face of an individual (and) the barrel of a weapon protruding from the fence line." In the courtroom, Fercano identified Routh as the gunman. He said he was no more than five feet from the fence line where the gunman was positioned and that he recognized Routh’s "particular jawline and facial features."

New York Times [9/11/2025 5:19 PM, David C. Adams and Patricia Mazzei, 143795K] reports the trial defense of Ryan W. Routh, the man charged with trying to assassinate President Trump at one of his golf courses in Florida last year, got off to a rocky start on Thursday after a federal judge cut off his opening statement for lack of relevance. Mr. Routh, 59, who chose to represent himself in court despite not being a lawyer, spoke for no more than five minutes before Judge Aileen M. Cannon of the Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla., ended his opening statement. Rather than lay out any sort of meaningful defense, he made unexplained references to the evolution and future of humankind, as well as to Hitler, Ukraine, Henry Ford and the Wright brothers. The judge warned him not to make a “mockery” of the court. The unusual start to the trial underscored the perils of Mr. Routh’s self-representation in the face of serious charges. He has pleaded not guilty to trying to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations. The attempted assassination charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Robert Fercano, a Secret Service agent, testified that he was on a golf cart screening the course a hole or two ahead of Mr. Trump, who was playing on the fifth hole.

Agent Fercano testified that, from about five feet away, he saw one or two inches of a rifle peeking through the brush near the sixth hole and feared for Mr. Trump’s life. The agent called out to the person holding the rifle, saw the person take aim at him and fired his pistol. Mr. Routh’s cross-examinations were so brief that the court adjourned early on Thursday.

Reported similarly:
AP [9/11/2025 4:43 PM, David Fischer, 1648K]
Reuters [9/11/2025 12:54 PM, Andrew Goudsward, 45746K]
CNN [9/11/2025 3:01 PM, Randi Kaye, Lauren del Valle, 23245K]
NBC News [9/11/2025 5:22 PM, Juliette Arcodia, Maria Piñero and Corky Siemaszko, 43603K]

Washington Post [9/11/2025 1:33 PM, Lori Rozsa, 29079K] reports Ryan Wesley Routh, the man charged with attempting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course a year ago, delivered a short and rambling opening statement on Thursday, frustrating the judge. The defendant, who is representing himself in a case where a conviction could send him to prison for life, talked about Russian President Vladimir Putin. He referenced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He went on a tangent about the origin of mankind. U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon interrupted his opening statement, dismissing the jury for a period of time. “We have limited patience, and you do not have unlimited license to make a mockery of this court,” Cannon told the defendant after she sent the jury out of the room. She gave him another try, and the defendant launched into a speech that covered what it’s like to feel a log hewn by human hands, to stand in a water well built 200 years ago, the Wright brothers, and tractors. “That is America,” he said, choking up. “This case means absolutely nothing. A life has been lived.” Routh, 59, faces five charges, including the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

ABC News [9/11/2025 1:47 PM, Peter Charalambous, 27036K] Video: HERE reports the Secret Service agent who spotted Ryan Routh’s alleged sniper perch on the golf course where Donald Trump was playing last year testified at Routh’s trial Thursday that he came within five feet of Routh’s rifle before he realized Routh was armed. Routh, who is representing himself, is on trial in Florida on charges of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump on his golf course last September. "The barrel of the AK was pointed directly at my face," Secret Service agent Robert Fercano testified. "I was in fear for President Trump’s life." The first witness called in Routh’s criminal trial, Fercano offered testimony that sheds new light on the public’s understanding of the alleged attempted assassination. Fercano said he was serving as a site agent on Trump’s West Palm Beach Golf course that day, reviewing the hole ahead of Trump for potential threats. As he approached the sixth hole, he said he first noticed some "abnormalities" at the tree line. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [9/11/2025 4:43 PM, Mike Brest, 1563K] reports the U.S. Marines and Coast Guard launched independent investigations into social media posts from service members celebrating the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. A spokesperson for the Marines told the Washington Examiner, "We became aware of a social media post last night that does not align with our core values. The Marine Corps takes this type of allegation seriously. The Marine in question has been relieved of his recruiting duties, and the matter is currently under investigation." Simultaneously, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a public statement saying it was also investigating a service member’s posts but did not identify them. The Coast Guard did not specify what action it would take against the service member. Several conservative accounts on social media highlighted service members’ posts celebrating Kirk’s death.

