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 AP [1/3/2026 7:35 AM, Regina Garcia Cano and Konstantin Toropin, 1538K] reports that the United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said its president had been captured and flown out of the country after months of intense pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government — an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack. The legal authority for the strike — and whether Trump consulted Congress beforehand — was not immediately clear. The stunning, lightning-fast American military action, which plucked a nation’s sitting leader from office, echoed the U.S. invasion of Panama that led to the surrender and seizure of its leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega, in 1990 — exactly 36 years ago Saturday. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, would face charges after an indictment in New York. Bondi vowed in a social media post that the couple would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”Maduro was indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges, but it was not previously known that his wife had been. Early Saturday, multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through the Venezuelan capital, and Maduro’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets. With Maduro’s whereabouts not known, the vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, would take power under Venezuelan law. There was no confirmation that had happened, though she did issue a statement after the strike. “We do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” Rodriguez said. “We demand proof of life.” Maduro, Trump said, “has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.” He set a news conference for later Saturday morning. The attack itself lasted less than 30 minutes and the explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they’d seen and heard. It was not known if there were any deaths or injuries on either side or if more actions lay ahead, though Trump said in his post that the strikes were carried out “successfully.” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on X that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had briefed him on the strike and said that Maduro “has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States.” The White House did not immediately respond to queries on where Maduro and his wife were being flown to. Maduro last appeared on state television Friday while meeting with a delegation of Chinese officials in Caracas. The strike came after the Trump administration spent months increasing the pressure on Maduro, including a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America and attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean accused of carrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September. As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes was 35 and the number of people killed at least 115, according to the Trump administration. Trump said that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and has justified the boat strikes as a necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. Maduro has decried the U.S. military operations as a thinly veiled effort to oust him from power. Armed individuals and uniformed members of a civilian militia took to the streets of a Caracas neighborhood long considered a stronghold of the ruling party. As daylight broke, some rallied while holding posters of Maduro, In other areas of the city, the streets remained empty hours after the attack. Parts of the city remained without power, but vehicles moved freely. Video obtained from Caracas and an unidentified coastal city showed tracers and smoke clouding the landscape as repeated muted explosions illuminated the night sky. Other footage showed cars passing on a highway as blasts illuminated the hills behind them. The videos were verified by The Associated Press. Smoke was seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas, while another military installation in the capital was without power. The New York Times [1/3/2026 7:35 AM, Anatoly Kurmanaev and Tyler Pager, 153395K] reports that in a brief phone interview with The New York Times after the announcement, Mr. Trump celebrated the success of the mission to capture the Venezuelan president. “A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” he said. “It was a brilliant operation, actually.” When asked if he had sought congressional authority for the operation or what is next for Venezuela, Mr. Trump said he would address those matters during a news conference at 11 a.m. at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Palm Beach, Fla. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, speaking on a state-run television station after Mr. Trump’s announcement, said that Mr. Maduro’s location was unknown and asked Mr. Trump for proof he was alive. Earlier on Saturday, the government of Venezuela accused the United States of carrying out military attacks in the capital, Caracas, and other parts of the country after large explosions were reported at a military base in the city. The Venezuelan government declared a state of emergency in response to the attacks and said they had occurred in Caracas and in the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, according to a statement from the Venezuelan communications ministry. Venezuela “rejects, repudiates and denounces” U.S. military aggression, the statement said. It also called on “on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”

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New York Times [1/3/2026 5:32 AM, Tyler Pager, 153395K] reports President Trump sounded tired. It was just after 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning and 10 minutes after he announced on social media that the United States had captured Nicolás Maduro, the leader of Venezuela. I had called the president to try to better understand what happened and what comes next. He picked up after three rings and answered a few questions. Mr. Trump first celebrated the mission’s success. “A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” he told me. “It was a brilliant operation, actually.” I then asked if he had sought congressional authority before the U.S. military, along with law enforcement personnel, engaged in a “large scale strike,” as he put in on social media. “We’ll discuss that,” he said. “We’re going to have a news conference.” In his social media announcement, Mr. Trump said he would speak at 11 a.m. from Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence where he has spent the past two weeks. I tried to ask what he envisions next for Venezuela and why the high-risk mission was worth it. “You’re going to hear all about it 11 o’clock,” he said before hanging up. The call had lasted 50 seconds.

NPR [1/3/2026 5:50 AM, Carrie Kahn, 28013K] reports President Donald Trump claimed overnight that the United States carried out airstrikes in Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro, following a series of explosions and fires reported around Caracas in the early hours of the morning. In a post on Truth Social published early Saturday morning, Trump said the U.S. had "successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro," adding that Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of the country. Trump said the operation was conducted "in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement" and announced a news conference for 11 a.m.EST at Mar-a-Lago. The Venezuelan government swiftly accused the United States of launching what it called a "grave military aggression" against the country. In a statement posted on Telegram, the government said U.S. forces targeted civilian and military locations in Caracas as well as in the nearby states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira, calling the alleged attack a "flagrant violation" of the United Nations Charter. Videos circulating on social media platforms and first-person accounts indicate the blasts began around 2 a.m. local time (1 a.m. EST). A journalist in Caracas told NPR they woke up to two explosions at La Carlota military airport, located across the street from their home. They saw two fires on the runway that were quickly extinguished. Immediately afterward, they reported hearing similar detonations in other parts of the city and planes flying low over Caracas for at least an hour. Relatives later shared videos — which NPR has not independently verified — showing multiple explosions across the metropolitan area, including near a military base close to the presidential palace, Miraflores. The explosions come as the United States has been increasing pressure on the government of Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration has accused Maduro of leading a drug-trafficking organization known as the Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns. Since late August, the U.S. has deployed aircraft carriers and warships to the Caribbean. The U.S. military has struck dozens of small boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific it claimed were transporting drugs toward the U.S. At least 115 people have been killed in at least 35 known strikes on the vessels. Maduro has repeatedly accused Washington of attempting to remove him from power in order to gain access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, among the largest in the world. CBS News [1/3/2026 2:58 AM, Jennifer Jacobs, 39474K] reports at least seven explosions were heard, along with low-flying aircraft, in Venezuela’s capital city Caracas around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday. People in various neighborhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas. Trump administration officials said they were aware of reports of explosions and aircraft, sources told CBS News, but there was no immediate response to requests for the White House to comment and no immediate reaction from Venezuela’s government. President Gustavo Petro of neighboring Colombia said in a social media post that someone was "bombing Caracas in this moment," without saying who. "Alert to the whole world, they have attacked Venezuela bombing with missiles," he said, calling for a meeting of the United Nations. The reported explosions come after months of the U.S. military targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region, and as the Trump administration exerts pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Thousands of U.S. forces and several naval vessels have been deployed to the region, and President Trump has hinted for weeks at a wider possible military operation. The Trump administration has accused Maduro’s regime of collaborating with drug traffickers, which the Venezuelan government denies. The U.S. has also put pressure on Venezuela’s oil sector, seizing two sanctioned oil tankers last month. Mr. Trump announced a "total and complete blockade" on all sanctioned tankers that enter or exit Venezuela in mid-December. On Friday, Venezuela said it was open to negotiating an agreement with the United States to combat drug trafficking. Maduro also said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday that the U.S. wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves. Mr. Trump has not explicitly said what his goal for Venezuela is, but said late last month it would be "smart" for Maduro to leave power. He also warned that if Maduro "plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’ll ever be able to play tough.”

New York Times [1/3/2026 4:35 AM, Staff, 135475K] reports that, before President Trump announced on Saturday that the United States had captured President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, the U.S. military had launched one of the largest deployments of its forces to the Caribbean region in decades. The United States Southern Command said that about 15,000 troops were in the region by December. President Trump described them as a “massive armada.” In August, he had secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against Latin American drug cartels that his administration had deemed terrorist organizations. Since the signing, the United States had carried out 35 lethal strikes on boats that the administration said were carrying narcotics. The attacks have killed more than 100 people. Legal and military experts questioned the legality of the strikes. Congress has not authorized them, nor has it declared war on Venezuela. Some Trump officials have said that the main goal of the increase in troops was to drive Mr. Maduro, Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, from power. Hours before Mr. Trump announced the capture of Mr. Maduro and his wife, the Venezuelan government accused the U.S. military of carrying out attacks in the capital, Caracas, and other parts of the country. In recent months, the U.S. military buildup has included transport and cargo planes. Flight-tracking data reviewed by New York Times showed C-17 heavy-lift cargo planes — largely used for transporting military troops and equipment — conducted at least 16 flights to Puerto Rico from American military bases in one recent week. The C-17s flew to Puerto Rico from bases in New Mexico, Illinois, Vermont, Florida, Arizona, Utah, Washington State and Japan. The United States has also recently moved special-operations aircraft to the Caribbean. Since October, the U.S. forces have included a Navy expeditionary strike group consisting of amphibious warships carrying thousands of Marines, along with warplanes, attack helicopters and other aircraft. The buildup also brought the arrival in November of a full aircraft carrier strike group, with the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford and several destroyers loitering roughly 100 nautical miles off the shores of Venezuela. The Ford and its air wing, however, have not been used to attack vessels suspected of smuggling drugs. Those attacks have been launched by drones and AC-130 gunships controlled by the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command. The U.S. Coast Guard has also begun chasing, boarding and even seizing oil tankers that the White House says are violating sanctions on Caracas.

NBC News [1/3/2026 4:05 AM, Michelle Acevedo and Mahalia Dobson, 34509K] reports the President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel has condemned the strikes on Venezuela, labelling them an act of “state terrorism.” “Cuba denounces and urgently demands the reaction of the international community against the criminal attack by the U.S. on Venezuela,” he said in a post on X. Cuba and Venezuela are strong allies based on ideology, politics and economics. Cuba has sent thousands of doctors, military advisors and other professionals to Venezuela in exchange for oil.

CBS News [1/2/2026 11:20 AM, Staff, 39474K] reports Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he is open to talks with the United States on drug trafficking, oil and migration issues amid weeks of an escalating pressure campaign by the Trump administration. In a pretaped interview on state TV that aired Thursday, the South American leader said he is ready for dialogue with the U.S. "wherever they want to whenever they want." He evaded a question about a strike last week at a Venezuela docking area that the Trump administration believed was used by cartels. During the interview, Maduro reiterated that the U.S. wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the monthslong pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August. "What are they seeking? It is clear that they seek to impose themselves through threats, intimidation and force," Maduro said, later adding that it is time for both nations to "start talking seriously, with data in hand." "The U.S. government knows, because we’ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we’re ready," he said. "If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for U.S. investment, like with Chevron, whenever they want it, wherever they want it and however they want it." [Editorial note: consult video at source link] Univision [1/2/2026 6:25 AM, Staff, 5004K] reports that earlier this week, Trump claimed that the United States had destroyed a docking area for vessels allegedly used to transport drugs in Venezuela, and that this would represent Washington’s first ground attack in the South American country. "That’s something we can discuss in a few days," Maduro told Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet, who asked him for details on the matter after noting that the Venezuelan government "has neither confirmed nor denied this information." "What I can tell you is that the national defense system has guaranteed and continues to guarantee territorial integrity , the peace of the country, and the use and enjoyment of all our territories. Our people are safe and at peace. I can give you a little preview," Maduro replied in the interview, recorded on Wednesday. Given the lack of details about the location of the operation by the United States, speculation arose on social media that a fire at the warehouses of Primazol, a chemical wholesaler in Maracaibo, may have been related to the attack. Colombian President Gustavo Petro fueled those rumors by claiming that "Trump bombed a factory in Maracaibo" where, he said, "they mix coca paste to make cocaine." "President Petro, we don’t package or manufacture any type of narcotics here," responded the company’s head, Eduardo Siu.

