EFTA Document EFTA01655597

From: FBI News Briefin To: ' Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL - FBI Daily News Briefing - February 5, 2025 Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2025 11:20:14 +0000 Importance: Normal View in Browser Federal Bureau of Investigation Seal February 05, 2025 Federal Bureau of Investigation Daily News Briefing (In coordination with the Office of Public Affairs) Email Public Affairs to subscribe to the Daily News Briefing. Mobile version and archive available here. Table of Contents IN THE NEWS • FBI Agents Sue Over DOJ Effort to ID Employees Involved in Trump-Related Investigations • Senate Confirms Pam Bondi as Attorney General • Continued Reporting: Kash Patel Nomination Process and Commentary • Continued Reporting: Bodies of All Victims Have Been Recovered From River Where Jet Collided With Black Hawk COUNTERTERRORISM • FBI Seeking Information on Two Iranian Intel Officers Allegedly Involved in Robert Levinson Abduction • Republicans Grill FBI Over Troubling Discrepancy About Jan. 6 Pipe-Bomb Suspect Still Roaming Free • Massachusetts Member of AI-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Sentenced to 44 Years in Prison for Terrorism Offenses • Neo-Nazi Leader Found Guilty in Plot to Attack Baltimore Power Grid • The Man Charged With Stabbing Salman Rushdie Is Going On Trial • Trump Names Washington's Joe Kent to Lead Counterterrorism Agency • Trump Says He's Given Advisers Instructions for Iran to Be 'Obliterated' if It Assassinates Him • Was a Guantanamo Confession Voluntary? A Judge Will Soon Decide. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE • Ex-Google Engineer Faces New U.S. Charges He Stole Al Secrets for Chinese Companies CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • FBI Adds Alleged Leader of Meza-Flores Transnational Criminal Organization to Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List EFTA01655597 • Continued Reporting: Federal Prosecutor Vows to Protect DOGE Staffers From Any 'Threats, Confrontations' Targeting Musk Team • Man Accused of Fencing Stolen Items Linked to Theft at Star Athlete's Ohio Home, Prosecutors Say • Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Firing Gun Outside Jewish Temple in Upstate New York • Tennessee Star Says FBI Considering Offer to Drop Suit, End in Release of Covenant Shooter's Writings • Parents Accused of Torturing Their Six-Year-Old Adopted Daughter to Death and Burying Her in the Backyard • Fugitive Found Hiding in Caribbean Decades After Killing Man in Alaska, Officials Say • FBI Offering Reward to Find People Responsible for Death on Turtle Mountain Reservation • Probe of Six Murders Takes Feds Into Strange Territory • Former Congressman Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Charges • Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading • Former Insurance Agent Stole Identities and Millions of Dollars, FBI Searching for Victims • Trayon White Expelled From the DC Council for Corruption but He's Free to Run for His Old Seat • Dallas FBI Arrests Texas Man Accused of Making Online Threat • FBI Increases Reward for Information in North Carolina Woman's 2015 Disappearance • Scammers Targeting Connecticut Doctors • Man Sentenced for Attempted Sexual Assault of Child in Colorado Human Trafficking Case • FBI Denver: Colorado Man Sentenced for Production of Child Porn • FBI Investigating Five Bank Robberies on the Same Day in the Milwaukee Area • Continued Reporting: Justice for NASCAR Legend as FBI Takes Down Elite Car Thieves in Shocking Undercover Operation CYBER DIVISION • Philadelphia Man Loses Life Savings in Wire Transfer Schemes INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • A Thousand Days of Israeli Impunity, Still No Justice for Shireen Abu Akleh • Continued Reporting: FBI Houston Investigation Leads to Seizure of 39 Pakistan-Based Fraud Domains and Servers • Australian Police Seek FBI Help in Case Against Alleged Pam the Bird Graffiti Artist OTHER FBI NEWS • Democrats Question Diversion of Federal Law Enforcement Officers to Trump Migrant Crackdown • Continued Reporting: Virginia Lawmakers Outraged Over Report of 'Flawed' FBI Headquarters Search • New FBI Report Details Patterns of Violence Against Native Women, Children • Anchorage FBI Support of Trump Immigration Crackdown Draws Local Pushback • Jan. 6 Defendant Says Trump's Blanket Pardon Covers Conspiracy to Kill FBI Agents • Continued Reporting: Trump Ally Known for Racist Comments Gets Top State Dept Job • Continued Reporting: Prince Andrew Faces Arrest Fears as Calls for FBI Investigation Mount • The FBI Once Opened a Two-Year Investigation into the "Dirty" Lyrics of The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" • FBI Employee, Whistleblower Loses Job After Years-Long Fight INTERNATIONAL NEWS • Trump Said Palestinians Should Leave Gaza EFTA01655598 • Sweden's Deadliest Attack Leaves 11 Dead at Orebro Adult School • Trump Administration Pulling Almost All USAID Workers off the Job Worldwide • China Counters Trump's Tariffs as Talks Remain in Limbo • Ukraine Open to Trump's Idea to Exchange Aid for Rare Earths—but There's a Catch • Greenland Bans Foreign Political Funding as Trump Seeks Control • Australia's Top Conservative Follows Trump's Playbook, up to a Point • The Russian TV Star Who Became the Voice of the Kremlin • Islamic State Members Held for Years in a Syria Prison Say They Know Nothing of the World • Inside the Operations That Took Captive 2 North Korean Soldiers Fighting Ukraine OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • RFK Jr. Appears on Track to Become Us Health Secretary as He Wins Key Republican Senator's Support • CIA Offers Buyouts to Entire Workforce in Intelligence Agency First • Tulsi Gabbard Passes Senate Panel Vote as Wavering Republicans Back Her • Black D.C. Church Vandalized by Proud Boys Awarded Control of Group's Name • The Salvadoran Mega-Prison Offering to Take America's Worst Criminals • JD Vance to Attend Al Summit in Paris, French Official Says • Police in Long Island County Will Team Up With Ice for Trump's Immigration Crackdown • Trump Order Set to Ban Transgender Girls and Women From Female School Sports • Trump Signs Executive Order Calling for Review of U.S. Funding and Ties to U.N. • Armed 15-Year-Old Who Demanded Plane at Arkansas Airport Is Arrested BIG PICTURE • New York Times • Wall Street Journal • Washington Post • NBC News • ABC News • CBS News • Fox News • CNN WASHINGTON SCHEDULE IN THE NEWS FBI Agents Sue Over DOJ Effort to ID Employees Involved in Trump-Related Investigations The Associated Press (02/04, Tucker, Richer) reported that FBI agents who participated in investigations related to President Donald Trump have sued over DOJ efforts to develop a list of employees involved in those inquiries that they fear could be a precursor to mass firings. The article mentioned that two lawsuits, filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington on behalf of anonymous agents, demand an immediate halt to the collection and potential dissemination of names of investigators who participated in probes of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. One of the complaints says agents were also asked to fill out surveys about their participation in the investigation into Trump's hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The suits mark an escalation in a high-stake dispute that burst into public view on Friday with revelations that the DOJ had demanded from the FBI the names, offices, and titles of all employees involved in Jan. 6 investigations so that officials could evaluate whether any personnel action was merited. Thousands of FBI employees were also asked over the weekend to fill EFTA01655599 out an in-depth questionnaire about their participation in those probes, a step they worry could lead to termination. The article added that the FBI turned over personnel details of several thousand employees but identified them only through their unique identifier code rather than by name. The prospect of demotions, discipline or even termination for career agents has unnerved officials inside the FBI. Natalie Bara, the president of the FBI Agents Association, which also sued, told reporters Tuesday that one agent who had spent hours recovering body parts from the Potomac River following last week's plane crash "had to return to the office — not to debrief, not to work on cases, but to fill out a mandatory survey on any involvement in investigations related to Jan. 6." "This is the reality for our agents today. They're being scrutinized, placed on lists, and facing the possibility of losing their jobs," she said. The agents who brought Tuesday's two lawsuits are not identified by name and are instead referred to as anonymous "John and Jane Does." They say they were told on Sunday either to fill out surveys about their involvement in the Jan. 6 or Mar-a-Lago investigations or that their supervisors would do it for them and that their responses would be "forwarded to upper management," says one of the lawsuits. The complaint says it was filed on behalf of nine employees, but the class of plaintiffs could grow to include "at least 6,000 current and former" FBI workers. The article noted that the lawsuit notes that Trump on the campaign trail "repeatedly stated that he would personify 'the vengeance' or 'the retribution; for those whom he called 'political hostages; for their actions during the Jan. 6 attack." The agents contend that "the very act of compiling lists of persons who worked on matters that upset Donald Trump is retaliatory in nature, intended to intimidate FBI agents and other personnel and to discourage them from reporting any future malfeasance and by Donald Trump and his agents." The complaint also cites the DOJ's firing last week of prosecutors on special counsel Jack Smith's team, which brought two indictments against Trump, as proof that the effort to compile the list is rooted in a desire for retribution. "Donald Trump has made repeated public pronouncements of his intent to exact revenge upon persons he perceives to be disloyal to him by simply executing their duties in investigating acts incited by him and persons loyal to him," the complaint says. "Whatever the Trump administration believes about Plaintiffs' political affiliation, it clearly believes that persons who were involved in the investigation and prosecution of Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago cases are insufficiently politically affiliated with Donald Trump to be entitled to retain their employment" Another group of agents argued in a second lawsuit Tuesday that releasing their names publicly would subject them to dangerous threats and harassment. The complaint includes a screenshot of a social media post from the former Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio calling for the arrest of an agent who testified in his Jan. 6 case after his recent pardon from Trump. "It is clear that the threatened disclosure is a prelude to an unlawful purge of the FBI solely driven by the Trump Administration's vengeful and political motivations," Chris Mattel, one of the lawyers who filed that lawsuit on behalf of the FBI Agents Association, said in a statement. "Releasing the names of these agents would ignite a firestorm of harassment towards them and their families and it must be stopped immediately." The lawsuit, also filed by the State Democracy Defenders Fund, a nonpartisan organization that says it fights "election sabotage and autocracy," seeks a temporary restraining order that would prevent the DOJ from releasing the names on the list. Other lawyers participating in the case include prominent Washington attorney Mark