Yahoo! News [9/11/2025 2:33 PM, David Clarey, 47380K] reports that a small airplane with three people on board is in Lake Michigan following a mid-flight problem after departing from Milwaukee and heading to Michigan, an airport spokesperson said. The U.S. Coast Guard and other rescue and dive teams are responding to the incident which occurred about 12 nautical miles off the coast of Milwaukee, said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Lauofo. Nautical miles are used to measure the distance traveled through water and are slightly longer than a land mile. In an email, a spokesperson with the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport said the plane left the airport at about 12:17 p.m. and was headed towards Michigan when it went into the water at about 12:37 p.m. The airport spokesperson said there were no details available on the nature of the emergency. The Coast Guard was notified of the incident at 12:45 p.m. and sent a helicopter and a 45-foot rescue boat to the plane’s location, Lauofo said. No information was available on the condition of the plane’s passengers, he said. The plane was a Cirrus SR22 aircraft, which is a small single-engine propeller plane, the airport spokesperson said.

CyberScoop [9/11/2025 6:30 PM, Tim Starks] reports a top official at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on Thursday rejected concerns that personnel and program cuts at CISA have hindered its work. Nick Andersen, who just began serving as executive assistant director of cybersecurity at CISA this month, said he’s seen the agency function at a high level from both the outside and inside. “There’s been an awful lot of reporting recently about CISA and the potential for degraded operational capabilities, and I’m telling you, nothing can be further from the truth,” he said at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit. “It is just a fantastic opportunity to see the high-level output and throughput that this team has. “There is not a single instance where I can think of that somebody reaches out — whether it’s in our remit or not, we are connecting them with the right level of resources, and we are helping them to make themselves right, whether it’s incidents that we see affecting a state/local partner, small- or medium-sized businesses or the largest critical infrastructure owner/operators,” he continued. The Trump administration has cut or plans to cut more than 1,000 personnel at the agency, a third of its total full-time employees, and has sought nearly half a billion dollars in funding reductions. CISA’s shuttering of an array of programs has drawn widespread criticism from many in industry as well as from state and local governments who have partnered with the agency, not to mention concerns from Capitol Hill. But Andersen said CISA has full support from President Donald Trump, who clashed with agency leadership in his first term, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Federal News Network [9/11/2025 6:11 PM, Justin Doubleday] reports the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is charting a new path forward for the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures program, with CISA’s top cybersecurity official looking to bring more “quality” to the CVE catalog. Nick Andersen, CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity, discussed the cyber agency’s support for the CVE program in his first public remarks at the Billington Cyber Conference on Thursday afternoon. His comments add more detail to a new “vision” CISA published on Wednesday, detailing next steps for the CVE program. In the vision document, CISA said it’s exploring diversified funding sources for CVE, modernizing CVE infrastructure and expanding partnerships to bolster trust in the program. CISA is also eyeing data quality improvements to boost the usability of CVE. “We’re talking about helping organizations to target what is it that’s most important? What is it, objectively, that’s happening within the threat environment?” Andersen said. “That can’t happen anyplace but within government. We have to make sure this is an opportunity to exist within a space that is going to be free from any potential influence, governed in a tight way with all of our international partners.” CISA is also organizing an “AI Hackathon,” according to CISA’s acting director Madhu Gottumukkala. Speaking at Billington on Thursday morning, Gottumukkala said the event will “solicit the best and brightest from U.S. academia to test AI systems for effectiveness, for transparency, use control, and also to test any of the security vulnerabilities.” Under the White House’s AI Action Plan, the Department of Homeland Security is also exploring the establishment of an AI Information Sharing and Analysis Center, modeled after other ISACs for critical infrastructure.