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CNN [1/2/2026 6:16 PM, Jennifer Hansler and Michael Williams, 606K] reports Russia filed a formal diplomatic request that the United States stop pursuing an oil tanker originally bound for Venezuela that has evaded US custody for almost two weeks, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The demarche sent to the State Department on New Year’s Eve comes as the vessel, called the Bella 1, appeared on Russia’s official register of ships under a new name. It is unclear if the diplomatic request, first reported by New York Times, will halt the US efforts to interdict the oil tanker. The ship was initially headed for Venezuela before turning around to avoid seizure by the US Coast Guard. President Donald Trump last month declared a complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers transiting to or from Venezuela. Russia’s request comes as the Trump administration continues intense efforts to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Trump has spoken twice with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past week.

Daily Wire [1/2/2026 7:11 AM, Jennie Taer, 2494K] reports that federal authorities said Friday that they thwarted an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack that was planned for New Year’s Eve at a grocery store and fast food restaurant in Mint Hill, North Carolina. United States citizen Christian Sturdivant, 18, allegedly planned to massacre Americans using "knives and hammers" in the Charlotte suburb after he became radicalized online, federal authorities revealed during a press conference Friday. He planned to become a "martyr" in the attack. "He was preparing for Jihad and innocent people were going to die," Russ Ferguson, the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, opened Friday’s presser. "He was targeting Jews, Christians and LGBTQ individuals," Ferguson said. Sturdivant, who worked at a local Burger King, was previously on law enforcement’s radar in January 2022, when he was just 14-years-old and communicating on social media with an overseas ISIS member who instructed him to dress in all black, knock on people’s doors and attack them with a hammer, James Barnacle, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Charlotte, said Friday. He was stopped from carrying out the attack by his own family, Barnacle added. Sturdivant then underwent psychological care and did not face charges. At the time, the FBI was told that Sturdivant "no longer had access to social media," which they learned "wasn’t true" on Dec. 18, according to Barnacle. FOX News [1/2/2026 11:11 AM, Greg Norman, 40621K] reports Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill — a town outside Charlotte — was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said. "The FBI and our partners continued working 24/7 over the holidays protecting the American people, and this case out of Charlotte foiling another alleged New Years Eve attacker is the latest example of their tremendous work," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Our teams quickly identified the threat and acted decisively — no doubt saving American lives in the process. Thanks to our Joint Terrorism Task Force and regional partners both in New York and Western North Carolina for their efforts." Prosecutors said the alleged plot was foiled after Sturdivant recently began communicating online with an individual he "believed to be affiliated with ISIS but in reality was a government online covert employee," who is referred to in a criminal complaint as "OC." In one of the communications on Dec. 14, Sturdivant allegedly sent the OC an image of two hammers and a knife. Ferguson said during a press conference on Friday that the attack was planned to take place in Mint Hill and the suspect worked at a Burger King. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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FOX News [1/2/2026 1:43 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports that Fox News Justice correspondent David Spunt and DHS public affairs assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin discuss a foiled alleged New Year’s Eve terror attack from an 18-year-old U.S. citizen who believed he was working with ISIS and more. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/2/2026 5:08 PM, Sophia Compton, 40621K] reports an off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot an armed neighbor after the man began firing shots into the air at a Los Angeles apartment complex late Wednesday night, authorities said. The incident happened at around 10:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve near the intersection of Roscoe Boulevard and Louise Avenue in the Northridge neighborhood. A man began shooting a rifle, prompting the off-duty federal agent to intervene, FOX 11 reported, citing the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). "It was like a lot of shots," a resident told FOX 11. "It was more than 10 shots, it was a lot of shots, and we got scared, but I thought it was something like fireworks." The off-duty ICE agent, who has not been publicly identified, confronted the man before firing his weapon. He then immediately called 911, according to the New York Post. The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene, and the officer was not injured. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described the off-duty officer’s actions as "brave," saying he intervened to "protect his life and that of others." "On December 31st, an off-duty ICE Officer bravely responded to an active shooter situation at his apartment complex. In order to protect his life and that of others, he was forced to defensively use his weapon and exchanged gunfire with the shooter," McLaughlin told Fox News Digital in an email. "Fortunately, our brave officer was not injured while protecting his community." The LAPD responded to the scene and is conducting an ongoing investigation into the shooting, McLaughlin said.

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Los Angeles Times [1/2/2026 9:11 PM, Libor Jany and James Queally, 14862K] reports in the days since an off-duty U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a man who federal officials said was firing a weapon in a Northridge apartment complex, Los Angeles police officials have offered few details about the events leading up to the deadly New Year’s Eve encounter. Deputy LAPD Chief Alan Hamilton said the incident is being investigated by the Robbery-Homicide Division, which handles all shootings by officers from outside law enforcement agencies. On the federal side, he said, the case is being handled by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Justice and Homeland Security Investigations. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said after the incident that the ICE agent was responding to an "active shooter situation" at his apartment complex, but the lack of injuries to anyone else at the scene and statements from neighbors have fueled speculation that the man may have been ringing in the new year by shooting a gun into the air. Hamilton said it was "too early to tell" if that was the case. He said police detectives haven’t yet spoken with the agent involved to get his version of events due to protocols on how deadly force investigations are conducted with federal law enforcement officers. After the incident, Homeland Security officials released a brief statement that said the agent opened fire "In order to protect his life and that of others." "He was forced to defensively use his weapon and exchanged gunfire with the shooter," said Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary of public affairs, adding that the ICE agent contacted police afterward.

FOX Business [1/2/2026 10:17 AM, Staff, 10085K] reports Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin discusses the government’s efforts in Minnesota amid fraud allegations and the audits of citizenship cases on ‘Mornings with Maria.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [1/2/2026 1:34 PM, Lowell Cauffiel, 2416K] reports that more charges of deceitful exploitation of federal government programs continue to emerge in Minnesota with the Small Business Administration (SBA) announcing Thursday it has suspended 6,900 borrowers after finding widespread suspected fraud in pandemic-era loans. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said a review of thousands of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) loans approved in Minnesota revealed nearly $400 million in potential fraud. "In total, these borrowers were approved for 7900 PPP and EIDL loans worth approximately $400M," she wrote on X on Thursday. "These individuals will be banned from all SBA loan programs, including disaster loans, going forward," Loeffler continued. "We will also refer every case, where appropriate, to federal law enforcement for prosecution and repayment." The announcement comes as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and his administration face revelations of billions of dollars in social services fraud, substantial amounts of it allegedly connected to the state’s large Somali community, and the reports coming almost daily. The alleged fraud covers a range of human services programs, including most recently a report of federal funds tapped for childcare centers that allegedly care for no kids.

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CBS News [1/2/2026 7:16 PM, Nick Lentz, 39474K] reports nine of the Minnesota child care centers that were discussed in a viral video, prompting allegations of fraud, were "operating as expected" when state investigators conducted on-site checks this week, officials said on Friday. The video posted late last month by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley alleged nearly a dozen day care facilities in the state that are receiving public funds are not actually providing services. The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families said in a news release Friday that officials with the state’s Office of Inspector General carried out compliance checks this week as part of an "ongoing commitment to oversight." Children were present during eight of the nine inspections, the agency said. One of the facilities did not have children present because it was not yet open for the day when inspectors were at the site. "Investigators confirmed the centers were operating as expected, gathered evidence and initiated further review," the state agency said in its release. CBS News Minnesota conducted its own analysis of nearly a dozen day care centers mentioned by Shirley. All but two have active licenses, according to state records, and all active locations were visited by state regulators within the last six months. One, Sweet Angel Child Care, Inc., was subject to an unannounced inspection as recently as Dec. 4. CBS News’ review found dozens of citations related to safety, cleanliness, equipment and staff training, among other violations, but there was no recorded evidence of fraud. Department of Homeland Security agents conducted what DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called a "massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud" on Dec. 29 in Minneapolis following the release of the video. Two DHS officials told CBS News that the agents were expected to inspect over 30 sites that day.

AP [1/2/2026 8:42 PM, Charlotte Kramon, 4829K] reports Minnesota officials have until next week to hand over information on providers and parents who receive federal child care funds that the Trump administration contends have been used fraudulently or risk losing federal funding. State officials said Friday recent inspections showed several childcare centers accused of fraud by a right-wing influencer were “operating as expected.” In an email sent Friday to child care providers and shared with The Associated Press by multiple providers, Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families said it has until Jan. 9 to provide information about recipients of the funds. The announcement earlier this week by the Trump administration that it would freeze child care funds to Minnesota and the rest of the states comes after a series of fraud cases involving government programs in which many defendants were Somali, as were many of those running spotlighted childcare centers. Allegations of fraud at the child care centers went viral recently when a right-wing influencer posted a video claiming there was fraud taking place, putting Minnesota and some other states in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. Allegations of fraud at the child care centers went viral recently when a right-wing influencer posted a video claiming there was fraud taking place, putting Minnesota and some other states in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. The email sent Friday instructed providers and families who rely on the frozen federal child care program to continue the program’s “licensing and certification requirements and practices as usual.” It does not say that recipients themselves need to take any action or provide any information. “We recognize the alarm and questions this has raised,” the email said. “We found out about the freezing of funds at the same time everyone else did on social media.”

FOX News [1/3/2026 6:08 AM, Michael Sinkewicz, 40621K] Video: HERE reports Minnesota officials have until next week to turn over information on child care providers and parents receiving federal funds or risk losing federal child care funding, according to a notice sent to providers. Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) told child care providers in an email Friday that information about funding recipients has to be sent to the federal government by Jan. 9, The Associated Press reported. The notification came after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Tuesday it will freeze all child care payments to Minnesota following fraud allegations involving some child care centers. "We recognize the alarm and questions this has raised," DCYF said in the email. "We found out about the freezing of funds at the same time everyone else did on social media." The DCYF instructed providers and families relying on the frozen funds to continue the program’s "licensing and certification requirements and practices as usual." The email does not say if recipients need to take any action or provide any information. The state agency said it "did not receive a formal communication from the federal government until late Tuesday night," after the DHS announced it would freeze all child care payments to Minnesota. All states must submit additional verification before receiving more child care funding. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/2/2026 2:16 PM, y Michael Dorgan, Charles Creitz, and Andrew Mark Miller, 40621K] reports that President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is demanding records from Minnesota related to its voter registration practices, raising concerns about the state’s same-day "vouching" policy. The policy allows a registered voter to "vouch" for up to eight people seeking same-day registration, and it has come under fresh scrutiny amid broader concerns about election integrity in the wake of Minnesota’s massive welfare fraud scandal. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon on Friday, requesting unredacted records covering the March 2024 primary and the November 2024 general election. Dhillon called on the state to hand over digital records related to same-day registrations, votes cast by same-day registrants and audit and compliance records under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). "The basis and purpose of this demand is to ensure Minnesota’s registration and voting practices are in compliance with federal law, particularly the minimum requirements under HAVA," Dhillon wrote in the letter she shared on X. "The Department of Justice is particularly concerned with votes and registrations accepted on the basis of ‘vouching’ from other registered voters or residential facility employees, as well as other same-day registration procedures." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsMax [1/2/2026 8:37 PM, Eric Mack, 4109K] reports Democrat Gov. Tim Walz might already be under federal investigation for knowledge of Minnesota’s Somali child-care fraud, according to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin on Newsmax. "I’m not going to get too far ahead of it," McLaughlin told Friday night’s "Finnerty," "but he should be aware that we’re looking at culpability in this.". The scope of the investigation and direct connections to Walz were not shared by McLaughlin, though she acknowledged the issue when asked how closely Walz himself was being scrutinized. "I think that Tim Walz may be culpable or at least complicit in this," she told host Rob Finnerty. "How would he not? It was right under his nose." Walz has publicly defended his oversight over fraud allegations, an admission that begs the question about why he never called in the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, or other federal agencies, she added. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/2/2026 7:00 AM, Morgan Phillips Fox, 40621K] reports a massive fraud scandal tied to taxpayer-funded daycare, Medicaid and social services programs in Minnesota — involving potentially billions of dollars in suspicious billing — is prompting renewed scrutiny of whether some naturalized Americans obtained U.S. citizenship under false pretenses and whether denaturalization could now be used more aggressively. The fallout has already led the Department of Health and Human Services to freeze certain childcare payments to Minnesota, citing alleged fraud involving daycare providers throughout the past decade. Immigration authorities have confirmed they are reviewing whether fraud uncovered in Minnesota could provide the legal basis to revoke U.S. citizenship from naturalized individuals who concealed or misrepresented material facts during the immigration process. Denaturalization is legally constrained, requires individualized civil court proceedings and historically has been used sparingly. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on "Fox & Friends" that the administration is "not afraid to use denaturalization," and confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department are "looking at" whether citizenship could be revoked in connection with those of Somali origin in the Minnesota fraud probe. DHS confirmed it is actively reviewing immigration and naturalization cases involving migrants from 19 countries of concern, including Somalia, to determine whether any individuals obtained U.S. citizenship through fraud that could warrant denaturalization. "Under U.S. law, if an individual procures citizenship on a fraudulent basis, that is grounds for denaturalization," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News.