laid, who routinely represents government officials. Reuters (02/04, Lynch, Goudsward), New York Times (02/04, Savage), New York Times (02/04, Schwartz, Savage), the Hill (02/04, Bertsch), Politico (02/04, Cheney, Gerstein), Fox News (02/04, Deppisch), Fox News (02/04, Deppisch, Gibson, Spunt), CBS News (02/04, Macfarlane, Legare), Washington Post (02/04, Roebuck, Stein), Washington Examiner (02/04, Oliver), the Daily Beast (02/04, Archacki), Washington Times (02/04, Picket), Law 360 (02/04, Karp), New York Post (02/04, Christenson), Independent (02/04, Woodward), Newsweek (02/04, Whisnant, Sheth), BBC (02/04, Wendling), the New Republic (02/04, Rashid), Axios (02/04, Doherty), NBC News (02/04, Barnes, Dilanian), Gov Exec (02/04, Newhouse), ABC News (02/04, Katersky, Thomas, Mallin), the Guardian (02/04, Lowell), USA TODAY (02/04, Groppe), Wall Street Journal (02/04, Gurman, Barber), MSNBC (02/04, Rubin), CBS News (02/04, Video), MSNBC (02/04, Video), and NBC News (02/04, Video) also reported on the story. Acting Director Brian Driscoll Builds a Following as Agency's Defender The New York Times (02/04, Goldman) reported that Brian Driscoll, the acting director of the FBI, has become an improbable symbol of quiet resistance toward the DOJ's campaign to single out FBI employees who investigated the Jan. 6 riot. The article noted that Driscoll's appointment was an accident. Shortly after President Trump's inauguration, the White House identified the wrong agent as acting director on its website and never corrected the mistake. According to the article, even if he was not meant to be leading the agency, he has defended the rank-and- file. His refusal at the time to furnish the names of employees, as top DOJ officials desired, and his insistence that a formal review process be put in place, has spurred widespread support for Driscoll. Former and current agents EFTA01655600 have traded memes and satirical clips celebrating him, offering a rare moment of levity as dismay and deep unease set in across the FBI and as Driscoll navigates the political perils of Washington and a president who is deeply hostile to the agency. The article stated that a heated confrontation on Friday with top Dal officials left many wondering at the time whether Driscoll had been fired. Scrutinizing agents and others involved in the sprawling investigation into the Capitol riot would touch a startling number of people: The FBI opened about 2,400 cases that involved about 6,000 intelligence analysts, agents, and other employees. In a defiant email Friday night, James Dennehy, the top agent in the New York field office, warned his staff that the FBI was "in the middle of a battle of our own." Praising Driscoll and his deputy, Robert C. Kissane, as "warriors," Dennehy asserted they were "fighting for this organization." In fact, Kissane, the top counterterrorism agent in New York, had been widely believed to be in line to be acting director, several current and former agents said, with Driscoll as the No. 2 official. However, when the White House unveiled its website to reflect its staff under the Trump administration, Driscoll was identified as the Bureau's chief. Continued Reporting: FBI's UFO Unit Fear Trump's January 6 Purge The Register (02/04, Lyons) reported that a previously undisclosed group of FBI agents who investigate UFOs, or "unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs)," are worried they may not survive an impending Trump-led political purge. The article added that some of these FBI agents may have also played a role in investigating those involved in the January 6 insurrection. The FBI's secretive group reportedly consists of more than a dozen agents across the US who dedicate significant time to track down UAPs. An FBI spokesperson said that the Bureau has "no comment" on personnel matters but added: "The FBI investigates Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena when there is potential for a violation of federal law - particularly unlawful acts that could adversely affect our national interests - and to gather, share, and analyze intelligence to combat security threats facing the U.S." Newsnation (02/04, Whiteside) and the Independent (02/04, Lubin) also reported on the story. FBI's Top Agent in Miami Forced Out by Trump's DOJ in Escalating Purge The Miami Herald (02/04, Weaver) reported that Jeffrey Veltri was named as head of the FBI's Miami field office in March 2023, seven months after federal agents raided Donald Trump's Palm Beach estate in a search for classified documents that he allegedly took to Mar-a-Lago after losing the presidency. According to the article, Veltri has been forced out in an escalating purge by senior officials in the DOJ who took over the agency after Trump was sworn in as president for a second term last month. Veltri, like about a dozen high-ranking FBI officials in Washington, D.C., and in field offices around the country, was given an ultimatum: retire, resign, or be fired by Monday. Veltri, 50, chose to resign on Friday, according to several sources familiar with his departure. Veltri was immediately replaced in the Miami field office by an acting special agent in charge, Justin Fleck. He's an 18-year FBI veteran who previously worked as a deputy in the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office after graduating from Florida State University. The FBI Has Changed Leadership in New Orleans Nola.com (02/04, Simerman) reported that the FBI has reassigned the leader of its New Orleans field office, Lyonel Myrthil, the Bureau confirmed on Monday, one of several leadership shuffles at the FBI since President Donald Trump's inauguration. Replacing Myrthil on an interim basis is Stephen Cyrus, Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City field office, the FBI said. Cyrus introduced himself as the FBI's new leader in New Orleans at a news conference Monday morning in the French Quarter. Cyrus said Monday that "SAC Myrthil is currently on assignment at headquarters in Washington helping to implement some of the new administration's executive orders." The FBI's national press office said in a statement Monday afternoon that Cyrus was named to the interim post "due to the recent reassignment of former SAC Lyonel Myrthil." Opinion: FBI Agents Risk Their Lives for Us. They Deserve Fair Treatment, Not Political Purging An opinion piece by the Miami Herald (02/04, Martinez, Jimenez) stated that in a quiet residential area of Miami sits a largely unnoticed plaque that reads: In memory of these two FBI agents who gave their lives in the line of duty during a gun battle at this site on April 11, 1986. The two agents were Jerry Dove and Ben Grogan. Other FBI agents were also seriously injured on that day during a gun battle with two very dangerous bank robbers who had committed a series of violent crimes in the Miami metropolitan area. These agents died or were seriously injured protecting the public. The author mentioned that more recently, on Feb. 2, 2021, FBI agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were shot and killed while executing a search warrant in Sunrise as part of an investigation involving child pornography and violent crimes against children. They were also assigned to the Miami Field Office. EFTA01655601 These agents died protecting our children. According to the author, over 100 FBI agents have given their lives in the line of duty. Most Americans don't know their names. They are not famous. Not one of them sought wealth or glory. They just did what they swore to do. To place their lives on the line each day to defend the American people and uphold the U.S. Constitution. They died fighting terrorism, performing dangerous undercover work, protecting children, rescuing hostages, engaging in gun battles with violent criminals, arresting fugitives and performing the perilous responsibilities assigned to them. The author added that today's FBI agents, like their fallen colleagues, live and work among us, mostly maintaining a low profile. They send their children to our local schools, raise their families in our communities, and maintain a modest and law-abiding lifestyle. They live like average Americans. Yet, on a daily basis, their jobs are not average. They are the ones that Americans have assigned the responsibility to shield us from terrorism and espionage, from predators targeting children, to ferret out public corruption, to protect us from fraud, from kidnappers, from violent predators. To guard our civil rights. They are located in cities and towns across our country and throughout the world. Their work is essential to a safe and free society. The author noted that regardless of one's political beliefs, it's important to not forget that just like Laura Schwartzenberger, Ben Grogan, Jerry Dove and Daniel Alfin, every morning the men and women of the FBI meet each day prepared to put their own lives in peril to keep us and our families safe. These heroes deserve to be treated fairly, to not have their families exposed to danger, and to know that Americans appreciate their value and courage. CNN (02/04, Campbell, Perez, Rabinowitz), New York Post (02/05, Nava), Newsweek (02/04, Sheth), Bloomberg (02/04, Strohm), CBS News (02/04, Video), NPR (02/04, Lucas), the Hill (02/04, Irwin), and Reason (02/04, Tuccille) also reported on the stories. Senate Confirms Pam Bondi as Attorney General The Associated Press (02/04, Richer, Groves) reported that the Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as U.S. attorney general Tuesday evening, putting a longtime ally of Donald Trump at the helm of a 0OJ that has already been rattled by the firings of career employees seen as disloyal to the Republican president. The vote fell almost entirely along party lines, with only Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, joining with all Republicans to pass her confirmation 54-46. Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and corporate lobbyist, is expected to oversee a radical reshaping of the department that has been the target of Trump's ire over the criminal cases it brought against him. She enters with the FBI, which she will oversee, in turmoil over the scrutiny of agents involved in investigations related to the president, who has made clear his desire to seek revenge on his perceived adversaries. Republicans have praised Bondi as a highly qualified leader they contend will bring much-needed change to a department they believe unfairly pursued Trump through investigations resulting in two indictments. Fox News (02/04, Deppisch, Johnson), CNN (02/04, Shelton, Rimmer), BBC (02/04, Wendling, Yousif), CBS News (02/04, Video), the Guardian (02/04, Lowell), New York Times (02/04, Barrett), Politico (02/04, Fuchs), Axios (02/04, Hunter), the Hill (02/04, Beitsch), Reuters (02/05, Morgan), NPR (02/04, Archie), USA TODAY (02/04, Bagchi, Mansfield), and Newsweek (02/04, Whisnant) also reported on the story. Continued Reporting: Kash Patel Nomination Process and Commentary Grassley Eyes Next Week to Move FBI Director Pick Politico (02/04, Fuchs) reported that Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said in a statement Tuesday his committee plans to take a final vote on FBI director nominee Kash Patel as early as next week. The article noted that the committee has a business meeting scheduled for Thursday to consider Patel's nomination. Under committee rules, Democrats can delay the full committee vote for one more week, at which point senators are expected to advance the nominee along party lines to the full Senate for confirmation. Senate Judiciary Democrats on Tuesday asked Grassley for another hearing to question Patel on several matters, including the recent personnel