ABC News [9/11/2025 1:32 PM, Tesfaye Negussie, Deena Zaru, Arthur Jones II, and Doc Louallen, 27036K] reports that multiple historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are on lockdown after receiving potential threats on Thursday, including Alabama State University, Virginia State University, Hampton University in Virginia, Southern University in Louisiana, and Clark Atlanta University in Georgia. Spelman College, located near Clark Atlanta University, has also implemented shelter-in-place protocols as a precautionary measure due to its proximity. Hampton University ceased all "nonessential" activity, including athletic events, on Thursday for the remainder of the day and Friday, according to the school’s website. Southern University in Louisiana was on lockdown, according to the school’s post on X. The school said the lockdown applied to its "entire Baton Rouge landmass," which includes its Law Center. The community is encouraged to "shelter in place until further notice." After the campus lockdown was lifted later Thursday afternoon, the university announced it was canceling "all campus activities and classes" on Thursday, Friday and through the weekend. Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, is on lockdown due to a potential threat to campus safety, school officials said on Instagram. The alleged threats follow a history of threats to HBCUs in the past several years. In 2022, multiple schools received anonymous bomb threats, causing shelter-in-place notices or evacuations of the majority-Black institutions. However, no real bombs were found after each incident. At the time, the FBI identified one juvenile believed to be responsible for a "majority" of the "racially motivated" threats. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
Reuters [9/11/2025 4:31 PM, Kanishka Singh, 45746K]
Axios [9/11/2025 4:21 PM, Josephine Walker, 14595K]

New York Post [9/11/2025 9:34 AM, Josh Christenson, 43962K] reports a House intelligence panel announced Thursday it will conduct a bipartisan review of recommendations included in the 9/11 Commission report, with hearings to be held starting next month as the nation prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the al Qaeda terror attacks next year. On the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence established the review, with a task force to be chaired by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and co-chaired by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). "Today, as a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee and a proud New Yorker, I am honored to announce that I will chair the bipartisan House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence review of 9/11 Commission Report to evaluate the progress made on the intelligence-related recommendations," said Stefanik in a statement. "It is important that the intelligence community is equipped to counter terrorism over the next 25 years amid a quickly evolving landscape.” The review will focus on how well the feds have followed the recommendations in the 2004 report by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States — widely known as the 9/11 Commission — and how ready the intelligence community is to counter future terror threats. The attacks led to the creation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to coordinate activities responding to threats, and the intel office’s record will also be reviewed as part of the bipartisan panel’s inquiry. "The attacks on 9/11 fundamentally altered the security posture of the United States and the way we engage in the world," said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-Ark.). "In the dark days following the devastating attack on U.S. soil, we watched Americans come together in unimaginable ways and we pledged never again to allow a failure of intelligence to compromise our national security," Crawford added. "As we mark the 25th anniversary of one of the darkest days in U.S. history next year, we must ensure our intelligence community and its capabilities remain one step ahead of our rapidly evolving adversaries. While the threats look different today, the mission remains the same: we can never allow a failure to connect the dots to result in catastrophe ever again.”

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [9/11/2025 11:13 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4779K]

FOX News [9/11/2025 7:50 PM, Peter Pinedo, 40019K] reports on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, members of Congress on both sides of the political aisle expressed that they are most worried about rising domestic terrorism harming Americans. Asked whether he was more concerned about domestic or foreign terrorists, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital, "You’ve got to be vigilant on all of it.". Yet, in the wake of the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, Burchett placed particular blame on the left, saying, "They’ve got blood on their hands on this one, there is no question. "The repercussions, I think, could be monumental at the ballot box.". Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, responded that "we need a country that respects the rule of law and can actually engage in civil discourse. We don’t have that right now. That’s a problem. "We have threats from all around, overseas and here, but you know we got to start respecting the rule of law again, or we’re not going to have anything left.". In the current climate, Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, responded, "I think domestic. It’s not a matter of if but when. "You can’t let your guard down on either," added Arrington. "I was in the White House on 9/11 with George W. Bush.". Arrington expressed particular concern about terrorists who were let into the country through the border. "You also can’t allow your border to be wide open where you have people, record numbers of people, on the terrorist watch list over here," he said.