NewsMax [1/2/2026 8:46 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports Ron Vitiello, a senior adviser to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told Newsmax on Friday that federal authorities are using a "whole of government" approach to confront what he described as an organized fraud operation that has flourished in Minnesota for years. In an appearance on "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Vitiello told guest host Bob Brooks that the scale and duration of the alleged fraud make clear that officials "can’t claim to not know what was going on," noting public reporting and court activity tied to the case dates to at least 2017. "This is a long-term problem," Vitiello said. "It is, in fact, organized crime committed at the hands of people who came into the country undervetted or not vetted at all and crossed illegally." Vitiello said those individuals exploited existing government programs that were intended to help vulnerable communities, turning them into what he described as "a pipeline for the left" and "potentially for terrorists.". "I don’t think it’s unique to Minnesota," Vitiello said. "But now they have the attention of every American citizen, anybody that’s paying attention." The Department of Health and Human Services has cut off certain child care payments, and the FBI and Department of Justice are conducting criminal investigations. The Small Business Administration has suspended borrowers tied to suspected fraud, and the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are conducting enforcement operations, including in-person visits. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has said U.S. law allows citizenship to be revoked when it is procured under false pretenses. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [1/2/2026 4:00 AM, Ray Sanchez and Cheri Mossburg,18595K] reports the Trump administration, for the second time in recent weeks, is using allegations of fraud to justify increased federal law enforcement actions in Minnesota, the state with the country’s largest Somali population. The latest surge in federal resources — from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security — followed the release of a widely circulated video in which 23-year-old YouTube content creator Nick Shirley alleges, with little evidence, to have uncovered widespread fraud at Somali-run child care centers. The accusations are the most recent in a series of fraud scandals involving state social service programs that provided meals for needy children during the pandemic, Medicaid housing assistance and other safety nets which benefit needy families. The alleged schemes prompted a fresh gush of fury and vitriol from the administration of President Donald Trump and state GOP leaders, who have demanded a crackdown on the waste of taxpayer dollars for social services they said were never provided.

Univision [1/2/2026 3:10 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports a federal judge in Utah ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Federico Reyes Vásquez, a man who was unjustly deported, according to authorities. Judge Jill Parrish gave them 21 days to do so, by January 20. The district judge’s order came on December 31, after government officials acknowledged that they deported him to Mexico despite court directives requiring him to remain in Utah while his case was pending. ICE agents detained Reyes Vásquez in mid-December; the reason is unclear, according to his relatives. His family filed a motion alleging that his detention was illegal, and it is currently under review. Federico Reyes Vásquez was deported on December 23, despite the fact that the judge ruled a day earlier that he should not be expelled from the country, while the detention was being reviewed, which is considered in court documents as a “direct violation of the court order”. According to official information, although ICE agents were aware of an order preventing his deportation, those in charge of deportations were unaware of it. Later, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents said they could coordinate with Reyes’s lawyers if he decided to return to the US. Jill Parrish ruled in her decision that the Trump administration must provide Reyes Vásquez with transportation or financial support for his return to the United States, because he, in central Mexico, “may lack the funds to return.”

New York Times [1/3/2026 3:19 AM, Lydia DePillis and Campbell Robertson, 153395K] reports that, across the United States, someone is missing. One year into President Trump’s immigration crackdown, construction firms in Louisiana are scrambling to find carpenters. Hospitals in West Virginia have lost out on doctors and nurses who were planning to come from overseas. A neighborhood soccer league in Memphis cannot field enough teams because immigrant children have stopped showing up. America is closing its doors to the world, sealing the border, squeezing the legal avenues to entry and sending new arrivals and longtime residents to the exits. Visa fees have been jacked up, refugee admissions are almost zero and international student admissions have dropped. The rollback of temporary legal statuses granted under the Biden administration has rendered hundreds of thousands more people newly vulnerable to removal at any time. The administration says it has already expelled more than 600,000 people. Shrinking the foreign-born population won’t happen overnight. Oxford Economics estimates that net immigration is running at about 450,000 people a year under current policies. That is well below the two million to three million a year who came in under the Biden administration. The share of the country’s population that is foreign born hit 14.8 percent in 2024, a high not seen since 1890. But White House officials have made clear they are aiming for something closer to the immigration shutdown of the 1920s, when Congress, at the crest of a decades-long surge in nativism, barred entry of people from half of the world and brought net immigration down to zero. The share of the foreign-born population bottomed out at 4.7 percent in 1970. Stephen Miller, a top adviser to Mr. Trump, has extolled those decades of low immigration as the last time the United States was “an undisputed global superpower.” Whether or not restrictions will restore some of what Mr. Miller views as a midcentury idyll, there’s little doubt that major changes are in store. Immigration has woven itself so tightly through the country’s fabric — in classrooms and hospital wards, city parks and concert halls, corporate boardrooms and factory floors — that walling off the country now will profoundly alter daily life for millions of Americans. Grocery stores and churches are quieter in immigrant neighborhoods. Fewer students show up in Los Angeles and New York City. In South Florida, Billo’s Caracas Boys, a Venezuelan orchestra, puts on an annual holiday concert where generations of families come to dance salsas and paso dobles. This year, the orchestra announced at the last minute that it was canceling the show because so many people are nervous about leaving home. The changes will also be felt hundreds of miles from any ocean or national border, even in the snow-washed streets of Marshalltown, Iowa, a city of 28,000 about an hour’s drive northeast of Des Moines.

Daily Caller [1/2/2026 10:55 AM, Jason Hopkins, 835K] reports a New England state that hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate in over two decades has effectively banned sanctuary jurisdictions. Republican New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed two bills into law in May, House Bill 511 and Senate Bill 62, which largely ban sanctuary city policies and mandate more cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Both laws have officially gone into effect with the start of the new year, aiding the Trump administration as it aims to build on its nationwide deportation operation. HB 511 mandates municipalities across the state to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers when “safe to do so” and bans policies to ignore federal immigration directives, among other changes, according to the legislation. SB 62 revokes state and local governments’ authority to prevent their respective law enforcement agencies from entering into voluntary agreements with ICE. “As of today, sanctuary cities are officially banned in New Hampshire,” Ayotte said in a public statement Thursday. “We will never go the way of Massachusetts and their billion-dollar illegal immigration crisis.”

New York Times [1/2/2026 5:01 AM, Camille Baker, 153395K] reports in the first year of his return to the White House, President Trump embarked on a sweeping crackdown on immigration that led to more than 500,000 people being deported from the United States. My colleagues Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Todd Heisler traveled from New York City to the southern border and Mexico to document the effort — what happened and who was left behind. Ferré-Sadurní, a reporter, and Heisler, a photographer, answered questions from me over email about how they approached the story and what they learned.

Washington Post [1/3/2026 6:00 AM, Karina Elwood and Gregory S. Schneider, 24149K] reports Virginia officials reached an agreement with the Justice Department in its effort to bar undocumented students from receiving in-state tuition, sparking criticism from advocacy groups and the incoming Democratic state attorney general. The Legal Aid Justice Center and the ACLU of Virginia filed an emergency motion to intervene in the case, saying affected students deserve a chance to be heard in court. It was filed on behalf of the Dream Project, which serves immigrant students pursuing higher education across Virginia. “The Attorney General of Virginia has abandoned his duties to defend Virginia law and the people of the Commonwealth, so we must,” ACLU of VA senior immigrants’ rights attorney Sophia Gregg said in a statement, adding the agreement was an effort “to manufacture a predetermined outcome to deprive Virginian students of not only their futures but their day in court.” The Justice Department sued Virginia on Monday, saying its in-state tuition benefit for undocumented students violated the law by favoring them over citizens from other states who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for the lower rates. The following day, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), who leaves office later this month, entered an agreement with the Department of Justice asking for a consent judgment, essentially saying that his office would not defend the law in court. According to the motion, the “parties agree” that the Virginia policies violate federal law “insofar as they apply to aliens who are not lawfully present in the United States,” and requested the court to rule as such. The proposed agreement follows similar deals reached in other Republican-led states with the Justice Department over tuition for undocumented students.

Roll Call [1/2/2026 6:30 AM, Michael Macagnone, 548K] reports the Trump administration has spent months on a campaign to collect nonpublic voter data from nearly every state, facing pushback from states and concerns from privacy advocates. President Donald Trump and Justice Department officials have cast the effort as a push to clamp down on alleged voting fraud, amid a broader Trump administration effort to collect data about Americans. Justice Department officials contend that the requests to states, and the lawsuits the government has filed against those who haven’t turned over the voter information, are needed to keep American elections secure. "Clean voter rolls protect American citizens from voting fraud and abuse, and restore their confidence that their states’ elections are conducted properly, with integrity, and in compliance with the law," Harmeet Dhillon, the head of the DOJ Civil Rights Division, said when announcing several lawsuits against states. Frank Torres, a civil rights and technology fellow at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said that "people are alarmed and more ought to be alarmed by this" effort, saying the Justice Department is compiling a "de facto national citizenship database." Torres said he and others are concerned that the Trump administration will use the data to attempt to feed into a system like SAVE, administered by the Department of Homeland Security to try to find noncitizens or otherwise ineligible registered voters. "If anything, we should be making moves to expand to make sure every eligible voter should vote," Torres said. "The real impetus for this is the opposite, to try and kick people off of the voter rolls, which is the speculation for one of the reasons for this.".

Wall Street Journal [1/2/2026 5:29 PM, Staff, 646K] reports Republicans are having a field day with Minnesota’s welfare fraud, and understandably so. But while Gov. Tim Walz and Somali migrants may be easy political targets, the GOP will let this scandal go to waste if it fails to explain how vast government welfare payments have become an invitation for fraud and abuse. The Trump Health and Human Services Department Tuesday said it is suspending federal child-care payments to Minnesota after a social-media personality claimed day-care centers run by Somali residents committed up to $100 million in fraud. That assertion hasn’t been corroborated, and over-egging fraud claims won’t help reform. But Minnesota’s varieties of government fraud are prompting welcome scrutiny of its welfare system. Visitors to the state government website could mistake it for an internet scam because it advertises so many handouts—cash, housing support, child care, food, emergency assistance and more. These are on top of federal transfer payments. With so much money and so many programs, this vast system is an open vault for scammers—especially when politicians are loathe to police fraud because doing so might be called “racist” or “anti-poor.” But it’s also corrupting for beneficiaries who have an incentive to remain on the dole rather than build an independent life. Republicans complain about fraud, but too few want to tackle the perverse incentives that allow it to flourish. Annual government transfer payments have increased by some $1.7 trillion to $4.9 trillion since the start of the pandemic, roughly double the rate of inflation. Minnesota’s problem isn’t immigrants. It’s the welfare state that corrupts them.