shakeup at the FBI. Grassley denied their request. "No one was convinced by the Minority's baseless efforts to mischaracterize and malign Kash Patel. It's additionally outrageous to assert that a nominee should come before the Senate to answer for government actions that occurred prior to their time at an agency," he said in a statement. "The Senate Judiciary Committee will not fall for Democrats' delay tactics." Politico (02/04, Fuchs), the Hill (02/04, Fortinsky), the Hill (02/04, Beitsch), and Law 360 (02/04, Buble) also reported on the story. Kash Patel, Trump's Pick for FBI Director, Made at Least $2.6 Million From Consulting, Media Deals ABC News (02/04, Bruggeman, Levine, Kim) reported that Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick for FBI director, made at least $2.6 million in the past year from consulting, media appearances, speaking fees and book EFTA01655602 deals, his latest financial disclosure shows. Patel's main source of income -- accounting for more than $2.1 million — was national security, defense, and intelligence consulting through his firm Trishul LLC, according to the disclosure. Among his clients were Trump's social media company Trump Media & Technology Group, the Embassy of Qatar, and Czech financial services company CSGM — though the disclosure doesn't say how much he received from each client. Bloomberg (02/04, Massa, Allison) reported that Patel received a stock award last week from Truth Social's parent company worth more than $800,000. But the grant of restricted shares in Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. didn't appear on Patel's financial disclosure or ethics agreement, which detail how federal appointees will handle potential conflicts of interest. The article stated that the award and the lack of an explanation of how Patel would handle it comes as senators weigh whether he should be confirmed to lead the country's top law enforcement agency. Disclosures around the new grant fall into a gray area given its timing, according to experts who study how the government handles such conflicts. If Patel were to hold on to the restricted shares while running the FBI, "it gives him a financial incentive not to take any actions that would undermine the value of Trump Media," said Kathleen Clark, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, who specializes in government ethics. "That would include investigations?' The Hill (02/04, Beitsch) reported that Patel worked as a consultant to the government of Qatar, newly released disclosures show, raising questions from ethics experts about his failure to register as a foreign agent. Patel listed the U.S. Embassy of Qatar as among the clients of his consulting company Trishul, which he has managed since shortly after Trump left office in 2021. State Democracy Defenders Action said Patel failed to register his consulting work, something they said could violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). "It appears neither Patel nor Trishul is registered under FARA for services provided to Qatar, leaving open the important question of exactly what Patel did for Qatar when he was serving as a national security advisor to President Trump during the 2024 election," Norm Eisen, the group's founder and a former Trump impeachment lawyer, wrote in the letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. "If confirmed as the head of the FBI, Patel will be responsible for law enforcement investigations into possible FARA violations. And he will be expected to carry out this duty faithfully and impartially" Eisen wrote, noting recent FARA cases involving those who failed to disclose work for the Qatari government. Coalition of Attorneys General Urges Senate to Interrogate FBI Nominee Pate! on Agent Dismissals Insider NJ (02/04, Staff Writer) reported that a coalition of attorneys general today sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, urging the Senate to require Kash Patel, President Trump's nominee for FBI Director, to return for further questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The request follows alarming reports of politically motivated firings at the FBI and efforts to compile a list of agents involved in investigating the January 6th Capitol riots. The attorneys general note how critical it is for Patel to address recent reports of retaliatory firings at the FBI, stating in their joint letter, "Shortly after his confirmation hearing, we learned from news reports that more than a dozen high-ranking FBI officials were fired and that the FBI is developing a list of all agents and staff who worked investigations and prosecutions related to the January 6th Capitol riots. It is critical for Mr. Patel to answer questions about this unprecedented attack on the FBI before Senators vote on his confirmation." The letter raises additional concerns over reports that "the Administration plans to fire at least six high-ranking career FBI officials if they do not retire" and that "acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove directed FBI staff to compile a list of all staff who were 'assigned at any time to investigations and/or prosecutions' relating to the January 6th riots?' The attorneys general state, "If true, this is a purge of FBI employees?' The attorneys general stress that before any confirmation vote, "the United States Senate should know what Mr. Patel plans to do with the list of FBI agents and staff that is currently being compiled." Beyond the FBI purge, the letter condemns additional attacks on law enforcement by the Trump administration, stating, "The President's efforts to undermine the FBI follow unprecedented attacks on our country's public safety. In just two weeks, the President has fired United States Attorneys, pardoned rioters who killed and injured Capitol Police Officers, and cut off funding for law enforcement across the country?' The Brooklyn Eagle (02/04, Staff Writer), WLNS (CBS-6) (02/04, King), and KOLO (ABC-8) (02/04, Sheridan) also reported on the story. The Blaze (02/04, Gottfried), Financial Express (02/04, Siddiqui), the Juggernaut (02/04, Sampath, Bose), Mother Jones (02/04, Friedman), and the Nevada Independent (02/04, Bredderman) also reported on Kash Patel. Continued Reporting: Bodies of All Victims Have Been Recovered From River Where Jet Collided With Black Hawk CNN (02/04, Tsui, et al.) reported that crews working at the site of the deadliest aviation disaster in a generation have recovered all 67 victims of the collision between two aircraft over the Potomac River in Washington, DC, EFTA01655603 officials said Tuesday. Now, their attention turns to clearing the remaining wreckage. The Bombardier CR1700 jet operating as American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter on a training mission ran into each other over the river nearly a week ago in an accident that remains unexplained. The article added that more parts of the plane were pulled from the river Tuesday morning. One section of the plane's fuselage lay sideways on a barge, a row of cabin windows clearly visible. By afternoon, the plane's tail was removed from the murky water. Officials have said they would likely recover the American Airlines cockpit later Tuesday, wind gusts and tidal levels permitting. As of Tuesday, 66 of the 67 victims recovered have been identified. For the second day in a row Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board — which has been reviewing data from the Black Hawk's flight data recorder that was recovered over the weekend — backed away from announced plans for a public briefing on its investigation. "NTSB needs additional information to verify data points from the Black Hawk," the agency said in a post on X, adding that a written update would be released later in the day. As a salvage team continues to work in cold winter conditions to lift debris from the frigid water, key questions about the cause of the fatal collision remain — though answers may not be immediately clear for weeks. The recovery effort has been extensive, involving nearly every dive team in the area, including those from the US Coast Guard, the FBI's Washington Field Office dive team, DC Fire, and the International Association of Fire Fighters. ABC News (02/04, Shapiro), CBS News (02/04, Sundby, Cleave), USA TODAY (02/04, Cann), New York Times (02/04, Fortin), NBC News (02/04, Madani), Newsnation (02/04, Whiteside), Washington Examiner (02/04, O'Keefe), New York Post (02/04, Oliveira), People (02/04, Raposas), WRC (NBC-4) (02/04, Edwards), WBBH (NBC-2) (02/04, Salas, Caudill), WTTG (FOX-5) (02/04, Barnard, Salamy), WBOC (CBS-16) (02/04, Video), Reuters (02/04, Shepardson), and the Associated Press (02/04, Raby) also reported on the story. Back to Top COUNTERTERRORISM FBI Seeking Information on Two Iranian Intel Officers Allegedly Involved in Robert Levinson Abduction CBS News (02/04, Czachor) reported that federal authorities have released a pair of seeking information posters for two Iranian intelligence officers accused of authorizing the 2007 abduction of retired FBI special agent Robert Levinson. The posters come as part of a decades-long investigation into Levinson's disappearance, the FBI's Washington field office said Tuesday, noting their "commitment to resolving the case for his long-suffering family." According to the article, since Levinson vanished, the United States has maintained the view that he was abducted during an unauthorized CIA mission in Iran and held wrongfully by the Iranian government. The former agent was thought to be alive until U.S. officials said in 2020 that intelligence suggested he may have been dead for "some time." The posters include images of Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, the Iranian senior intelligence officers believed to be responsible for Levinson's abduction, subsequent detention and probable death. The men are described as high-ranking officers in Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, according to the FBI. The article stated that Levinson has not been seen or heard from since March 9, 2007, one day after the retired agent traveled to the Iranian island of Kish, according to the FBI. U.S. officials say Levinson's family received video and photographs of Levinson in anonymous emails several years later, in 2010 and 2011, which showed him in captivity. They ultimately released the footage and an image publicly but could not trace the emails back to their senders. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Baseri and Khazai under the Trump administration in 2020, the first time the country formally blamed Iran for Levinson's disappearance. At the time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that Iranian officials "authorized Levinson's abduction and detention and launched a disinformation campaign to deflect blame for the regime." The article added that federal officials claim Baseri has been involved in counterespionage activities within and outside of Iran, in addition to sensitive investigations related to Iranian national security, and "has worked directly with intelligence officials from other countries to harm U.S. interests." Khazai has allegedly led Iranian intelligence and security delegations to other countries, the FBI said. The State Department is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information that leads to Levinson's recovery and return, while the FBI put forward a prize of up to $5 million for the same. The article quoted Sanjay Virmani, special agent in charge of the counterterrorism division at the FBI's Washington field office, who said, "The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to return Bob to his family. Our extensive investigation continues to develop new leads and intelligence, and we will pursue all options to hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable." Fox News (02/04, Norman), Iran News Update (02/04, Aslani), the Algemeiner (02/04, Walker), Iran International (02/04, Staff Writer), and CNN (02/04, Shelton) also reported on the story. EFTA01655604 Republicans Grill FBI Over Troubling Discrepancy About Jan. 6 Pipe-Bomb Suspect Still Roaming Free The New York Post (02/04, Christenson) reported that GOP lawmakers are demanding answers from the FBI after a former head of the Bureau's DC office claimed a person who laid pipe bombs before the Jan. 6 riots has not been ID'd in part because of "corrupted" cellular data — a fact disputed by major US carriers. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia sent a letter Monday to the Bureau's acting director, Brian Driscoll, about the troubling discrepancy. The congressmen wrote that the cell carriers "indicated that they neither provided corrupted data to the FBI nor received any notification from the FBI of any issues accessing the data." The article mentioned that the pols' inquiry comes after FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven D'Antuono — who led the probe of pipe bombs placed outside Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters before the riot four years ago — testified before Congress in June 2023 that "some data" had been "corrupted by one of the providers, not purposely. The discrepancy highlighted by the Republican lawmakers raises questions about whether the FBI abandoned its probe too early, thinking the wannabe bomber's identity was not as important as rounding up other Jan. 6 criminals and thus putting its resources elsewhere. Johnson, who chairs a permanent subcommittee on investigations in the Senate, Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, and Loudermilk also sent letters Tuesday to AT&T, T- Mobile and Verizon demanding records about the feds' request for cell data on the eve of the Capitol riot. They asked the FBI for "communications between or among employees of the FBI" and "between the FBI and any cellular carrier, third-party contractor, other law enforcement agency" about the incident — as well as copies of the data received by the Bureau and "all memoranda, reports, assessments, evaluations, or other records" on the analysis of it. There's still a $500,000 reward on the table from the Bureau for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for planting the pipe bombs. Massachusetts Member of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Sentenced to 44 Years in Prison for Terrorism Offenses The New York Times (02/04, Shanahan) reported that a man who pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges nine years ago after being accused of plotting a suicide bombing at Heathrow Airport in London in support of Al Qaeda's Yemeni affiliate was sentenced on Tuesday to 44 years in prison. According to the article, prosecutors said that the man, Minh Quang Pham, planned the bombing after having received military training in Yemen from Anwar al- Awlaki, an American-born radical Muslim cleric and a leader of the Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen. The United States later killed him in a drone strike. The sentencing of Pham, 41, in Federal District Court in Manhattan, appeared to conclude a winding case that began with his indictment in New York on several terrorism counts in 2012 and his extradition to the United States from Britain in 2015. Pham was born in Vietnam, moved to Britain as a child, worked as a web designer and converted to Islam. The events that led to his conviction and sentencing began in late 2010 when he traveled to Yemen, the base of operations for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, according to court documents. Pham planned to join the terrorist group, wage jihad on its behalf and martyr himself for its cause, prosecutors said. While in Yemen, he received training from Awlaki, who advised him to return to Britain and recruit others to the cause, according to court documents. A DOJ press release quoted Assistant Director David 1. Scott of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, who said, "Pham coordinated with known terrorist Anwar al-Aulaqi on a plot to conduct a suicide bombing at Heathrow International Airport which could have killed or injured many people, but fortunately that plan was stopped. Pham also tried to recruit others to commit acts of terrorism. The FBI will work with our partners to hold accountable those who align themselves with terrorist organizations and attempt to carry out acts of violence." Neo-Nazi Leader Found Guilty in Plot to Attack Baltimore Power Grid Reuters (02/04, Jones) reported that a neo-Nazi leader accused of plotting to attack Baltimore's power grid has been found guilty of conspiring to damage an energy facility, the DO1 said on Tuesday. Brandon Russell, 29, of Orlando, Florida, and an associate were arrested in February 2023 after the FBI thwarted their plan with the help of a confidential informant. Evidence presented at trial showed that between November 2022 and that month, Russell conspired to attack transformers within electrical substations "in furtherance of his racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs," the DOJ said in a statement. The article mentioned that Russell posted links to open- source infrastructure maps and described how a small number of attacks on substations could cause a "cascading failure," the department said. He recruited a Maryland-based woman, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, to carry out the attacks in order to interrupt and impair the power grid in Baltimore, Maryland's largest city. Clendaniel identified five substations to target and Russell attempted to secure a weapon for her. The planned attacks would have caused damage of more than $75 million. According to the article, Russell is a convicted felon and founder of a EFTA01655605 neo-Nazi group called the Atomwaffen Division, that works toward "ushering in the collapse of civilization," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. He was previously sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of an unregistered destruction device and the improper storage of explosive materials. The Washington Post (02/04, Morse), People (02/04, Brachfeld), Newsweek (02/04, Clark), USA TODAY (02/04, Martin), the Hill (02/04, Irwin), Independent (02/04, Skene), and UPI (02/04, Heuer) also reported on the story. The Man Charged With Stabbing Salman Rushdie is Going On Trial The Associated Press (02/04, Thompson) reported that in 2022, Salman Rushdie was about to deliver a lecture before a live audience in western New York when a man ran towards him and plunged a knife into the author's hand as he raised it in self-defense. "After that there are many blows, to my neck, to my chest, to my eye, everywhere," Rushdie recalled in a memoir that followed. "I feel my legs give way, and I fall." In the coming weeks, Rushdie is expected to return to the same New York county to recount the experience as one of the first witnesses in the trial of the man charged with wielding the knife that day, Hadi Matar. Jury selection got underway Tuesday. Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault. The article mentioned that five jurors were seated during the first day of screening, which was scheduled to continue Wednesday. Under different circumstances, Rushdie's book, which details his account of that day and his recovery, might offer important evidence in the Aug. 12, 2022, attack that left the 77-year-old blind in his right eye and his hand permanently damaged. But "this isn't a back alley event that occurs unwitnessed in a dark alley," said Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt following a pretrial hearing. "This is something that was recorded, it was witnessed live by thousands of people." Jurors will be shown video of the attack, as well as photos and documentation, and an estimated 15 witnesses are expected to take the stand. Judge David Foley said once jury selection is complete, the trial would take up to a week and a half. The Guardian (02/04, Staff Writer), Aljazeera (02/04, Staff Writer), BBC (02/04, Cursino), Washington Post (02/04, Higgins), New York Post (02/04, Vago, Janoski), New York Daily News (02/04, Wilkinson), and UPI (02/04, Heuer) also reported on the story. Trump Names Washington's Joe Kent to Lead Counterterrorism Agency KZJO (Fox-13) (02/04, Cornfield) reported that President Donald Trump has nominated Joe Kent, a former Army Special Forces soldier and two-time Republican congressional candidate, to be the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, pending Senate confirmation. Kent, who has a background in military and intelligence operations, lost two congressional bids against Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and has faced scrutiny for his links to far-right groups and election conspiracy theories. The nomination has sparked mixed reactions, with Washington state Democratic Party chair Shasti Conrad criticizing the choice, while Washington state Republican Party chair Jim Walsh praised it. KULR (NBC-8) (02/04, Staff Writer), MSNBC (02/04, Benen), Mother Jones (02/04, Lanard), KGW (NBC-8) (02/04, Video), and the Times of Israel (02/05, Fard) also reported on the story. Trump Says He's Given Advisers Instructions for Iran to Be 'Obliterated' if It Assassinates Him The Associated Press (02/04, Price, Madhani, Miller) reported that President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he's given his advisers instructions to obliterate Iran if it assassinates him. "If they did that they would be obliterated," Trump said in an exchange with reporters while signing an executive order calling for the U.S. government to impose maximum pressure on Tehran. "I've left instructions if they do it, they get obliterated, there won't be anything left." Federal authorities have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump and other administration officials for years. The article mentioned that Trump ordered the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, who led the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. A threat on Trump's life from Iran prompted additional security in the days before a July campaign rally in Pennsylvania where Trump was shot in the ear, according to U.S. officials. But officials at the time said they did not believe Iran was connected to that assassination attempt. The DOJ announced in November that an Iranian plot to kill Trump before the presidential election had been thwarted. The department alleged Iranian officials had instructed Farhad Shakeri, 51, in September to focus on surveilling and ultimately assassinating Trump. Shakeri is still at large in Iran. Iranian officials, at the time, dismissed the allegation, with foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei calling the report a plot by Israel-linked circles to make Iran-U.S. relations more complicated. Investigators were told of the plan to kill Trump by Shakeri, an accused Iranian government asset who spent time in American prisons for robbery and who authorities say maintained a network of criminal associates enlisted by Tehran for surveillance and murder-for-hire plots, according to the complaint. The article added that Shakeri, an Afghan national living in Iran, told the FBI that a contact in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard instructed him last September to set aside other work he was doing and assemble a plan within seven days to surveil and ultimately kill Trump, according to a criminal complaint unsealed