FOX News [9/11/2025 6:00 AM, Caitlin McFall, 40019K] Video: HERE reports in the 24-years since a group of 19 members of the al Qaeda terrorist group boarded and hijacked four flights in a series of attacks on the U.S. that killed 2,977 people, the infamous network remains the "most dangerous terrorist group" in the world today, warned one expert. Though terrorist groups like ISIS and Hamas have gained immense notoriety over the last several years due to their brutal tactics, Bill Roggio, expert analyst and senior editor of Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ "Long War Journal," explained to Fox News Digital that the threat posed by al Qaeda is far more sweeping today. "The most dangerous terrorist group 24 years after 9/11 remains al Qaeda," Roggio said. "With the support of the Taliban, the situation there is far worse than it was pre-9/11." Roggio explained that not only is al Qaeda running training camps in at least 13 of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan, its global operations have only continued to expand in the last two decades across the Middle East and Africa. "Its global organization remains intact. It controls probably more than a third of Somalia and then, it’s so-called former affiliate – and I’m not convinced the links have been broken – now controls the government of Syria, with the Hayat Tahir Al Sham as its leader. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NPR [9/11/2025 5:17 PM, Odette Yousef, 34837K] Audio: HERE reports the Sept. 11 attacks of 24 years ago led to unprecedented investment in counterterrorism resources. Today, the terrorism landscape is more complex than ever, and some say the country is less prepared.

FOX News [9/11/2025 9:11 AM, Diana Stancy, 40019K] reports a bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House Homeland Security Committee is visiting Ground Zero in New York City to commemorate the 24th anniversary of 9/11 on Thursday, Fox News Digital has learned. New York remains in terrorism’s crosshairs, and members from the House Homeland Security Committee have sounded the alarm on potential threats the U.S. continues to face – especially as the U.S. gears up to host upcoming large-scale events like the FIFA World Cup next year. Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, will lead a cohort of lawmakers on the committee to visit Ground Zero on Thursday, according to a committee aide. The lawmakers are also slated to lay flowers at the memorial before thanking first responders, and also participate in a staff-led tour of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on Thursday evening. "Twenty-four years later, it’s critical to remember that [the Department of Homeland Security] and the Committee on Homeland Security were created in the aftermath of one of the darkest days in our nation’s history," Garbarino said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "As a lifelong New Yorker and a proud Long Islander, ‘Never Forget’ is about more than remembrance; it is a call to action that guides my work every day, and it will continue to guide the Committee’s.” "More than two decades later, our nation still faces heightened and evolving threats from foreign terrorist organizations and homegrown violent extremists, and New York remains a top terror target," Garbarino said. The Justice Department’s research and technology agency, the National Institute of Justice, determined in 2023 that New York City had the highest number of attempted or actual terror incidents in the country. Members of the committee have spearheaded legislation seeking to address these persistent terrorist threats. For example, Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, reintroduced legislation in February known as the Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act, which would require DHS to conduct assessments each year evaluating the threat terrorist groups like ISIS and Hamas pose to the U.S. through the use of foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications. Other lawmakers from the committee expected to attend the site visit to Ground Zero are the committee’s top Democrat, Bennie Thompson from Mississippi, as well as Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., and Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner, Pablo José Hernández. A bipartisan group of committee members on Friday will also visit the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held. Members from the White House’s FIFA World Cup Task Force, including New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s son, Andrew Giuliani, will also join the lawmakers to examine security preparations for the event, according to a committee aide. Andrew Giuliani is leading the White House’s task force. President Donald Trump will mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the Pentagon by delivering remarks at the annual observance ceremony. He will also attend a private memorial led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine honoring the 184 victims. DHS is coordinating securing the games for the World Cup, along with other upcoming events like the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and the U.S.’ 250th anniversary in 2026. Meanwhile, the House Homeland Security’s Committee Task Force on Special Events is providing oversight of these security efforts. "This important meeting will help inform the Committee’s ongoing efforts to ensure DHS can help keep Americans and visitors safe during upcoming international events on U.S. soil, including the 2028 Olympics," Garbarino said. "America can never again be caught off guard by its enemies.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Post [9/11/2025 10:37 PM, Katie Shepherd, Juan Benn Jr. and Erin Cox, 29079K] reports the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis was placed on lockdown Thursday evening as law enforcement officers responded to reports of a threat, possibly an active shooter, on campus. But there turned out to be no active shooter, a Navy spokesman said Thursday night. Instead, one person was injured while Naval Security Forces were clearing a building, a U.S. Navy official said in a statement. The injured person was medically evacuated off campus via helicopter and is in stable condition, the statement said. U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.) said in a statement that the injured person is a Naval midshipmen. “I am committed to working with our state and local leaders, the leadership of the U.S. Naval Academy, and my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee to ensure that the proper lessons are learned from today’s events,” Elfreth said in her statement. “The safety and security of our Midshipmen is my top priority.” The lockdown of a campus that is home to about 4,400 midshipmen completing undergraduate studies and preparing to serve as officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps came amid heightened anxiety in the country over potential shootings a day after right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk, an avid supporter of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed in Utah. Earlier on Thursday, several historically Black colleges and universities were placed on lockdown, with classes canceled, after they received violent threats that turned out not to be credible. And, in Maryland two top leaders in the state’s General Assembly — Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) — received bomb threats on their homes that were also not credible, those lawmakers reported. “After what we saw yesterday in Utah, and after what we’ve seen throughout our country in places like Minnesota over the past several months, it is clear that tragic political violence is on the rise,” Ferguson said in a social media post a few hours before the Naval Academy lockdown, referring to Kirk’s death and the fatal shooting of a Minnesota state legislator inside her home earlier this year. “We cannot continue to live in a world where we ignore the humanity of those who have different ideologies and principles than us. We must reject the culture of hate and violence that seeks power from fear and division.” In a statement, Jones called the threats “violating” but said that “we can’t let it distract us from the important work we do.”