Wall Street Journal [1/2/2026 1:18 PM, Kate Farmer, 646K] reports at the Armoni Inn & Suites, rooms boast modern appliances and glossy wood furniture, while a chandelier hovers in the foyer near a swanky sitting area. Suitable for the business traveler, it seems an unlikely choice for the emergency housing of migrants. The city of New York, however, paid more than $800,000 for 4,902 room-nights to put up asylum-seekers in this hotel, some 30 miles north of downtown Manhattan. Yet no migrants ever stayed at the Armoni, which became a symbol of rampant waste and abuse in the city’s hapless contracting with human-services companies and nonprofits. How did it happen? The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development in 2023 gave mobile healthcare company DocGo a $432 million contract for migrant housing. Because Mayor Eric Adams had directed agencies to use emergency housing procurements, DocGo didn’t have to bid against any competitors. Although it had no prior experience providing housing or homeless services, DocGo received exclusive consideration. City Comptroller Brad Lander rejected the contract, already under way, citing concerns about DocGo’s “integrity” and “responsibility” and HPD’s failure to justify the price tag. But Mr. Adams overrode Mr. Lander and approved the deal. In the first two months of DocGo’s contract, a comptroller audit found, $11 million of its $13.8 million in invoices were unsupported. Expenses included $1.7 million for nearly 10,000 nights of empty hotel rooms (half of which were at the Armoni), more than $2 million for unauthorized security staff and caseworkers, and another $2 million in staff hours that were never recorded. Yet Mr. Adams refused to terminate DocGo’s contract, and by the end of its 12-month term the city had paid the company $182 million.

FOX News [1/2/2026 3:02 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports Fox News correspondent Matt Finn and Tricia McLaughlin have the latest developments on ‘America Reports.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Federal Newswire [1/3/2026 12:20 AM, Staff] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a series of arrests targeting individuals described as some of the most serious criminal illegal aliens in the United States. The agency stated that these actions were part of an ongoing effort to remove people convicted of violent crimes from communities. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security commented on the recent operations, saying, “In President Trump’s first year in office, ICE law enforcement relentlessly targeted the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens across our country. Just yesterday ICE arrested domestic abusers, drug traffickers, and a monster who raped a child under 12-years-old. Our New Year’s resolution for 2026: more worst of the worst arrests. We are thankful to all our officers who put their lives on the line day-in and day-out to deliver safer neighborhoods for American families.” Among those arrested were Artemio Gabriel-Perez from Guatemala, convicted in Kentucky for raping a child under 12; Julian Ramos-Vicente from Guatemala, convicted of aggravated assault in Georgia; Panfilo Padilla-Garcia from Mexico, convicted of domestic violence assault in Nevada; Muhammad Baloch from Pakistan, convicted for manufacturing or delivering controlled substances in Texas; and Gabino Huerta-Navarrete from Mexico, convicted of alien smuggling by a federal court in Texas. ICE emphasized its continued focus on arresting individuals with convictions related to violent crimes and other serious offenses.

Just the News [1/2/2026 5:35 PM, Misty Severi, 844K] reports the Department of Homeland Security on Friday celebrated an influx of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, which increased by a historic 120% in 2025. The department began pushing for new agents in August, offering competitive salaries and benefits that include a $50,000 signing bonus, enhanced retirement benefits and student loan repayment and forgiveness options. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the surge of new agents, which went from 10,000 ICE agents to 22,000 agents during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second administration, is because of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. "We now have an additional 12,000 ICE agents on the ground across the country," McLaughlin said on Fox Business. "That’s a 120% increase in our workforce, and that’s just in about four months. That really is remarkable. I think that’s a major bright spot in what this administration has been able to do over the past year." The hiring spree comes after the Trump administration deployed thousands of ICE and Border Patrol agents in multiple Democratic-run cities last year to carry out major immigration crackdowns by arresting and deporting illegal migrants.

CBS News [1/2/2026 1:00 PM, Dan Raby, 39474K] reports that officials in the Georgia city of Social Circle are pushing back a reported plan by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to turn a warehouse in the city limits into a holding center for immigrant detainees. In December, the Washington Post reported on a draft solicitation by ICE that would use "large-scale warehouses holding 5,000 to 10,000 each" before deportation. Social Circle was one of seven cities named as being the proposed site for one of those warehouses, with the others located in Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, and Missouri. The plan would also include 16 processing sites that would hold up to 1,500 people each, the Post reported. One of those proposed sites could be located in Jefferson, Georgia. The agency plans to modify the warehouses for human use, adding housing units, kitchens, a dining area, recreation areas, a medical unit, and more, the newspaper reported. On New Year’s Eve, Social Circle officials released a statement about the plan on Facebook that said they learned about ICE’s draft solicitation through media reports. "To date, no representative of the federal government, ICE, or the property owner has contacted the City in any way," the statement read.

CBS Chicago [1/2/2026 5:26 PM, Sabrina Franza, 39474K] reports a 70-year-old grandmother from the Philippines who was facing deportation on Friday morning has been allowed to remain in the country, after her removal was because of immediate medical concerns. Rebecca Pinyerd’s family was able to prove she was unfit to fly, even if that flight was meant to be her deportation. She was scheduled to be deported to the Philippines on a flight from O’Hare International Airport, but her family said she suffers from a list of medical issues, including severe kidney disease, thyroid issues, and uncontrolled blood pressure. They raised those issues to United Airlines, which subsequently cancelled her deportation flight because she wasn’t fit to fly. She has been returned to Clay County Jail in Indiana, where she has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, after more than 40 years in the U.S. Pinyerd’s family admits she served 19 years in prison for drug charges after she was arrested more than 20 years ago. After she was released, Pinyerd was required to check in once a year with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It was during one of those check-ins when she was taken into federal custody in March. It was unclear why Pinyerd was detained in the first place. Her family said she has an active green card.

Axios [1/2/2026 3:35 PM, Brittany Gibson, 12972K] reports ICE is putting worksite enforcement on the front-burner amid viral uproar over fraud allegations at government-funded child care centers in Minnesota. Throughout 2025, the administration downplayed the potential for broad worksite raids and labor enforcement. It received public pushback in instances when it did happen and the administration apologized after a major raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia. The Department of Homeland Security’s social media campaign hasn’t typically highlighted the worksite enforcement arm of ICE’s operations. But in a post sharing video of a business site visit in Minnesota, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote, "More coming." The most recent wave of enforcement comes after a popular video from YouTuber Nick Shirley claimed that there was fraud at multiple day care centers in the area. Both Noem and FBI director Kash Patel responded to the allegations. Earlier in December, the local U.S. Attorney’s Office charged six people and secured a guilty plea from one woman in ongoing fraud schemes. The attention on fraud in Minnesota has been a months-long project for DHS with Operation Twin Shield, starting in September, and President Trump calling attention to the issue at a Cabinet meeting in early December. The American people deserve answers on how their taxpayer money is being used and ARRESTS when abuse is found," a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to Axios. "Our investigative agents are conducting a massive operation to identify, arrest, and remove criminals who are defrauding the American people. We will root out this rampant fraud plaguing Minnesota."

The Bulwark [1/2/2026 11:40 PM, Adrian Carrasquillo, 1100K] reports although Donald Trump’s immigration agenda is becoming less and less popular with voters, the president has shown no interest in slowing it down or scaling it back in the new year. In fact, the federal crackdown is likely to only grow in scope and intensity, as Reuters reported. And as three former DHS officials in contact with their former colleagues at the agency each described to me, the expectation among current officials is that one Democratic-led city in particular is about to become the next focus of arrests, detentions, and deportations: Phoenix. A more robust DHS presence in the Phoenix metropolitan area would mark a new phase in the Trump operations—not just because it would take place in one of the country’s most significant swing states (and a border one, at that), but because it would likely involve a greater expenditure of federal resources than prior operations in other cities have required. ICE is flush with cash following last year’s passage of the president’s signature piece of legislation, the “Big Beautiful Bill.” And the administration is looking to use that money to dramatically expand its detention capabilities. Residents in Arizona have already been fighting plans to turn the former Marana prison outside Tucson into a detention center. And the Washington Post reported recently that ICE is planning to construct seven large-scale industrial holding centers—including a facility in Glendale. One of the three former senior DHS officials said that adding thousands more beds in the areas surrounding Phoenix would allow the administration to turn the city into a “hub of removal” in the Southwest. “Right now, if you put 5,000 more beds in Phoenix, you have more expansive throughput,” the former senior DHS official said. An increase on that level would make it possible for federal agents to significantly expand their operations in other Western cities, including Denver, Las Vegas, and L.A. “Arizona becomes another hub like [the Rio Grande Processing Center],” the official added.

FOX News [1/2/2026 12:03 PM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports an affordable housing nonprofit and group of nearby residents filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), asking the court to "preclude" the agency from deploying tear gas and chemical or smoke-related munitions that were affecting nearby homes in Oregon. The suit comes amid months of clashes between DHS agents and anti-immigration-enforcement groups, including Antifa, outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility near Interstate 5, where illegal immigrants have been detained and processed. The Gray’s Landing houses involved in the suit — which was brought by REACH Community Development and supported by the progressive groups Democracy Forward and Protect Democracy — lies kitty-corner to the ICE facility on the Willamette River. In the filing, the plaintiffs called DHS’ actions "shocking" and asked the court to ban immigration enforcement agents from using chlorobenzalmalononitrile (CS gas/"tear gas") and other crowd control tools "unless the use of such munitions is necessary to protect against an imminent and concrete threat to the lives of federal officers or other persons.". The suit claims officers have deployed pepper balls, CS gas and the like "toward and around" the low-income housing complex "repeatedly when faced with no violence from protesters or imminent risk of harm." The nearby residents claimed to have suffered acute respiratory distress, ocular burning sensations and post-traumatic stress disorder episodes due to ICE’s forceful enforcement strategies.

Los Angeles Times [1/2/2026 8:40 PM, Ruben Vives, 14862K] reports a year-end wave of immigration raids in the Central Coast led to the apprehension of 147 people, sparking outrage from elected officials and immigrant-rights groups. Federal immigration agents took people from their homes, job sites, businesses and on the streets as they ran errands, Santa Maria City Councilmember Gloria Soto said during a Friday morning news conference. She said at least 87 people were taken by agents in her town from Saturday through Tuesday. "This makes Santa Maria the epicenter of what we have been seeing over the holiday break," she said. "It’s devastating because this is happening during the holiday season when people are supposed to be with their loved ones.". A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

Daily Caller [1/2/2026 4:52 PM, Hailey Gomez, 835K] reports the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors revealed days before Christmas that 367 small businesses "economically impacted" by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were awarded grants totaling $1.53 million. California began ramping up its pushback against the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration in June, prompting Democrats in the state to pursue legal challenges. On Dec. 23, however, the DEO and Los Angeles County Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis and Janice Hahn announced a new approach, saying the state would now push back through the Small Business Resiliency Fund (SBRF). According to the press release, Solis and Hahn officially launched the initiative Sept. 29. The motion was first introduced June 17, presenting the fund as a way to support businesses "directly affected by immigration enforcement activities, among other economic resiliency and humanitarian-focused actions." Overall, the analysis estimated about $379 million in fiscal losses to local governments. Since it’s launch the SBRF received over 3,400 applications from small businesses throughout the county.