EFTA01655606 in federal court in Manhattan. Trump recently revoked government security protection for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his top aide, Brian Hook, as well as his former national security adviser John Bolton, who have all faced threats from Iran after they took hardline stances against the Islamic Republic during Trump's first administration. Was a Guantanamo Confession Voluntary? A Judge Will Soon Decide. The New York Times (02/04, Rosenberg) reported that the CIA interrogated Ammar al-Baluchi 1,119 times over more than three years before he was ever charged in connection to the Sept. 11 attacks. At first, he was beaten, deprived of sleep, and kept shackled and naked in a secret prison in Afghanistan. Even after the brutality stopped, the questioning continued while he was kept in isolation and incommunicado during that time. Then, in 2006, he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay, and the FBI took over the interrogations. During those sessions, in 2007, Baluchi was fully clothed, with an ankle shackled to the floor. That is when he explained to agents building a criminal case against him how he sent money and provided other support to some of the hijackers who attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Now a military judge will decide whether that 2007 confession can be used against Baluchi at his death-penalty trial. According to the article, the central question is: Was his confession to the FBI voluntary, or was it the result of a campaign of state-sponsored torture that spanned his time in CIA custody? The Sept. 11 case is once again at a crossroads at Guantanamo Bay. Three defendants, including Baluchi's uncle, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, are awaiting resolution of a dispute over whether they can plead guilty in exchange for life sentences. A fourth defendant has been ruled not mentally fit to face trial. Baluchi is the only prisoner currently on the path to trial for the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. The article added that for three days last month, between sporadic power outages at Guantanamo's court complex at Camp Justice, defense and prosecution lawyers offered starkly different portrayals of whether Baluchi was able to shed years of CIA domination to voluntarily help FBI agents who questioned him after his transfer to Guantanamo. The agents described those three days of interrogations in January 2007 in a 45- page memo, which the prosecutors consider the most crucial evidence against him. Back to Top COUNTERINTELLIGENCE Ex-Google Engineer Faces New U.S. Charges He Stole Al Secrets for Chinese Companies Reuters (02/04, Stempel) reported that U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday unveiled an expanded 14-count indictment accusing former Google software engineer Linwei Ding of stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets to benefit two Chinese companies he was secretly working for. Ding, 38, a Chinese national, was charged by a federal grand jury in San Francisco with seven counts each of economic espionage and theft of trade secrets. The defendant, also known as Leon Ding, was indicted last March on four counts of theft of trade secrets. Ding's case was coordinated through an interagency Disruptive Technology Strike Force created in 2023 by the Biden administration. A DOJ press release noted that the prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI. CBS News (02/04, Fang), and Bloomberg (02/04, Nayak) also reported on the story. Back to Top CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS FBI Adds Alleged Leader of Meza-Flores Transnational Criminal Organization to Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List Fox News (02/04, Arias, Gibson) reported that the FBI announced that they have added the alleged head of the Meza-Flores transnational criminal organization to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. The article stated that Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores, 42, also known as "Chapo Isidro," is accused of spearheading the Sinaloa, Mexico-based group, which the FBI said is "responsible for the possession, distribution, and importation of large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana into the U.S." Meza-Flores' criminal activity has spanned over 20 years, the FBI said. The article noted that ten years ago, Meza-Flores was flagged as one of three major cartel bosses remaining in Mexico. The article quoted acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, who said in a video statement, "In addition to the scourge of illicit drugs Meza-Flores and his organization have unleashed into the United States from across our southern border, they're also accused of heinous crimes ranging from kidnapping and extortion to torture and murder." The article also quoted Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan, who said in a statement, "For EFTA01655607 decades, the public has shared information with the FBI that has helped us capture dangerous criminals. Today, we ask you to help us find Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores, so we can bring him to justice and curb the flow of illegal drugs into our country." The article explained that Meza-Flores was originally indicted back in May 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In November 2019, a federal grand jury handed down a superseding indictment for drug trafficking offenses and possession of a firearm. According to the article, the indictment alleges that Mesa-Florez conspired to manufacture and distribute drugs including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine in the U.S. from 2005 to 2019. The article indicated that the U.S. government is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Meza-Flores' arrest and conviction. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI. The article detailed that Meza-Flores is described as being 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, with brown eyes and dark brown hair. He likely lives in Mexico, the FBI said. Meza-Flores is the 533rd fugitive added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since it was created in March 1950. UPI (02/04, Benson) added that as its alleged chief, Meza-Flores "leads a group of heavily armed gunmen who use violence to maintain control of areas in Mexico used for the production and transportation of narcotics" destined for the United States, according to FBI officials. Fox News (02/04, Video), WBRE (NBC-28) (02/04, Muniz), WHTM (ABC-27) (02/04, Stockburger), and Comms Trader (02/04, Staff Writer) also reported on the story. Continued Reporting: Federal Prosecutor Vows to Protect DOGE Staffers From Any `Threats, Confrontations' Targeting Musk Team Fox News (02/04, Colton) reported that newly-appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin published a letter vowing to hold to account those who try to sabotage efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to clean the federal government of overspending and corruption. The article noted that Martin wrote to Elon Musk in a letter, which Martin posted to his X account Monday, saying, "I recognize that some of the staff at DOGE have been targeted publicly. At this time, I ask that you utilize me and my staff to assist in protecting the DOGE work and the DOGE workers. Any threats, confrontations or other actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws. Let me assure you of this: We will pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people." The article mentioned that Martin previously worked as a defense attorney, including representing three men charged in the Jan. 6 protests, when President Donald Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol in 2021. The article pointed out that Martin's letter comes as Musk takes a hatchet to government agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to rid the departments of what the administration has described as corruption and overspending. Washington Examiner (02/04, Knox) added that an advocacy group and other unions are suing the Treasury Department after DOGE gained access to its sensitive systems. The Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Federation of Government Employees, and the Service Employees International Union, represented by the Public Citizen Litigation Group and State Democracy Defenders Fund, filed a lawsuit against the department for the alleged "unlawful ongoing, systematic, and continuous disclosure of personal and financial information contained in Defendants' records to Elon Musk" and DOGE employees. The article disclosed that according to the complaint, Musk and DOGE are barred from accessing the data under the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code. Among the sensitive data allegedly accessed by DOGE included names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, birthplaces, home addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and bank account information. The Economic Times (02/04, Staff Writer), NewsNation (02/04, Djordjevic), Forbes (02/04, Suciu), Common Dreams (02/04, Corbett), Inkl (02/04, Staff Writer), Just The News (02/04, Hazard), The Epoch Times (02/04, Phillips), and Business Insider (02/04, Newsham) also reported on the story. Man Accused of Fencing Stolen Items Linked to Theft at Star Athlete's Ohio Home, Prosecutors Say The Associated Press (02/04, Collins) one of two men accused of fencing luxury goods stolen from homes across the country has been linked to a theft at the residence of a "high-profile athlete in Ohio" on the same day that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's home was broken into, federal authorities said in court documents released Tuesday. The article revealed that grand jury indictments in federal court in New York City accuse Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar of buying stolen watches, jewelry and other expensive items from a variety of burglary crews, including some from South America, and re-selling them at their pawn shop in Manhattan since 2020. The article clarified that the court documents do not specifically name Burrow as a victim. But prosecutors alleged there was evidence including phone records linking Nezhinskiy to suspects in a theft near Cincinnati on Dec. 9 — the same day of the burglary at Burrow's home while he and the Bengals were playing in Dallas. The article mentioned that the charges against Nezhinskiy and Villar come after four men from Chile were indicted in what the EFTA01655608 Ohio attorney general called a string of burglaries at multimillion-dollar homes. But he declined to say whether professional athletes were the targets. The article indicated that Nezhinskiy, 43, a Georgian national who lives in North Bergen, New Jersey, and Villar, 48, of the Queens section of New York City, were arrested Tuesday and are scheduled to be arraigned in court Wednesday. They are charged with multiple counts of receiving stolen goods. The article noted that prosecutors said a large amount of suspected stolen property was found at the two men's business and at storage units in New Jersey belonging to Nezhinskiy. The article quoted FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy, who said, "For almost five years, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar allegedly served as unlawful brokers to perpetuate the sale of stolen luxury items by purchasing them from burglary crews. The defendants' alleged actions incentivized highly organized South American Theft Groups to continue their meticulous looting scheme against a myriad of affluent residences and businesses across the country. With our law enforcement partners, the FBI will continue to dismantle any criminal activity curated to capitalize on victims' losses and establish an economic demand for ill-obtained merchandise within our city." CBS News (02/04, Bauman, ganger) detailed that FBI agents executed a search warrant Tuesday at the second-floor Diamond District pawn shop the two operate, where they allegedly fenced the stolen goods. NBC News (02/04, Dienst, et al.), ABC News (02/04, Katersky, Deliso), The New York Times (02/04, Nerkar), The New York Post (02/04, Schnitzer, Fitz-Gibbon), The Cincinnati Enquirer (02/04, Ferrara), Fox News (02/04, Gaydos), WNYW (FOX-5) (02/04, Flanagan), WABC (ABC- 7) (02/04, Staff Writer), WPIX (CW-11) (02/04, Mitchell, DiLorenzo, Bink), WCPO (ABC-9) (02/04, Weiter), WLWT (NBC-5) (02/04, Sanderson, Johnson), and WXIX (FOX-19) (02/04, Staff Writer) also reported on the story. Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Firing Gun Outside Jewish Temple in Upstate New York The Associated Press (02/04, Hill) reported that a 29-year-old man pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday for firing a shotgun outside an upstate New York synagogue during the early months of the Israel-Hamas war. The article explained that Mufid Fawaz Alkhader was arrested in December 2023 after firing two shots in the air and shouting "Free Palestine!" outside Temple Israel of Albany. Alkhader's shotgun jammed before he could fire a third time. The Iraqi-born U.S. citizen was arrested soon after and complained about events in the Middle East, according to federal prosecutors. The article noted that the gunfire in New York's capital city happened on the first night of Hanukkah and two months after the surprise incursion by Hamas triggered the war. No one was injured, but 61 children attending preschool sheltered in place while police searched the area. Prosecutors said Alkhader took a ride-share vehicle to the temple from his home in nearby Schenectady. The article stated that under a deal with prosecutors, Alkhader pleaded guilty to obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, brandishing a firearm during the commission of that offense and conspiring to purchase a firearm unlawfully. The article mentioned that federal prosecutors initially charged Alkhader with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person — a charge authorities said was related to his admitted use of marijuana. He was later charged with conspiracy to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Alkhader, who is being held in the county jail, faces at least 7 years and up to life in prison when he is sentenced June 6. A DOJ press release quoted Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli of the FBI Albany Field Office, who said, "Mr. Alkhader's plea confirms his deliberate and premeditated intentions to illegally acquire a gun and use it to bring terror to the Temple Israel community as they were preparing to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. Thanks to the swift actions of the Temple Israel community and our law enforcement partners, justice has been served. The FBI remains steadfast in our mission to ensure all our communities can live without fear of hateful violence." USA Today (02/04, Nguyen) and Times Union (02/04, Tine) also reported on the story. Tennessee Star Says FBI Considering Offer to Drop Suit, End in Release of Covenant Shooter's Writings WSMV (NBC-4) (02/04, Wethington) reported that the Tennessee Star is reporting that the FBI is now considering an offer to release the full writings of the Covenant School shooter for the publication to drop a lawsuit. The article explained that The Star's CEO, Michael Patrick Leahy, posted on X that they received a letter from the Department of Justice confirming their consideration of the offer. However, the full terms of the offer have not been made public. The article mentioned that there have been ongoing battles in state and federal court over the release of the writings since the shooting occurred in March 2023. The Star sued the FBI, wanting its copy of the writings released. The article noted that parents of the children who attend The Covenant School have continuously pushed against the release of the writings. So, everything has been tied up in litigation for nearly two years and some of the pages have been leaked. Some of those leaks came from the Tennessee Star. The article added that the reporting outlet has reached out to the FBI for confirmation of Leahy's post and more details on the alleged offer. EFTA01655609 Parents Accused of Torturing Their Six-Year-Old Adopted Daughter to Death and Burying Her in the Backyard The Independent (02/04, Rissman) reported that a Kansas couple was arrested in connection to the death of their six-year-old adopted daughter, whose remains were found in their backyard. The article explained that in September 2024, authorities were called after receiving a report that human remains were possibly buried in the backyard of a home, according to the Rose Hill Police Department. The following day, after obtaining a search warrant, officers and cadaver dogs searched the "overgrown" area to find the decomposed remains of a human child in a trash bag buried 23 inches deep in the backyard. The article noted that a DNA test revealed the remains belonged to Kennedy Schroer, whose birth name was Natalie Garcia, police said. A November postmortem report found the little girl's cause of death was probable suffocation — and her manner of death was homicide. The article indicated that she was believed to have died in 2020, police previously said, making her six years old at the time. Five months after police discovered the remains, on February 3, the child's adoptive parents were arrested. The article confirmed that Crystina Elizabeth Schroer, 50, was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, four counts of child abuse (torture) felony theft, four counts of forgery, Medicaid fraud and desecration of a corpse. Joseph Shane Schroer, 53, was charged with four counts of child abuse (torture), liability for crimes of another, interference with law enforcement, felony theft, and Medicaid fraud. The article highlighted that the Rose Hill Police detectives dedicated more than 2,000 hours to the case, while other agencies, including the Butler County Attorney's Office, FBI, and Department of Children and Families, also dedicated hundreds of hours, police said. People (02/04, Pelisek), The Topeka Capital-Journal (02/04, Alatidd), The Hays Post (02/03, Staff Writer), Law & Crime News (02/04, Harris), Ink' (02/04, Staff Writer), KSNW (NBC-3) (02/04, Lytle), KSNW (NBC-3) (02/04, McMillan, Steiner), KAKE (ABC-10) (02/03, Staff Writer), and KWCH (CBS-12) (02/04, Heilman) also reported on the story. Fugitive Found Hiding in Caribbean Decades After Killing Man in Alaska, Officials Say The Charlotte Observer (02/04, Schilling) reported that a man spent nearly three decades living under different identities in the Caribbean after fleeing Alaska in the wake of a shooting that left an 18-year-old dead, prosecutors said. But Ruben Fernandez, 50, is now back in the United States and was sentenced by an Alaska judge on Jan. 30 to spend 20 years behind bars in connection with the fatal 1995 shooting of David Burdette, prosecutors said. According to the article, Fernandez pleaded guilty in August 2024 to second-degree murder, the Alaska Department of Law said in a news release. The U.S. Marshals Service arrested him in 2022 after tracking him to the town of La Cuesta, according to the agency. The article detailed that Fernandez, a U.S. citizen, is accused of shooting Burdette on May 20, 1995, outside an Anchorage fast food restaurant, according to prosecutors. Fernandez was 21 years old at the time, court records show. The article explained that he and Burdette got into a verbal fight, and Fernandez shot Burdette in the head as Burdette walked away, prosecutors said. The article noted that after Burdette was on the ground, Fernandez shot him in the chest and "continued to shoot out the window of a vehicle" while leaving the scene, prosecutors said. Fernandez used four different identities after fleeing to the Dominican Republic, an island nation next to Haiti, the marshals service said. The identities led marshals to La Cuesta, the agency said. The article highlighted that the Anchorage Police Department spent 27 years investigating and working to find Fernandez with help from the marshals service and the FBI, prosecutors said. FBI Offering Reward to Find People Responsible for Death on Turtle Mountain Reservation KFGO (02/04, Janke) reported that the FBI is asking for the public's help solving a nine year old case. Michael Azure was found dead on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in northern North Dakota on Dec. 29, 2015. According to the article, the FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Azure's death. The article instructed that anyone with information should contact the FBI at (763) 569-8000 or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov. KVLY (NBC-11) (02/04, Nygren), The Jamestown Sun (02/04, Staff Writer), WDAY (FM-93.1) (02/04, Erickson), and The Bismarck Tribune (02/04, Nygaard) also reported on the story. Probe of Six Murders Takes Feds Into Strange Territory USA Today (02/04, Hughes) reported that police, court records and witnesses are beginning to link a series of six seemingly unconnected deaths across the country. The article indicated that two people — who may or may not be married to each other — have been detained in connection with two deaths separated by 3,000 miles. The gun used in one of those incidents has been linked to the 2022 homicides of two people in Pennsylvania. The article detailed that behind bars are Seattle-area natives Teresa Youngblut, 21, detained in Vermont, and Maximilian Snyder, 22, detained in California. Records show the two got a marriage license in Washington state last year, but it's unclear EFTA01655610 whether they went through with the marriage. The article noted that Youngblut has been charged in connection with the Jan. 20 shooting death of Border Patrol agent David "Chris" Maland in Vermont near the Canadian border, according to court records. Youngblut has been charged with one count of using a deadly weapon while assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent and one count of using and discharging a firearm during that assault but has not been charged with actually killing Maland. Vincent Illuzzi, the Essex County State's Attorney, along with the FBI, is slowly piecing together a complicated and confusing situation. He suspects that Youngblut and Bauckholt opened fire on the Border Patrol over fears investigators had finally pieced together their connection to multiple other deaths. The article highlighted that FBI agent Leah Bogdanowicz, who signed Youngblut's arrest affidavit, hinted at a broader investigation: "Because this affidavit is being submitted for the limited purpose of establishing probable cause, it does not include all the facts that I have learned during the course of the investigation." The FBI declined to discuss the substance of the cases but acknowledged potential connections. The article quoted Sarah Ruane, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Albany, New York, who office said in a statement, "As stated in open court and in court filings, Teresa Youngblut is believed to have associations with other individuals suspected of violent acts in multiple states, to include Pennsylvania and California. The FBI is coordinating information sharing on any case related details with our partners from various law enforcement agencies to effectively follow every lead and aggressively investigate these connections." The article added that Youngblut remains in custody because a federal judge agreed with prosecutors about the potential for flight risk, in part, because of Youngblut's purported connections with other deaths, which prosecutors did not specify. NewsNation (02/04, Becker, Arnold), VICE (02/04, Prada), and California City News (02/04, Staff Writer) also reported on the story. Former Congressman Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Charges The Epoch Times (02/04, Smith) reported that former U.S. Rep. Terrance John "TJ" Cox (D-Calif.) pled guilty on Monday to wire fraud and wire fraud affecting a financial institution, federal prosecutors announced. The article stated that Cox, 61, who represented California's 21st Congressional District from 2019 to 2021, admitted to fraudulent schemes spanning several years that resulted in millions of dollars in losses. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, Cox executed multiple schemes between 2013 and 2018, diverting client payments and company funds into unauthorized bank accounts under his control. The article explained that his actions resulted in the misappropriation of funds from companies with which he was affiliated, prosecutors said. The article highlighted that the FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigation division conducted the probe of Cox's financial dealings, which uncovered a pattern of financial misconduct that spanned years and involved multiple fraudulent transactions, prosecutors said. The article mentioned that Cox was originally indicted in 2022 on multiple counts, including 10 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of money laundering, five counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, financial institution fraud, and illegal campaign contributions. Investigators said that Cox used his various business and nonprofit ventures to secure fraudulent loans and misappropriate investor funds for personal expenses and unrelated business activities. The article confirmed that as part of his plea agreement, Cox pled guilty to two counts while prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining charges at sentencing. The plea deal requires Cox to accept responsibility for his actions, cooperate with investigators, and repay misappropriated funds.Cox also agreed to pay up to $3.5 million in restitution to victims. The article added that Cox's sentencing is scheduled for June 2. He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading Parkland Talk (02/04, Baron) reported that a Florida man pleaded guilty on Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida for his involvement in an insider trading scheme that resulted in over $1.6 million in illicit profits. According to the article, Stephen George, 54, served as a member of the Finance Department at Celsius Holdings Inc. from November 2017 until his departure on April 7, 2023. Holding roles including vice president and controller, George had access to material non-public information (MNPI) regarding Celsius's financial performance. The article detailed that court documents reveal that on his last day of employment, George used a company computer to generate a consolidated income statement showing that Celsius Holdings Inc.'s first-quarter earnings for 2023 greatly exceeded expectations. Aware that the information was confidential, George emailed the statement to himself using two personal email accounts. The article indicated that following his departure, George began trading Celsius stock on April 10, 2023, the first trading day after he left the company. Over the next several weeks, he purchased 20,000 shares of Celsius common stock and 300 call option contracts based on the inside information he had obtained. After the company publicly reported its stronger-than-expected first-quarter performance, including record revenue, on May 9, 2023, the stock price surged. George sold all his shares and call options on May 10, 2023, reaping more than $1.6 million in profits. The article confirmed that George pleaded guilty to one count of EFTA01655611 securities fraud and is scheduled for sentencing on April 28. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A DOJ press release noted that the FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case. Law360 (02/04, Minsky) also reported on the story. Former Insurance Agent Stole Identities and Millions of Dollars, FBI Searching for Victims WISH (CW-8) (02/04, Gutierrez) reported that Indiana identities were stolen by a former insurance agent accused of earning millions in fraudulent life insurance policies. Now, the FBI in Indianapolis is seeking all the victims in the case. According to the article, the FBI is looking for potential victims of Thomas Lemmen, a former Schererville, Indiana insurance agent, and is asking them to fill out an online questionnaire for information relevant to the investigation. Lemmen was indicted by a grand jury on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in October, 2024. The article detailed that the former insurance agent is accused of writing over 1,000 fraudulent life insurance policies, according to the indictment. The article clarified that these policies were written without people's knowledge. Victims lived mostly throughout Northern Indiana. The article outlined that between 2020 and 2022, Lemmen allegedly wrote and applied for the fraudulent policies, receiving millions of dollars in commissions. He used victims' names, birthdates and Social Security numbers, and even forged digital signatures. The agency is legally mandated to find all victims of the crimes it investigates, but will keep all their identities confidential. Trayon White Expelled From the DC Council for Corruption but He's Free to Run for His Old Seat The Associated Press (02/04, Khalil) reported that the D.C. Council voted unanimously Tuesday to expel Councilmember Trayon White, who faces a federal trial on charges of taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to influence city contract decisions. The article noted that White, 40, was arrested by the FBI last August. His federal trial won't start until January 2026, but preliminary evidence shows White pocketing cash-stuffed envelopes from a city contractor-turned-informer. The article indicated that Tuesday's hearing on the matter was relatively quick. An internal council inquiry had already recommended expulsion. Votes from 11 of the 12 remaining council members were required for expulsion, but the vote was unanimous. The article pointed out that he refused to cooperate with the internal council inquiry. According to the article, White has sought to stoke lingering suspicion of the FBI among Black Washingtonians, many of whom believe infamous former Mayor Marion Barry was unfairly targeted by the 1990 FBI sting that caught him on camera smoking crack cocaine. The article detailed that during Tuesday's council hearing, White sat silently in the audience surrounded by supporters. Meanwhile, a panel truck sat parked outside the D.C. government building with an electronic display showing a picture of White and the message "FBI set me up." Last week, White showed up at a council hearing on his case wearing a T-shirt that declared "THE FBI KILLED FRED HAMPTON" — a reference to the Illinois Black Panther Party leader who was killed during a police raid in 1969. The article mentioned that White is free to enter the special election that will be called to fill his seat as long as he hasn't been convicted of a felony. His trial starts next year. Fox News (02/04, Norman), The Washington Post (02/04, Schwartzman, Gathright), The Washingtonian (02/04, Corliss), Axios (02/04, Dil), The Washington Informer (02/04, Collins), Washington Business Journal (02/04, Peters), Washington City Paper (02/04, Koma), Ink' (02/04, Staff Writer), WUSA (CBS-9) (02/04, Pusatory, Sanchez-Cruz), WTTG (FOX-5) (02/04, Staff Writer), WJLA (ABC-7) (02/04, Lynn, Ashley, Volou), WRC (NBC-4) (02/04, Segraves), and WDCW (CW-50) (02/04, Allen) also reported on the story. Dallas FBI Arrests Texas Man Accused of Making Online Threat KCBD (NBC-11) (02/04, Collinsworth) reported that agents with the Dallas FBI arrested a man after a SWAT standoff in southwest Lubbock Monday afternoon. The article indicated that 29-year-old Stephen Furr is accused of posting an online threat, according to the arrest warrant. The warrant states Furr knowingly threatened to injury somebody online, but did not provide any details on the nature of the threat or who it was directed towards. The article detailed that just after 11 a.m., Lubbock police were called to assist a SWAT callout at a home near 90th and Abbeville. The article confirmed that Furr remains in the Lubbock County Detention Center. If found guilty, Furr could face up to 10 years in prison. KLBK (CBS-13) (02/04, Rooney) also reported on the story. FBI Increases Reward for Information in North Carolina Woman's 2015 Disappearance WMBF (NBC-32) (02/04, Listrom) reported that authorities in North Carolina are again asking for information on a decade-long cold case. The Robeson County Sheriff's Office held a news conference Tuesday concerning the 2015 case of 18-year-old Sara Nicole Graham. The article outlined that Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins again asked the public to come forward with any new information. Wilkins also said the FBI's reward for any details has increased to $10,000. According to the article, her case is also now being investigated as a potential homicide. The article detailed that according to the FBI, Graham was last seen on Feb. 4, 2015, leaving home early for work at the EFTA01655612 Walmart location in Pembroke. Authorities eventually found her van abandoned in a field miles away from her home on East McDonald Road. The article noted that since then, however, multiple agencies have yet to figure out where exactly she could have gone. The article instructed that anyone with information is asked to contact the Robeson County Sheriff's Office at 910-671-3100 or the FBI's Charlotte Field Office at 704-672-6100. WBTW (CBS- 13) (01/04, Cooper) and WPDE (ABC-15) (02/04, Brown) also reported on the story. Scammers Targeting Connecticut Doctors WFSB (CBS-3) (02/04, Williams) reported that the FBI and DEA want to get out a warning about a new scam popping up in Connecticut and across the country. Scammers are targeting healthcare professionals and threatening their license. According to the article, the FBI provided a copy of a fake arrest warrant the scammers used. The document is supposed to look like a federal indictment, and it says says a doctor is being charged with drug trafficking after something called "Operation Black Pistol." The article noted that while the document is fake, it's a real example of a scam happening across the country. The article quoted Steven Shapiro, special agent in charge of the FBI's New Haven field office, who said, "In the state of Connecticut alone, victims have lost between $30,000 and $800,000. Across the country, the numbers are closer to $10 million." The article outlined that scammers are targeting doctors, veterinarians and other healthcare professionals who are licensed to prescribe medications. The scammers tell the doctors they are being investigated for drug trafficking, and they could lose their license if they don't pay up. The article highlighted that Shapiro said, "We will never ask you to provide cash to make an arrest warrant go away. It's not how we operate. ... They are going to try and say don't get in touch with an attorney, don't get in touch with any loved ones, you stay on the phone with me until these cash leaves your