Reported similarly:
Reuters [9/11/2025 10:05 PM, Phil Stewart, Steve Gorman and Idrees Ali, 45746K]

New York Times [9/11/2025 10:47 PM, John IsmayGreg Jaffe and Rylee Kirk., 143795K] reports the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., was placed under lockdown on Thursday after a post on an anonymous chat platform set off concerns that an active shooter was roaming the campus, military officials said. The threat was traced to a laptop belonging to a midshipman who had left the academy and was confirmed to be in his parents’ house in the Midwest, officials said. No active shooter was believed to have been present on the campus. The false report, coming at a moment of heightened tension nationwide, provoked a flood of misinformation on social media and led to an altercation between a law enforcement officer and a midshipman, injuring both. Amid the initial chaos and confusion on campus, the midshipman mistook a law enforcement officer for the shooter and struck him in the head with a parade rifle. The law enforcement officer then fired at the midshipman, wounding him in the arm, the officials said. Both the midshipman and the law enforcement officer were stable and receiving treatment, the officials said. The false reports and violence came one day after Charlie Kirk, the charismatic founder of a right-wing youth activist group, was fatally shot while speaking on a college campus in Utah. Hours before the Naval Academy went into lockdown, there was an apparently false report of an active shooter at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Around 5 p.m. Thursday, the police confirmed there was no ongoing threat on campus. During the lockdown in Annapolis, ambulances gathered at a staging area at the rear gate to the campus and began moving forward. The campus was mostly silent, except for the whirring helicopter overhead.