FOX News [1/2/2026 5:36 PM, Louis Casiano, 40621K] reports Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California., on Wednesday promised to revoke the driver’s license of federal immigration agents who wear masks. Swalwell, who is running for governor, appeared on MS NOW where he was asked about what he brings to the table as leader of the state. A California law banning ICE officers from wearing masks while conducting operations was supposed to go into effect on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security has vowed not to comply with the measure and the Trump administration is suing the state over the issue. The law is on hold and a hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12. On Friday, Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said the state doesn’t have the authority to regulate federal authorities. Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department, criticized Salwell over his remarks.

FOX News [1/2/2026 5:17 PM, Ashley Oliver, 40621K] reports a Department of Justice official took a jab at a California state senator on Friday after the lawmaker, a Democrat running to succeed retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., erroneously claimed his state began enforcing a mask ban against federal immigration officers. Jesus Osete, the No. 2 official in the DOJ Civil Rights Division, pointed out that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration agreed in court to temporarily hold off on enforcing the ban while a lawsuit over it plays out. Osete’s remark came in response to San Francisco-based state Sen. Scott Wiener, who posted a video Thursday boasting that the ban was active. The Trump administration sued California in November, arguing that two bills, including the No Secret Police Act introduced by Wiener, violated the Constitution’s supremacy clause, which says that when federal and state laws conflict with one another, federal laws win out. The No Secret Police Act attempted to bar ICE officers from wearing masks in certain circumstances after a series of high-profile immigration raids in the state that involved some officers fully concealing their faces with ski masks. As part of the lawsuit, California officials agreed in December to hold off on enforcing the mask ban against ICE agents until the court could hear arguments in the case. A federal judge is weighing whether to grant the Trump administration’s request for a preliminary injunction against the mask ban. But the briefing schedule stretches through next week, and a hearing on the matter is set for Jan. 12. The judge could make a decision soon after the hearing, and if he were to rule in favor of California, the state could begin enforcing its ban at that point.

NPR [1/2/2026 2:02 PM, Ximena Bustillo, 28013K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security is pausing the immigration applications from an additional 20 countries after an expansion of travel restrictions took effect Jan. 1. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, in a memo released Thursday, said it would pause the review of all pending applications for visas, green cards, citizenship or asylum from immigrants from the additional countries. The memo also outlines plans to re-review applications of immigrants from these countries as far back as 2021. The list, which is composed mostly of countries in Africa, includes Angola, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Last month, the Trump administration expanded the list of countries with travel restrictions to the U.S. from 19 to 39, plus the Palestinian Authority. The move comes as the administration is bringing sharper scrutiny of those who have followed legal steps to seek permanent status in the U.S. "USCIS remains dedicated to ensuring aliens from high-risk countries of concern who have entered the United States do not pose risks to national security or public safety," the memo states as rational for the pause and reviews. "To faithfully uphold United States immigration law, the flow of aliens from countries with high overstay rates, significant fraud, or both must stop." There are some exceptions outlined in the memo, including athletes and members of their teams competing in the World Cup and 2026 Olympics, both hosted by the U.S. this year.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [1/2/2026 3:15 PM, Solange Reyner, 4109K]

Bloomberg [1/2/2026 12:23 PM, Andrew Kreighbaum, 803K] reports that the US government’s termination of temporary deportation protections for 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal was unlawful, a San Francisco federal judge ruled, the latest setback in the Trump administration’s legal defense of its immigration policies. The Department of Homeland Security’s cancellation of Temporary Protected Status was a "preordained, political decision" that violated the Administrative Procedure Act, Judge Trina Thompson of the US District Court for the Northern District of California found Dec. 31. It also departed from prior practice and wasn’t based on a review of country conditions as required by law, she said in vacating the TPS terminations. The TPS program allows immigrants from designated countries to remain in the US for up to 18 months when conditions like natural disaster or armed conflict prevent a safe return home. The latest ruling is part of widespread litigation against DHS, which has targeted TPS protections for about a dozen countries in its broader attack on temporary humanitarian programs. Thompson, a Biden appointee, also denied the Trump administration’s pre-trial bid to toss Equal Protection claims alleging it was motivated by "racial animus.". Statements from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump, and other officials "repeatedly characterize immigrants as invaders upsetting the foundation of the country," Thompson wrote. These included comments from Trump that migrants "were poisoning the blood of our country" and that "we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now." The case is National TPS Alliance et al v. Noem, N.D. Cal., No. 3:25-cv-05687, 12/31/25.

Reported similarly:
Telemundo [1/2/2026 9:16 PM, Fatima Navarrete, 20K]

Telemundo47 [1/2/2026 2:55 PM, Eduardo Orbea, 118K] reports the new year arrives with new immigration regulations that will affect millions of applicants in the United States and around the world. Among these changes are the increase in several immigration fees, the end of family reunification parole for some countries, and the end of the lottery in the selection of H-1B visa beneficiaries. Starting next month, beneficiaries will be chosen based on their qualifications, not by the random system that was previously used. The new year comes with new, and more expensive, immigration fees. The program that benefits citizens of Haiti comes to an end on February 3. For Ethiopian citizens, the end of the program known as Temporary Protected Status will be on February 13. For citizens of El Salvador, the permit remains valid until September 2026, but this will be a key year to monitor whether the government decides to renew or cancel the program. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will come into effect at the end of 2026. The family reunification parole program for citizens of Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras will end on February 14, 2026.

SFGate [1/2/2026 3:13 PM, Gillian Mohney, 13945K] reports about 325,000 California residents will have to get new IDs thanks to a nearly 20-year-old software glitch, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. In a news release issued on Dec. 31, DMV officials said about 1.5% of California Real IDs will need to be reissued. The DMV noted that Real IDs with the wrong expiration dates were given to “immigrants with lawful presence.” For this group, the Real ID expiration date should line up with the end of the individual’s authorized stay, not the standard renewal interval. The mix-up adds to the 20-year saga of the Real ID Act that was signed into law back in 2005 under President George Bush, which focused on setting “minimum security standards” for IDs in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. After a two-decade delay, the Department of Homeland Security finally started enforcing Real ID standards in May 2025, requiring travelers on domestic flights to have Real ID-compliant forms of identification in order to board. The IDs were also required for entrance to some federal facilities. The DMV noted the wrong date was printed on a small number of Real IDs due to “software configuration” dating back to 2006 under the Arnold Schwarzenegger administration.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [1/2/2026 3:56 PM, Lowell Cauffiel, 2416K]

FOX News [1/2/2026 11:25 AM, Michael Ruiz Fox, 40621K] Video: HERE reports California has announced delays to a crackdown on thousands of immigrants who were given commercial driver’s licenses in the Golden State, prompting quick condemnation from the federal government, which had pushed for the licenses to be canceled after a series of deadly crashes involving foreign drivers. The move to push back the cancellations until March is designed to give officials more time to resolve the concerns of federal authorities, according to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. It affects about 17,000 noncitizens. The Trump administration and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had set a Jan. 5 deadline, warning that failure to meet it could cost California $160 million in federal funding. California authorities are also facing a class-action lawsuit brought by immigration advocates who argue that the crackdown unfairly targets truckers and bus drivers. Newsom, however, accused Duffy of "federal mismanagement" in a tweet of his own. "YOUR staff told CA DMV they were open to an extension 8 days ago. In fact, FMCSA agreed an extension made logistical sense and was reasonable (in a meeting on Dec. 18)," he wrote. "DMV relied on that guidance and acted accordingly." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/2/2026 12:05 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports that Former DHS official Ken Cuccinelli discusses the controversy over California delaying revocation of migrant trucker licenses and the White House’s predictions for increased border crackdowns in 2026. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [1/2/2026 12:00 PM, Bob Price, 2416K] reports from record‑low apprehensions to nationwide raids targeting criminal aliens, cartel operatives, and violent foreign gangs, 2025 marked the most dramatic border‑security turnaround in modern U.S. history. President Donald Trump’s return to office triggered a sweeping enforcement shift that reshaped federal, state, and local operations from the Rio Grande to New York City. President Trump wasted no time in delivering on his promise to restore control at the southern border. Within hours of taking office, he signed a slate of executive orders dismantling Biden‑era policies, declaring a national emergency, designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and unleashing the military, DHS, and ICE for a full‑spectrum crackdown. What followed was a year of aggressive enforcement actions — Marines landing in California, DHS leadership hitting the streets of New York, Border Patrol apprehensions collapsing to levels unseen in half a century, and multi‑agency operations dismantling violent networks from Florida to Wisconsin. The result was a border transformed almost overnight. By the end of 2025, the numbers told the story: historic lows in illegal crossings, zero Border Patrol releases for months on end, and a relentless tempo of operations targeting smugglers, gang members, cartel operatives, and criminal aliens across the country. From high‑seas interdictions to nationwide ICE sweeps, the administration’s "whole‑of‑government" strategy delivered the most secure border in modern history. As 2026 begins, officials say the mission is far from over — but the year’s results have already rewritten the trajectory of U.S. border enforcement.

Breitbart [1/2/2026 9:51 AM, Randy Clark, 2416K] reports Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers are no longer just writing tickets — they’re hunting cartel smugglers, tracking illegal border crossers through remote ranchlands, and helping federal agents dismantle foreign gang networks as part of Operation Lone Star 2.0. The combined Trump‑Abbott crackdown drove December apprehensions down to levels not seen in decades, collapsing the once‑record‑breaking surge that overwhelmed Texas during the Biden border crisis. Despite the drastic change in immigration policies enacted by President Donald Trump since his inauguration, DPS troopers and special agents are still in the fight to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. Together with federal authorities, they helped to bring border crossings to the lowest level in decades. Under Operation Lone Star 2.0, an offshoot of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s sweeping Operation Lone Star border security operation commenced in 2021, the state’s top law enforcement agency now focus on an array of border security activities ranging from human smuggling interdiction on state highways to mounted patrol tracking on farms and ranches within remote ranches in border counties to law enforcement actions targeting suspected terrorists and foreign gang activity statewide.

CBS News [1/2/2026 7:03 PM, Staff, 39474K] Video: HERE reports travelers have one month left to update to a REAL ID or present another valid form of identification before TSA begins charging a $45 fee for those without acceptable ID starting Feb. 1. TSA warns that passengers who arrive unprepared may face longer wait times.

(B) CNN News Central [1/2/2026 3:25 PM, Staff] reports that the Trump administration is slashing staff at FEMA. It appears to be the beginning of a larger effort to cut the agency’s disaster response team. FEMA’s new acting chief on Wednesday began sending notices abruptly cutting dozens of core staff at the front of the agency’s disaster response and recovery. Internal emails show these workers were let go with almost no warning. A DHS spokesperson called these 50 or so workers who are not being renewed a routine staff adjustment.

CBS News [1/2/2026 6:58 PM, Staff, 39474K] Video: HERE reports dozens of FEMA on‑call response and recovery workers started the new year without jobs after receiving termination notices by email on New Year’s Eve. The positions are term‑limited, but these teams are typically among the first federal personnel deployed during disasters. Sources say about 50 workers have been affected so far.