ABC News [9/11/2025 10:40 PM, Meredith Deliso and Luis Martinez, 27036K] Video: HERE reports a midshipman was shot Thursday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, as security officials responding to reports of suspicious activity were clearing a building while the campus was on lockdown, according to a U.S. official. According to a Navy official, Navy security officers and local law enforcement responded to the campus shortly after 5 p.m. The midshipman was medevaced to the hospital by Maryland State Police and was in stable condition. "Thankfully, the Midshipman who was injured during the clearing of a building is in stable condition," Maryland Rep. Sarah Elfreth said in a statement. "I want to thank our first responders and the doctors and nurses at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center who put themselves in harm’s way to respond to and heal those who have been impacted by these events that have become all too common," Elfreth’s said. "There is no active shooter threat, however, one person was injured while Naval Security Forces were clearing a building," said a Navy official. In an earlier statement, the Naval Academy said it was on lockdown out of an abundance of caution as law enforcement responded to "reports of threats." Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s office said earlier that there was "currently no credible threat to the Naval Academy."

New York Times [9/11/2025 5:17 PM, Adeel Hassan, 143795K] reports the authorities in Colorado on Thursday named the 16-year-old student suspected of shooting two other students at Evergreen High School on Wednesday, and said that he had been “radicalized by an extremist network,” which they did not identify. The suspect, Desmond Holly, died of self-inflicted injuries on Wednesday night after he opened fire on the school grounds that day, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. According to the authorities, Mr. Holly opened fire around 12:30 p.m. local time, using a revolver handgun and firing repeatedly. One student was hit inside the school and another outside, she said, adding that the attack had spilled onto a roadway behind the school. As of Thursday afternoon, both victims were in critical condition. One victim was identified as Matthew Silverstone, 18, according to a family statement shared by the sheriff’s office. The name of the second victim has not been released. The authorities said on Thursday that they had obtained warrants for the suspect’s home, phone and locker, but did not say more about when searches had taken place or what they might have uncovered. The motive for the shooting remains under investigation, Ms. Kelley added, saying that the authorities would be looking at his social media pages and more.

New York Post [9/12/2025 1:22 AM, Zoe Hussain, 43962K] reports one of the two young victims injured in a shooting at a Colorado high school on Wednesday has been publicly identified by authorities. Matthew Silverstone, 18, was shot and wounded when 16-year-old Desmond Holly opened fire at Evergreen High School before turning the gun on himself and later dying at the hospital, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Facebook post Thursday evening. The teen’s family asked for privacy as he recovers. “The family appreciates the community’s concern and support, but as we remain focused on our loved one’s recovery, we respectfully request privacy as we continue to heal and navigate the road ahead,” Silverstone’s family said in a statement shared by police. Police also released an adorable picture of Silverstone smiling in a top hat and bow tie. As of Thursday morning, both Silverstone and one other unidentified victim remained hospitalized. One victim is in critical condition, and the other has non-life-threatening injuries. It is unclear what condition Silverstone is in, according to 9News. It is unclear if the students were targeted or caught up in a random attack. Holly rode the bus to the school — which is about 30 miles west of Denver — and took out a revolver hours later around lunchtime to rattle off “a lot” of gunshots, said Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley. He fired from the outside of the school, with one student struck inside and the other victim hit outside, police said. It is unclear where Silverstone was when the hail of bullets was fired. The school shooter’s motive remains a mystery for now. “He was radicalized by some extremist network,” Kelly said, though she didn’t provide more details. “But we want to at least give you that much about, maybe, the mindset for him,” she added. A driver’s license photo of the depraved youngster shows Holly flash a blank stare. “The suspect brought quite a bit of ammunition with him, and he continued to reload,” she said. “I think we’re very, very grateful that there were not more injuries.” She said Holly tried to enter areas that were locked down, but staffers and students did a good job of following training and “kept them safe for sure.” Windows and lockers were damaged by gunshots. Evergreen High School is part of Jefferson County Public Schools, which includes Columbine High School, the site of one of the deadliest and most notorious school shootings in 1999.