Tampa Free Press [1/2/2026 2:11 PM, Jack Kaminsky, 28306K] reports in a move to secure American airspace before the world’s biggest sporting event arrives, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced on Tuesday the release of $250 million in grants aimed at combating hostile drones. The funding is being directed to the 11 states set to host matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as well as the National Capital Region. The grants fall under the new Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) program, which provides local law enforcement with the resources to detect, track, and mitigate unauthorized unmanned aircraft. the agency’s history, with funds awarded just 25 days after the application deadline. The accelerated timeline reflects a push by the Trump-Vance administration to bolster security ahead of the tournament and coincides with the objectives of the recent Executive Order on Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty. "We knew we needed to act quickly to keep the World Cup safe from the rising threat of unmanned aircraft systems and that’s exactly what we did," said FEMA Acting Administrator Karen S. Evans. She noted that the rapid turnaround highlights the administration’s focus on "cutting red tape" to get tools into the hands of law enforcement. The program was established following the passage of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025," signed by President Trump in July. The Department of Homeland Security is overseeing a total of $500 million for the initiative over a two-year period.

NewsNation [1/2/2026 10:47 AM, Ashley N. Soriano, 8017K] reports last May was a far cry of a difference from what one California native was used to when a tornado ripped through St. Louis, Missouri. A transplant to the area, WyKeshia Atkins had never experienced a natural disaster until May 2025. She lost 95% of her belongings, her residence was red-tagged and she and her family lived in a hotel for months. Eight months later, she said she’s received little help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency,. "Going into 2026, parts of this still feel surreal, but you just push through," Atkins told NewsNation’s "Morning in America." She’s pushing for better emergency response times. "I think that the response time was very low from the city and nationally, very challenging to navigate FEMA applications, even when submitting all of the documentation still being denied," Atkins said. "For those individuals that didn’t have a lot of time and patience to do that, they gave up. And there’s literally people living in tents on their properties because they have nowhere else to go, and they don’t have resources."

New York Times [1/2/2026 5:52 PM, Amy Graff and Soumya Karlamangla, 135475K] reports parts of the San Francisco Bay Area were inundated with floodwaters heightened by exceptionally high tides on Friday as yet another storm began to smack California, bringing more wind and rain to a region where a steady flow of storms since mid-December has soaked the landscape. The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and winds throughout the state this weekend. In addition to flooding in coastal areas, forecasters were especially concerned about the risk of landslides in Southern California as yet more rain falls in areas that are still saturated from other recent storms. Forecasters warned Saturday’s high tide could be as much as two and a half feet above normal. Forecasters warned heavy rain would continue through the weekend in the Bay Area. San Francisco could see wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour on Saturday, and the city is likely to record 1.5 inches of rain through Monday morning.

New York Times [1/2/2026 1:05 PM, Christiaan Triebert and Nicholas Nehamas, 135475K] reports that the oil tanker evading U.S. forces is broadcasting its location after more than two weeks of sailing dark, revealing that it is heading northeast in the North Atlantic Ocean. The ship that had been known as Bella 1, which is still being tracked by the U.S. Coast Guard, is on a course that could take it between Iceland and Britain, according to data published by Pole Star Global, a ship-tracking company. From there, it is possible that the vessel could head around Scandinavia to Murmansk, Russia’s ice-free Arctic port. The tanker recently claimed Russian protection. On Wednesday, the Russian government formally asked the United States to stop chasing the ship, which the Coast Guard tried to intercept last month as it traversed the Caribbean Sea on its way to pick up oil in Venezuela. The Bella 1 recently appeared in Russia’s official register of ships under a new name, the Marinera, with a home port of Sochi, on the Black Sea. Ships like the Bella 1, part of a so-called shadow fleet that transports oil for Russia, Iran and Venezuela in violation of sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries, often turn off their transponders to hide their locations. The pursuit of the tanker comes as President Trump intensifies his pressure campaign on the government of Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela. Mr. Trump has instituted a quasi-blockade on some tankers transporting oil from the country, a longtime ally of Russia, and the United States has already boarded and taken possession of two other tankers in the Caribbean. American officials have said they plan to seize more ships.

CNN [1/2/2026 10:38 PM, Clay Voytek, 606K] reports the US Coast Guard announced Friday night it has suspended its search for people in the water after US strikes on alleged drug boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean earlier this week. The US military on Tuesday said it struck a "convoy" of three drug-trafficking boats in international waters, killing three people aboard one boat while those in the other two abandoned their vessel. The government has not disclosed how many crew members are thought to have jumped into the sea. US Southern Command previously said it notified the Coast Guard after Tuesday’s strike to activate search and rescue efforts, but it did not say where the strike took place. The Coast Guard said in a news release Friday that it coordinated more than 65 hours of search efforts about 400 nautical miles southwest of the Mexico-Guatemala border, but "available assets were extremely limited due to distance and range constraints.” "Suspending a search is never easy and given the exhaustive search effort, lack of positive indications and declining probability of survival, we have suspended active search efforts pending further developments," Coast Guard Capt. Patrick Dill said in the release. "At this stage of the response, the likelihood of a successful outcome, based on elapsed time, environmental conditions, and available resources for a person in the water is very low.” The US military conducted strikes on suspected drug boats on Monday and Wednesday as well. At least 10 people were killed and six boats sunk in the three days of strikes this week, according to SOUTHCOM’s information — but that does not include the number of people who abandoned ship amid Tuesday’s strikes. At least 115 crew members have been killed since the Trump administration’s campaign against alleged drug boats began in September, according to the Defense Department, not including those who went overboard on Tuesday. The Trump administration has claimed it is carrying out the strikes to stop the flow of drugs into the United States, but administration officials have also suggested they are part of a pressure campaign aimed at ousting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, from whose country many of the stricken vessels have originated. Lawmakers in Congress are continuing to pressure the Trump administration for more information about the strikes.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [1/2/2026 3:57 PM, Eric Schmitt, 135475K]
The Hill [1/2/2026 5:55 PM, Filip Timotija, 12595K] r
Reuters [1/2/2026 11:10 PM, Anusha Shah, 36480K]
AP [1/2/2026 7:06 PM, Ben Finley and Konstantin Toropin, 1538K] r
CBS News [1/2/2026 11:33 PM, Joe Walsh, 39474K]
FOX News [1/2/2026 5:08 PM, Alexandra Koch, James Levinson, 40621K]

HS Today [1/2/2026 6:50 AM, Staff, 38K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard announced the award of two contracts to build up to six Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) icebreakers between the United States and Finland in a major step forward for America’s national security. Contracts were awarded last week to Rauma Marine Constructions Oy of Rauma, Finland, and Bollinger Shipyards Lockport, L.L.C. of Lockport, Louisiana, and are the result of President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s visionary international agreements with Finland and the historic investments authorized in the President’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “America has been an Arctic nation for over 150 years, and we’re finally acting like it under President Trump. Our adversaries continue to look to grow their presence in the Arctic, equipping the Coast Guard with Arctic Security Cutters will help reassert American maritime dominance there,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “Revitalizing the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking capabilities is crucial for our security and prosperity, and today’s announcement is an important step in that direction.” “These awards represent decisive action to guarantee American security in the Arctic,” said Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard. “The Arctic Security Cutters will deliver the essential capability to uphold U.S. sovereignty against adversaries’ aggressive economic and military actions in the Arctic. These cutters will ensure the Coast Guard’s ability to control, secure, and defend our northern border and maritime approaches – without question.”

FOX News [1/2/2026 9:58 AM, Greg Norman Fox, 40621K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard said it suspended a search for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard on a Holland America Line cruise ship near Cuba on New Year’s Day. The passenger, who has not been publicly identified, vanished approximately 40 miles northeast of the Sabana-Camagüey archipelago, according to the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast. "The USCG suspended its searches for a missing 77-year-old woman who went overboard the cruise ship, Nieuw Statendam, Thurs., pending the development of new information," the agency wrote on X. "Cruise ship personnel and USCG crews searched for approx. 8 hours over 690 square miles," it added. The Coast Guard said its cutter William Trump and MH-60 helicopter crews from Air Station Clearwater had participated in the search. "We are deeply saddened to confirm that while sailing in waters north of Cuba, a guest on Nieuw Statendam went overboard earlier today. The  captain and crew initiated search and rescue procedures and worked closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, which deployed a cutter and helicopter to assist," the Holland America Line told Fox News Digital in a statement. "After a daylong search, efforts were suspended at sundown. Our family assistance team is supporting the guest’s family, and our thoughts are with the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time," it added. "As a result of the search, the ship’s planned call to Key West, Florida, January 2 was canceled."

Reported similarly:
Miami Herald [1/2/2026 12:49 PM, David Goodhue, 5023K]

AP [1/2/2026 7:21 PM, Staff, 2983K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard on a cruise ship near Cuba on New Year’s Day. Crews searched for eight hours over 690 square miles (1,787 square kilometers) for the woman, whose name had not been made public, the Coast Guard said. She was aboard the Holland America Line cruise ship Nieuw Statendam when she went overboard Thursday, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Sabana, Cuba. Details about how the woman went overboard were not immediately available. The Coast Guard said it had deployed helicopters and a large vessel called a cutter to help with the search. “Our family assistance team is supporting the guest’s family, and our thoughts are with the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time,” Holland America Line said in a statement.

Houston Chronicle [1/2/2026 4:53 PM, John Wayne Ferguson, 2983K] reports two men have accused a Houston-based chemical storage company of negligently leaking sulfuric acid into the Houston Ship Channel, leaving them injured and seeking medical care. Jeffery Lee Lawson and Francisco Morfin’s lawsuits, filed separately in Harris County this week, accuse BWC Terminals of exposing them to the toxic chemicals. Around 1 million gallons of acid spilled into the ship channel in the early hours of Dec. 27 at the BWC facility in east Harris County. The chemicals spilled after a metal walkway broke away from a storage tank and punctured a pipeline as it fell, according to Harris County officials. Officials said two people were treated and dozens of others were evaluated for chemical exposure in the hours after the leak, officials said. No homes were evacuated because of the spill, but the crews of two ships were moved away from the area as the U.S. Coast Guard, Harris County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies responded to the spill. According to BWC, most of the acid spilled into a containment area, but an unspecified amount entered the ship channel. Both men are seeking more than $1 million.

AP [1/2/2026 2:29 PM, Michael Kunzelman, 4722K] reports that a federal magistrate judge on Friday refused to order the pretrial release of a man charged with planting two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national parties on the eve of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ruled that Brian J. Cole Jr. must remain jailed before trial. The magistrate concluded there are no conditions of release that can reasonably protect the public from the danger that Cole allegedly poses. Justice Department prosecutors say Cole confessed to placing pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee headquarters only hours before a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol. According to prosecutors, Cole said he hoped the explosives would detonate and "hoped there would be news about it." "Mercifully, that did not happen," Sharbaugh wrote. "But if the plan had succeeded, the results," he said, could have been devastating, "creating a greater sense of terror on the eve of a high-security Congressional proceeding, causing serious property damage in the heart of Washington, D.C., grievously injuring DNC or RNC staff and other innocent bystanders, or worse.". Cole continued to purchase bomb-making components for months after the Jan. 6 riot, according to prosecutors. They said Cole told the FBI that he planted the pipe bombs because "something just snapped."

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [1/2/2026 2:14 PM, Suzanne Monyak, 803K]

CBS Miami [1/2/2026 6:05 PM, Staff, 39474K] Video: HERE reports the FBI is now offering a reward for up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for a mass shooting in Fort Lauderdale.

AP [1/3/2026 12:03 AM, Jim Vertuno, 30493K] reports families who lost loved ones in the 2022 attack on an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, have sought for nearly four years to hold accountable the police who waited more than an hour to confront the shooter while children and teachers lay dead or wounded in classrooms. Now one of the first officers on the scene is about to stand trial on multiple charges of child abandonment and endangerment. Former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales is accused of ignoring his training in a crisis with deadly consequences. His attorney insists he was focused on helping children escape from the building. The trial that starts Monday offers potentially one of the last chances to see police answer for the long delay. The families have pinned their hopes on the jury after their gun-control efforts were rejected by lawmakers, and their lawsuits remain unresolved. A few parents ran for political office to seek change, with mixed results. The proceedings will provide a rare example of an officer being criminally charged with not doing more to stop a crime and protect lives. Jesse Rizo’s niece was one of 19 children and two teachers killed by the teenage gunman in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Nine-year-old Jackie Cazares still had a pulse when rescuers finally reached her, Rizo said. "It really bothers us a lot that maybe she could have lived," he said. Only two of the 376 officers from local, state and federal agencies on the scene have been charged — a fact that haunts Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister, Irma Garcia, was one of the teachers gunned down. "What about the other 374?" Duran asked through tears. "They all waited and allowed children and teachers to die.” The charges reflect the dead and wounded children, but not her sister’s death or that of the other teacher who was killed. "Where is the justice in that?" Duran asked. "Did she not exist?".

AP [1/3/2026 12:09 AM, Juan A. Lozano, 30493K] reports former Uvalde, Texas, schools police Officer Adrian Gonzales was among the first officers to arrive at Robb Elementary after a gunman opened fire on students and teachers. Prosecutors allege that instead of rushing in to confront the shooter, Gonzales failed to take action to protect students. Many families of the 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers who were killed believe that if Gonzales and the nearly 400 officers who responded had confronted the gunman sooner instead of waiting more than an hour, lives might have been saved. More than 3½ years since the killings, the first criminal trial over the delayed law enforcement response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history is set to begin. It’s a rare case in which a police officer could be convicted for allegedly failing to act to stop a crime and protect lives. Gonzales was charged with 29 counts of child endangerment for those killed and injured in the May 2022 shooting. The indictment alleges he placed children in "imminent danger" of injury or death by failing to engage, distract or delay the shooter and by not following his active shooter training. The indictment says he did not advance toward the gunfire despite hearing shots and being told where the shooter was located. Each child endangerment count carries a potential sentence of up to two years in prison. State and federal reviews of the shooting cited cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology and questioned why officers from multiple agencies waited so long before confronting and killing the gunman, Salvador Ramos. Gonzales’ attorney, Nico LaHood, said his client is innocent and public anger over the shooting is being misdirected. "He was focused on getting children out of that building," LaHood, said. "He knows where his heart was and what he tried to do for those children.” Jury selection in Gonzales’ trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 5 in Corpus Christi, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Uvalde. The trial was moved after defense attorneys argued Gonzales could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde. Gonzales, 52, and former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo are the only officers charged. Arredondo was charged with multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment. His trial has not been scheduled, and he is also seeking a change of venue. Prosecutors have not explained why only Gonzales and Arredondo were charged. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment. It’s "extremely unusual" for an officer to stand trial for not taking an action, said Sandra Guerra Thompson, a University of Houston Law Center professor. "At the end of the day, you’re talking about convicting someone for failing to act and that’s always a challenge," Thompson said, "because you have to show that they failed to take reasonable steps.”

Breitbart [1/2/2026 6:31 PM, John Hayward, 2416K] reports in his New Year’s Day address to the nation, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu celebrated "decisive" U.S. airstrikes against terrorist targets in northwestern Nigeria and promised that collaboration with international partners against "criminal and terrorist elements determined to disrupt our way of life" would continue. "In collaboration with international partners, including the United States, decisive actions were taken against terrorist targets in parts of the Northwest on December 24. Our Armed Forces have since sustained operations against terror networks and criminal strongholds across the Northwest and Northeast," Tinubu said. "In 2026, our security and intelligence agencies will deepen cooperation with regional and global partners to eliminate all threats to national security. We remain committed to protecting lives, property, and the territorial integrity of our country," he pledged. The U.S. targeted Islamic State militants in the northwestern region of Sokoto with airstrikes last Thursday, in cooperation with Nigeria’s military and intelligence services. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he authorized the "powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist scum" who have been "targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries." Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters said on Thursday that battle damage assessments from the U.S. airstrikes are still ongoing.

The AP [1/2/2026 6:37 PM, Staff, 19051K] reports President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the unraveling of a $2.9 million computer chips deal that he concluded threatened U.S. security interests if the current owner, HieFo Corp., remained in control of the technology. The executive order cast a spotlight on a business deal that drew scant attention when it was announced in May 2024 during President Joe Biden’s administration. The deal involved aerospace and defense specialist Emcore Corp. selling its computer chips and wafer fabrication operations to HieFo for $2.92 million — a price that included the assumption of about $1 million in liabilities. But Trump is now demanding that HieFo divest that technology within 180 days, citing "credible evidence" that the current owner is a citizen of the People’s Republic of China. HieFo was founded by Dr. Genzao Zhang and Harry Moore. According to a press release that came out after the deal closed, plans for the technology acquired from Emcore were to be overseen by largely the same team of employees in Alhambra, California. Zhang, who was a vice president of engineering at Emcore before becoming HieFo’s CEO, pledged to "continue the pursuit of the most innovative and disruptive solutions" with technology designed for purposes that would include artificial intelligence. The Hill [1/2/2026 6:02 PM, Julia Manchester, 8017K] reports HieFo is based in Delaware while EMCORE is based in New Jersey. Dr. Genzao Zhang is Hiefo’s CEO and cofounder. Trump’s executive order blocks HieFo from acquiring "the assets comprising the digital chips and related wafer design, fabrication, and processing businesses of EMCORE.". In 2024, the two corporations announced HieFo’s acquisition of EMCORE’s Chips business and indium phosphide (InP) wafer fabrication operations in a $2.92 million deal. The order blocks "ownership by HieFo of any interest or rights in any of the Emcore Assets," and gives Hiefo 180 days to divest from Emcore. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) will oversee that enforcement of the order

Rported similarly:
Breitbart [1/2/2026 8:21 PM, Staff, 2416K]
Reuters [1/2/2026 10:22 PM, Kanishka Singh, 36480K]
NewsMax [1/2/2026 4:57 PM, Jim Thomas, 4109K]

NewsMax [1/2/2026 11:00 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports President Donald Trump on Thursday forcefully defended his use of tariffs as the Supreme Court prepares to issue a potentially consequential ruling on the scope of presidential trade authority, a decision that could determine the future of his signature economic policy. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said tariffs have been an "overwhelming benefit" to the United States, arguing they have strengthened national security and economic prosperity at historic levels. He warned that losing the ability to impose tariffs on countries he says treat the U.S. unfairly would be a "terrible blow" to the nation. The post comes as the Supreme Court is expected to rule soon in a case challenging the president’s authority to impose broad tariffs under existing trade statutes. The outcome could either reaffirm the executive branch’s expansive power over trade policy or impose new limits requiring greater congressional involvement. The Hill [1/2/2026 10:57 AM, Max Rego, 12595K] reports President Trump on Friday doubled down on his tariff agenda as the Supreme Court weighs its legality, suggesting that losing his ability to impose import taxes on trading partners “would be a terrible blow” to the country. “Tariffs are an overwhelming benefit to our Nation, as they have been incredible for our National Security and Prosperity (like nobody has ever seen before!),” the president wrote on Truth Social. “Losing our ability to Tariff other countries who treat us unfairly would be a terrible blow to the United States of America.” The Trump administration defended the president’s policies in front of the nation’s highest court in November, drawing skepticism from Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch. The latter two were appointed by Trump during his first term. Roberts and Justice Sonia Sotomayor raised the “major questions” doctrine during oral arguments, which holds that the executive branch cannot enact initiatives of economic or political significance when Congress has not explicitly granted it the authority to do so. The president has cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which allows him to regulate economic transactions amid a declared national emergency, in levying the steep tariffs.

Breitbart [1/2/2026 10:37 AM, Staff, 2416K] reports Danish renewable energy giant Orsted filed suit Thursday against the Department of Interior because it paused its lease on a $5 billion off-shore wind farm in Rhode Island. Orsted’s Revolution Wind project is 87% complete, and “is expected to be ready to deliver reliable, affordable power to American homes in 2026,” a press release said. Orsted shares jumped more than 4% on the lawsuit news, CNBC reported. The administration put a halt to the project last month. The Interior Department announced it would pause the leases of five offshore wind farms being built on the East Coast. Besides Revolution Wind, the projects are Vineyard Wind 1, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. The projects are in New England, Virginia and New York. Revolution Wind is a joint venture between Orsted and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables. It’s about 15 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced on X in December: “Due to national security concerns identified by @DeptofWar, @Interior is PAUSING leases for 5 expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidized offshore wind farms! ONE natural gas pipeline supplies as much energy as these 5 projects COMBINED.” The department explained in a press release that “unclassified reports from the U.S. government have long found that the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers create radar interference called ‘clutter.’ The clutter caused by offshore wind projects obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects,” it said. But Orsted argues that, “Revolution Wind has spent and committed billions of dollars in reliance upon, and has met the requests of, a thorough review process. Additional federal reviews and approvals included the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, and many other agencies.”

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [1/2/2026 12:54 PM, Callie Patteson, 1394K]
Washington Examiner [1/2/2026 2:28 PM, Maydeen Merino, 1394K] r

NewsMax [1/2/2026 7:29 PM, Michael Katz, 4109K] reports NATO and its allies are being encouraged to build a fleet of polar-capable drones to monitor Russia’s expanding military activity in the Arctic. There is growing concern over China’s increased presence in the region as well. The recommendation was made in a Dec. 16 report by the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Washington, D.C., think tank. It emphasized that current allied drone procurement remains "fragmented, slow, and risk-averse," leaving capability gaps that Moscow and Beijing might exploit. "The next decade is a decisive window of opportunity," the report stated, adding that those fastest to adapt to the challenges of the harsh terrain "will shape a future Arctic security architecture capable of deterring and defeating emerging threats." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/2/2026 7:20 PM, Staff, 40621K] Video: HERE reports Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports on fears that the investigation into Havana Syndrome could take a back seat to diplomatic pursuits on ‘Special Report.’

Newsweek [1/2/2026 6:13 PM, Suzanne Blake, 52220K] reports the daughter of a top Iranian official now works as a doctor in the United States. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, whose father is Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, has been in the U.S. for years, according to a listing on Mesothelioma.net. Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, previously described the United States as a “threat to the entire world,” despite his daughter residing and working in America. Sana Ebrahimi, a self-described “PhD candidate passionate about politics, fighting Islamists and terrorists” on X, wrote: “Ali Ardeshir Larijani is a top-tier operative of the Islamic Republic’s power structure. He openly threatens the United States, your military, and your service members. At the same time, his daughter, Fateme Ardeshir Larijani, lives and works in the U.S. as a healthcare worker, entrusted with American lives, while her father serves a hostile regime.” The discovery that Ardeshir-Larijani lives and works in the U.S. as a doctor has many up in arms over potential national security threats. “This is not acceptable,” Ebrahimi wrote on X. “A senior figure of a hostile state making threats against America while their immediate family benefits from life and employment inside the U.S. is a clear national security red flag.”