Reuters [9/11/2025 1:10 PM, Karen Freifeld, 45746K] reports that President Donald Trump has withdrawn the nomination of Landon Heid, a China hawk, for a key post in the U.S.-China tech battle, raising questions about whether the move signals a more dovish approach to Beijing. Trump withdrew Heid’s nomination on Wednesday for assistant secretary for export administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce, according to the Congress.gov website. The president had selected him in February for the post overseeing export controls for national security. Chris McGuire, an expert on technology and national security who served at the U.S. Department of State until this summer, called the withdrawal "very concerning" on Thursday. "Hopefully this does not signal that the Administration plans to further weaken U.S. restrictions on sales of our most advanced technologies to China, but I fear that it does," McGuire wrote in a social media post on X. Neither a White House spokesman nor Heid responded to requests for comment. Heid, who serves on the White House’s National Security Council, was previously on the staff of the House of Representatives’ Select Committee on China, which supported global restrictions on AI chips introduced by the administration of former President Joe Biden and U.S. restrictions on business with Chinese biotech firms. The Trump administration has said it plans to rescind the global chip curb regulation and in July reversed an April decision to restrict the sale of AI chips like Nvidia’s H20 to China.

CNN [9/11/2025 3:48 PM, Andrew Freedman, Jackie Wattles] reports NASA has banned Chinese citizens with US visas from participating in agency programs — a dramatic escalation in the space race between China and the United States. It occurs as China gears up to send a crewed mission to land and potentially establish a habitat on the moon, about which the Trump administration has expressed increasing alarm. The new policy began September 5, and its effects have since rippled across the sprawling agency, according to two people at NASA who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. The change affects hundreds of scientists and researchers, many of whom are funded by NASA to conduct their work in climate science, space and other disciplines, the sources said. A NASA spokesperson put the number of those affected at less than 100. It is not clear if there was a specific incident that prompted this crackdown.

Federal News Network [9/11/2025 1:54 PM, Michele Sandiford, 1147K] reports that the House passed its version of the 2026 defense policy bill, which includes a 3.8% pay bump for service members. House Republicans pushed the bill through largely without Democratic support, after adding conservative provisions and blocking debates Democrats sought on issues like expanding the use of the military inside the country. House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith, who voted against the bill, said the GOP included "countless partisan amendments" and "silenced debate of critical issues." The annual legislation also includes sweeping acquisition reforms aimed at changing how the Pentagon does business. The Senate is expected to pass its version of the defense bill later this week.

Washington Post [9/11/2025 1:29 PM, Aaron Wiener, 29079K] reports that European leaders accused Russia on Thursday of a deliberate incursion by sending drones to invade Polish airspace, and said they saw the provocation as a test — both for the Kremlin and for Europe — of NATO’s readiness to defend its territory. “This was a deliberate and coordinated strike constituting an unprecedented provocation and escalation of tension,” the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine said in a joint statement Thursday. Russian drones, apparently unarmed, breached Polish airspace 19 times from late Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, according to Polish officials. NATO fighter jets scrambled, and European forces shot down at least three, of the drones. While it was not conclusively proved that Russia purposely breached Poland’s sovereign airspace — the violation occurred as a wide-scale Russian bombardment of Ukraine was underway — European officials said it was highly unlikely that multiple drones had veered off course. In any case, experts said, the incursion and the reaction by Poland and its allies allowed Russia to gain intelligence into NATO’s response to a territorial violation of one of its members, as NATO jets engaged the drones, which have transformed modern warfare. “The NATO/Polish response was very swift and effective,” said Frank Rose, who served as principal deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration in the Biden administration and previously was lead negotiator on the placement of missile defense sites in several countries, including Poland.

Axios [9/11/2025 2:29 PM, Stef W. Kight, 14595K] reports that a bipartisan group of senators are pushing to label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over kidnapped Ukrainian children, as momentum builds once again for a big, bipartisan Russia sanctions package. Why it matters: Russia’s violation of Polish airspace this week has reignited the desire of Senate leaders for a strong response to aggression from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Driving the news: Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) rolled out a new bill on Thursday that would put new pressure on Russia. The bill would label Russia and Belarus state sponsors of terrorism if they do not return the more than 19,000 children Ukraine says have been kidnapped during the war. Only Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria are currently designated state sponsors of terrorism under U.S. law. What they’re saying: "It’s hard to get on that list. Well, let me tell you, Russia’s earned the right to be on this list," Graham said. "We’re gonna ask leaders of both parties to give us a chance to debate this and vote on it, and we want to put in motion right now," he continued. Graham has continued working to get the White House on board with his separate bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, which has more than 80 cosponsors. The bill would hit Russia with economic sanctions if Putin refuses to negotiate with Ukraine and would also set a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil.