CyberScoop [1/2/2026 11:19 AM, Tim Starks, 122K] reports the Trump administration this week removed three Iranians from its sanctions list who were previously accused of working for Intellexa, the consortium behind the Predator spyware that recent investigations say has circumvented human rights safeguards. The Biden administration imposed sanctions against the trio in 2024 as part of a broader move to sanction spyware operators. The Treasury Department noted the deletions this week as part of other sanctions moves. Under the prior sanctions designations, the Biden administration said that Merom Harpaz was manager of Intellexa S.A., a member of the consortium; that Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi was functionally the owner of Thalestris Limited and Intellexa Limited, two other consortium members; and that Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou was a corporate off-shoring specialist who has provided managerial services to the Intellexa Consortium. While the Tuesday notice about the sanctions removal provided no explanation, “this removal was done as part of the normal administrative process in response to a petition request for reconsideration,” a U.S. official told CyberScoop. “Each individual has demonstrated measures to separate themselves from the Intellexa Consortium and it has been determined that the circumstances resulting in the sanction no longer apply,” the official said. “The power of sanctions derive not only from the ability to designate individuals, but also from our willingness to remove sanctions consistent with the law.”

New York Post [1/2/2026 12:39 PM, Caitlin Doornbos, 42219K] reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Friday that his country’s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, would run Kyiv’s presidential office, placing one of Ukraine’s most popular figures at the heart of its war strategy and political apparatus. Budanov, 39, accepted the post that is roughly equivalent to White House chief of staff, calling it an "honor and a profound commitment, especially at this decisive moment in our country’s history, to focus on issues critical to Ukraine’s strategic security" in a statement on X. The decorated lieutenant general has led Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence since August 2020 and become a household name for masterminding covert operations deep behind Russian lines. Budanov’s appointment continues Zelensky’s pivot to staffing his administration with security and military figures from the civilian operatives who dominated Ukraine’s politics before Moscow’s February 2022 invasion. On Thursday, Ukraine’s intelligence services released a video of Budanov speaking to Denis Kapustin, a far-right Russian militant and key enemy of Vladimir Putin, after pulling off an elaborate scheme faking Kapustin’s assassination by drone. The scheme succeeded in getting the Kremlin to unwittingly pay Ukraine a $500,000 bounty — before revealing Kapustin’s survival. Kapustin founded the anti-Putin Russian Volunteer Corps, which was set up in 2022 and later carried out raids into Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions.

Breitbart [1/2/2026 10:51 PM, Ian Hanchett, 2416K] reports that, on Friday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said that President Trump has been going after oil tankers because there’s “this ghost fleet that helps keep Venezuela’s regime alive. He should be using those same tools to interdict the ghost fleet that helps fund Russia’s brutal war machine, that helps keep the Iranian regime alive, and helps support North Korea.” Coons said, “[I]n Venezuela, he’s been sleepwalking, without a clear policy or a clear path forward, into a conflict with one of our hemisphere’s most capable authoritarian regimes. Has this really been about interdicting drugs? Maduro’s willing to negotiate about stopping the regime’s support for drug trafficking. Is this about access to oil? That is something President Trump’s talked about, and his Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, admitted in a Vanity Fair article that, frankly, this is about regime change. In neither case does it make sense, with no plan for what would come next, for us to use American soldiers and military force to directly try to overthrow Maduro. So, this might be the off-ramp that Trump needs.” He added, “He’s been using our military to interdict oil tankers, because there is this ghost fleet that helps keep Venezuela’s regime alive. He should be using those same tools to interdict the ghost fleet that helps fund Russia’s brutal war machine, that helps keep the Iranian regime alive, and helps support North Korea. He’d get bipartisan support for more actions to get tough on Putin and to begin to slow the flow of money into Putin’s murderous war machine against Ukraine.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The New York Times [1/2/2026 12:23, Abdi Latif Dahir, Sanam Mahoozi, and Leily Nikounazar, 153395K] reports President Trump said on Friday that the United States would come to the aid of protesters in Iran if the government there used lethal force against them, in a sharp escalation of remarks after days of widespread demonstrations against the Iranian government. The comments came a day after reports from Iranian state media and activists said that at least one person had been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, as officials tried to contain protests incited by economic distress. Since then at least two more people have been reported as dead. The demonstrations, which began among business owners and university students in major Iranian cities, have also spread to smaller towns. Several security officers have been injured in the protests, the authorities said. Semiofficial news outlets and a human rights organization reported clashes and fatalities during protests in the western city of Lordegan on Thursday, though the accounts could not be independently confirmed. If Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social early Friday morning. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” It was not possible to tell whether there had been any planning for such a move or whether the administration would actually follow through on Mr. Trump’s threat. NBC News [1/2/2026 3:38 PM, Babak Dehghanpisheh and Colin Sheeley, 34509K] reports Senior Iranian officials fired back, warning that U.S. intervention would spark regional chaos and make American forces in the Middle East "legitimate targets.” It comes after protests in the Islamic Republic took a sharply violent turn in recent days, with at least seven deaths reported by a human rights organization and at least three reported by a semiofficial news agency. The protests erupted Sunday in the capital, Tehran, with crowds largely chanting about economic grievances after the country’s currency hit a record low against the dollar as prices soar. People have since taken to the streets in smaller cities, and the protests have taken a more political bent with slogans targeting the clerical regime and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s highest authority. Iran’s economy has been battered by years of sanctions and a 12-day war with Israel last June — when the U.S. military also attacked the country’s nuclear facilities — added to the sense of popular unease. A water crisis also led to taps running dry at times late last year. Iran’s civilian government, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, has been signaling it wants to negotiate with protesters and recognized their "legitimate demands." But responding to Trump, Khamenei adviser Ali Shamkhani warned that "Any hand of intervention that comes close to Iran’s security under any pretext will be cut off before it can act.".

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The Hill [1/2/2026 8:02 AM, Max Rego, 12595K]
Reuters [1/2/2026 1:50 PM, Staff, 36480K]

The Hill [1/2/2026 9:58 AM, Laura Kelly, 12595K] reports a senior Iranian official on Friday condemned President Trump’s threat that the U.S. would come to the aid of protesters in the country facing violence, warning that the Islamic Republic could retaliate against American bases and troops in the region. Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, was responding to Trump’s warning on Truth Social that his administration is “locked and loaded and ready to go” to come to rescue “peaceful protesters” if Iran shoots and “violently kills” them. “Moreover, the disrespectful President of America should also know that with this official admission, all American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism,” Ghalibaf posted Friday on social platform X. “Iranians have always been united and determined to act in the face of an aggressor enemy,” he added. At least seven people have been killed in violence surrounding demonstrations that have taken place for nearly a week, sparked in part by the collapse of Iran’s rial currency but have increasingly included protesters shouting antigovernment slogans, The Associated Press reported.

Bloomberg [1/3/2026 6:18 AM, Arsalan Shahla, 18207K] reports Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that grievances behind nationwide protests were justified, but accused external forces of inciting the unrest and vowed to crack down on rioters. “Their point was a valid one,” Khamenei said in his first public appearance after a week of protests, saying rising food prices and currency volatility that triggered the unrest were the work of state enemies. “Protest is legitimate, but protest is different from unrest,” he said. “We talk to protesters; officials should talk to protesters. Talking to rioters is pointless. Rioters must be put in their place.” The unrest has been sparked by a collapse in Iran’s rial, which fell to a record low against the US dollar last weekend. The plunge initially set off pockets of protest in Tehran’s main commercial districts, prompting hundreds of merchants to shutter shops and gather in demonstrations, before spreading to multiple cities, with central-southern Fars province emerging as a hotspot on Saturday. Tehran’s prolonged standoff with the West over its nuclear program and regional policies has led to years of sanctions and international isolation. This has fueled persistent inflation and rising living costs, with recurring protests in recent years increasingly reflecting grievances that go far beyond economic demands.

Daily Wire [1/2/2026 6:52 AM, Kassy Akiva, 2494K] reports that Iranian security forces killed several protesters this week as demonstrations entered their sixth day. The killings come amid President Donald Trump threatening to take action if the regime kills people who are demonstrating against it. "If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue," Trump posted to Truth Social early Friday morning. "We are locked and loaded and ready to go." So far, about six to seven protesters are reported to have been killed, with at least six losing their lives in direct shootings as the regime’s security forces brutally crack down on civil unrest, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran and the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. All of those killed were males, including a 15-year-old and others mostly in their 20s and 30s. The Iranian regime has confirmed only the death of Amirhesam Khodayari, describing him as a member of the Basij militia. Hengaw, a human rights group, said he was a protester and reported that authorities pressured his family to label him a militia member as a condition of returning his body, reported the Washington Post. During Khodayari’s funeral, his father confirmed he was not part of the Basij militia, a video posted to social media shows.

FOX News [1/2/2026 2:25 PM, Morgan Phillips, 40621K] reports that months after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, tensions are rising again as Iran kills protesters, Israel weighs new military action and President Donald Trump signals the U.S. could intervene. Trump sharpened pressure on Tehran this week, threatening U.S. action if Iranian security forces violently suppress the ongoing protests that erupted after the country’s national currency collapsed. "If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters … the United States of America will come to their rescue," Trump said on social media, adding that the U.S. was "locked and loaded." But while Trump’s language suggested a readiness to use force, analysts say Washington still has options short of direct military action. Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, said Washington should move quickly to expand internet access for demonstrators and prepare for potential political change. "Support protesters with internet access and prepare now to advise and assist in a transition," Shapiro wrote on X. Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued that Washington has options short of direct military action. "The two most powerful things the U.S. and close partners can do without military involvement is facilitate secure information flow to the protesters and blind the security forces," Goldberg wrote on X, adding that while Trump has suggested a kinetic approach, non-kinetic options remain available. Human rights groups have reported between five and eight killings linked to the recent unrest, along with more than 30 people injured and over 100 arrested as demonstrations spread to dozens of cities across the country. The White House did not specify what form any intervention might take.

San Diego Union Tribune [1/2/2026 8:00 AM, Noelle Harff, 1538K] reports tucked inside a 3,000-page national defense bill signed into law last month is a set of new regulations that could upend the way local biotech companies do business. The Biosecure Act, as it is known, is focused on what it describes as “biotechnology companies of concern,” or BCCs. The legislation, contained within the National Defense Authorization Act, specifically bars biotech entities that receive federal dollars from working with companies connected to foreign adversaries — namely China, but also Russia, North Korea and Iran. Locally, the bill will force most local biotech firms to re-evaluate their relationships with foreign companies of concern — or hope for a federal waiver, say lawyers and biotech compliance experts. “This will impact the entire pipeline,” said Matt McLoughlin, senior vice president of compliance and categories at Scientist.com. Working from his Solana Beach office, McLoughlin advises more than 140 biopharmaceutical companies, including pharma giants with local offices like Sanofi, Novartis, and Pfizer — all of which could be affected by the legislation. A number of smaller local companies — like Biopharma, Neurocrine, and Kura Oncology — will also have to review their foreign relationships.

Breitbart [1/2/2026 1:44 PM, Frances Martel, 2416K] reports that genocidal communist dictator Xi Jinping proclaimed that the Chinese oppressed by his Communist Party and the nation of Taiwan "share a bond of blood and kinship," insisting that China’s colonization of Taiwan was "unstoppable" in an address to mark the new year. Speaking on New Year’s Eve, Xi used his address to celebrate his regime’s alleged successes, including claiming that China’s weakened economy was in reality more robust than analysts have indicated and that China would always "stand on the right side of history" regarding international conflicts. Xi also emphasized the importance of Beijing imposing itself on Hong Kong, which lost its capitalist autonomy following the imposition of a communist "national security law" in 2020. "We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a bond of blood and kinship. The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable!" Xi declared. Xi also celebrated his government’s destructive policies towards the indigenous people of Tibet and East Turkistan, which he referred to by the Chinese colonialist names "Xizang" and "Xinjiang." "We joined hands to build a better life and enjoyed it together. I attended celebrations in Xizang and Xinjiang. From the snow-covered plateau to both sides of the Tianshan Mountains, people of various ethnic groups are united as one, like seeds of a pomegranate sticking together," Xi claimed.

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