New York Post [9/11/2025 2:03 PM, Ryan King, 43962K] reports that a bipartisan group of senators rolled out legislation Thursday to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over its barbarous mass abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children during its ongoing invasion. Should the bill become law, Russia will join Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria on the list of US-designated terror states as part of a campaign to make Moscow’s economy "radioactive" on the world stage. "This is what terrorists do. They rape, they murder, they kidnap," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) declared. "If Russia doesn’t want to be a state sponsor of terrorism under US law, return the children." Graham was joined by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in pitching the bill. Russia has been accused by Ukraine and international watchdogs of kidnapping nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children from their homes and putting some of them up for adoption, with the apparent intent of raising them to be Russian. Some of the kids reportedly have been sent to military camps and taught to wage war against the country of their birth. Save Ukraine, a non-governmental organization, has sounded the alarm over a Russian adoption database or "catalog" of nearly 294 Ukrainian children in which users can sort them by eye color, age, number of siblings and other factors. Ukrainian officials believe that more than 19,500 children have been abducted by the Russians.

Reuters [9/11/2025 5:37 PM, Michelle Nichols, 45746K] reports the United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned recent strikes on Qatar’s capital Doha, but did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members, including Israel’s ally the United States. Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with the attack on Tuesday, escalating its military action in what the United States described as a unilateral attack that does not advance U.S. and Israeli interests. “This strike sends a message that should echo across this chamber. There is no sanctuary for terrorists, not in Gaza, not in Tehran, not in Doha. There is no immunity for terrorists,” Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told a Security Council meeting on the attack. “We will act against the leaders of terror wherever they are hiding.” The United States traditionally shields its ally Israel at the United Nations. U.S. backing for the Security Council statement, which could only be approved by consensus, reflects President Donald Trump’s unhappiness with the attack ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Council members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar. They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar," read the statement, drafted by Britain and France. The widely condemned Doha operation was especially sensitive because Qatar has been hosting and mediating negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war. "Council members underscored that releasing the hostages, including those killed by Hamas, and ending the war and suffering in Gaza must remain our top priority," the Security Council statement read.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [9/11/2025 7:05 PM, Farnaz Fassihi, 143795K] r

CNN [9/11/2025 1:31 PM, Oren Llebermann and Becky Anderson, 23245K] reports that a sense of urgency hung over the meeting. The Qatari prime minister sat across from Hamas’ chief negotiator, Khalil Al-Hayya, under the maroon-and-white flag of the Gulf nation on Monday evening. The two had met many times before in talks that often proved fruitless. But this time was different. The United States had just put forward a new ceasefire proposal that could end the nearly two-year war in Gaza. And Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani was pressuring Al-Hayya to accept. The discussion wrapped up shortly before 9:30 in the evening, according to a source familiar with the meeting, but the real work was just beginning. After Al-Hayya left, Qatari negotiators got on the phone with their Israeli counterparts to update them on the nascent ceasefire effort. Unlike most proposals, which came from Qatar and Egypt – the two key mediators able to speak with the US, Israel, and Hamas – this plan came directly from the Trump administration. Qatari negotiators had met with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Paris last week, and President Donald Trump wanted to see progress. On Sunday, Trump issued what he described as his "last warning" to Hamas to accept the deal. He prematurely claimed Israel had accepted the proposal, even though Israeli officials had only said they were "seriously considering" it. The call between the Qatari and Israeli negotiating teams lasted until 5:00 in the morning. Hamas had promised to respond to Qatari negotiators 12 hours later. Before time was up, Israeli missiles slammed into a residential building in Doha in which Israeli intelligence believed Hamas’ senior leaders had gathered.

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