account and comes to me." However, the FBI says that's the opposite of what you should do. If something doesn't sound right, hang up and call the FBI or DEA offices directly. The article added that the FBI also asks anyone receiving a call from a person claiming to be with the DEA or FBI to report the incident to the FBI at www.ic3.gov or send an email to NewHaven@FBl.gov. WTNH (ABC-8) (02/04, Zymaris) also reported on the story. Man Sentenced for Attempted Sexual Assault of Child in Colorado Human Trafficking Case CBS News (02/04, Swanson) reported that a man convicted in a Colorado human trafficking case was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday. The article revealed that in Nov. 2024, Reginald Biggs pleaded guilty to distributing a controlled substance to a minor and was convicted of attempted sexual assault of a child. Both charges are felonies. According to the article, Biggs was charged with numerous offenses in connection with human trafficking in April and May of 2022. As part of his plea deal, 18 charges were dismissed. The article indicated that in a post on X, FBI Denver said Biggs was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 4. The article mentioned that officials said the organization From Silenced to Saved was awarded the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award for their assistance with survivors in connection with the case. The nonprofit helps those who have fallen victim to sexual exploitation to find housing, food, transportation, and other services to help survivors leave their abusers. FBI Denver: Colorado Man Sentenced for Production of Child Porn KXRM (FOX-21) (02/04, Korn) reported that Keith Conrad, a 36-year-old man from Pueblo was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on Wednesday, Jan. 29, after he pled guilty to one count of Production of Child Pornography, according to the FBI Denver. The article revealed that according to the plea agreement, the forensic examiner identified over 900 images of possible child pornography, and the FBI found evidence that Conrad had sent several images to other people via Facebook Messenger. According to FBI Denver and as part of the plea agreement, other counts in the indictment were dismissed. The article stated that Conrad was arrested on Feb. 24, 2023, by the Pueblo Police Department (PPD) after someone reported him for sending videos and text messages in which he showed and talked about sexually assaulting a child. Conrad was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2023 and pled guilty on Oct. 22, 2024. KOAA (NBC-5) (02/04, Gavato) and KKTV (CBS-11) (02/04, Leonard) also reported on the story. FBI Investigating Five Bank Robberies on the Same Day in the Milwaukee Area WTMJ (NBC-4) (02/04, Sirkin) reported that the FBI's Milwaukee Area Violent Crime Task Force (MAVCTF) is investigating five bank robberies that occurred in Milwaukee on Monday, Feb. 3. The article clarified that the investigation is being conducted jointly by MAVCTF, the Milwaukee Police Department, and the Shorewood Police Department. The article noted that the reporting outlet first reported Monday on two of the robberies—at Wells Fargo locations in Milwaukee and Shorewood. The article mentioned that the investigations are ongoing, and if you have any information about these bank robberies, please call the FBI Milwaukee Field Office at (414) 276-4684 or EFTA01655613 submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (02/04, Clarey, Levens) also reported on the story. Continued Reporting: Justice for NASCAR Legend as FBI Takes Down Elite Car Thieves in Shocking Undercover Operation EssentiallySports (02/04, Shirwadkar) reported that the FBI was able to track down and bust a crew of high-tech thieves in Metro Detroit. The article detailed that the thieves were accused of stealing cars and tricks in Metro Detroit, two of which belonged to Hall of Famer Jack Roush. Roush had two Ford trucks stolen in late 2022 directly at the headquarters of Roush Enterprises in Livonia. The article noted that thanks to an undercover operation carried out by the FBI, the culprit has been nabbed and at least one of Roush's trucks has been recovered. The article indicated that court files revealed a year-long FBI probe across the Midwest and South that led to a garage in Milwaukee, from where they were able to locate and arrest the perpetrators. The article quoted FBI Special Agent Shane Hoffmann, who said in the warrant in the court documents, "The vehicles were taken by individuals wearing ski masks who had exited a black SUV." The article highlighted that these thefts have been a growing part of the problem in automotive businesses. The black market demand for cars and their parts has led to a sharp spike in car thefts, with the number of incidences reaching as high as 28,408 in 2023. Sportskeeda (02/04, Kochar) also reported on the story. Back to Top CYBER DIVISION Philadelphia Man Loses Life Savings in Wire Transfer Schemes CBS News (02/04, Sidorowicz) reported that stammers, in two separate instances, convinced Ed Hayduk to wire transfer more than $70,000. Now, as he struggles to pay his bills, a Pennsylvania lawmaker is looking to enact protections to try to stop this kind of fraud in its tracks. The article highlighted that the FBI says this type of fraud is one of the most prevalent and damaging schemes today. Americans are losing billions each year by being tricked into making fraudulent wire transfers. The article noted that wiring money, the FTC warns, is like sending cash. It's nearly impossible to get back or trace who took it, which is why wire transfer schemes have grown increasingly common and costly. The article quoted Bucks County Republican Rep. Joe Hogan, who said, "Billions of dollars are being stolen every single year here in Pennsylvania and almost none of it comes back. We have to find out ways to protect more people." According to the article, Hogan plans to introduce a bill to give bank employees more authority to flag suspicious activity, freeze a transfer for a few days, and alert law enforcement. WGAL (NBC-8) (02/04, Roche) also reported on the story. Back to Top INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS A Thousand Days of Israeli Impunity, Still No Justice for Shireen Abu Akleh Al Jazeera (02/04, Staff Writer) reported that Veteran Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was killed 1,000 days ago while covering an Israeli raid on the Lenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on May 11, 2022. According to the article, she was wearing a helmet and a clearly marked press vest when she was killed in what the Al Jazeera Media Network condemned as a "cold-blooded assassination." The article indicated that news agencies, rights groups and the United Nations have all conducted investigations into her killing and concluded that Abu Akleh was killed — likely deliberately — by Israeli troops. The article detailed that on the day she was killed, she was with several colleagues in a safe area away from clashes and crossfire, although there was an Israeli army convoy about 200 metres (660 feet) away. The shooting was caught on video and showed Abu Akleh falling to the ground, motionless. The article stated that her colleagues who tried to come to her aid were shot at. The article included that according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Israel has failed to hold any of its soldiers accountable for the killing of 20 Palestinian journalists during the 22 years before Abu Akleh's death. The article pointed out that Israel's army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the army was "deeply sorry" for the death of Abu Akleh, reiterating that there was no intention to launch criminal proceedings against the soldiers believed to be behind the killing. The article mentioned that the FBI opened a probe that was welcomed by rights groups and Arab civil society in the US, but Israel has reportedly not cooperated with the investigation. EFTA01655614 Continued Reporting: FBI Houston Investigation Leads to Seizure of 39 Pakistan-Based Fraud Domains and Servers Houston Public Media (02/04, Grunau) reported that in a multi-agency cybercrime crackdown with Houston ties, federal agents last week seized 39 domains and servers associated with Pakistan-based online marketplaces selling hacking and fraud-enabling tools. The article revealed that the domains— part of a network of marketplaces operated by Saim Raza, or HeartSender— were seized on Jan. 29 in an effort with the Dutch National Police and federal investigators in Houston. The article indicated that the fraud tool sales orchestrated by Saim Raza allegedly totaled more than $3 million in losses since at least 2020. The marketplaces sold phishing toolkits to transnational organized crime groups that targeted some United States residents, according to the DOJ. According to the article, some of the tools advertised on the online marketplaces including phishing kits, scam pages and email extractors used to build fraud operations. Saim Raza also allegedly trained users on how to use the tools by linking to instructional YouTube videos, according to the affidavit. The article outlined that the alleged organized crime groups that purchased the fraud tools used them to "facilitate business email compromise schemes wherin the cybercrime actors tricked victim companies into making payments to a third party," according to the DOJ. The payments were instead directed to a financial account operated by the groups. The article added that an investigation by the FBI Houston Field Office is ongoing. Australian Police Seek FBI Help in Case Against Alleged Pam the Bird Graffiti Artist Australian Broadcasting Corporation (02/04, Silva) reported that Victoria Police will seek help from the FBI to build its case against the alleged creator of "Pam the Bird," a cartoon bird spray-painted on landmarks around Melbourne. The article indicated that it comes as the estimated graffiti clean-up bill has now exceeded $200,000, the Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard on Tuesday. According to the article, Senior Constable Scott Nicholls said police would work with the FBI to obtain a search warrant of Meta, the parent company of social media platform Instagram. He said police were hoping to access data from an Instagram account that promotes Pam the Bird works, believing the page with 75,000 followers was operated by the cartoon's alleged creator, Jackson Gibson- Burrell. The article noted that Gibson-Burrell, 21, is facing more than 50 charges and is accused of painting the bird at multiple locations. The article added that police allege co-accused Matthew Raoul White, 39, assisted Gibson- Burrell and was responsible for other graffiti tags, including "SROCK" and "NEON." The Guardian (02/04, Ore) stated that police arrested Gibson-Burrell and White on Thursday last week before charging the pair. News.com.au (02/05, Beatty) and The Age (02/04, Pearson) also reported on the story. Back to Top OTHER FBI NEWS Democrats Question Diversion of Federal Law Enforcement Officers to Trump Migrant Crackdown NBC News (02/04, Ainsley) reported that Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee raised concerns Tuesday that law enforcement agents from agencies like the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are being diverted from their regular duties to help President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. The article highlighted that Reps. Jamie Raskin, 0-Md., Pramila Jayapal, 0- Wash., and Lucy McBath, D-Ga., said in a letter to the DOJ Tuesday: "This all-consuming focus on rounding up immigrants is not an efficient use of the Department's resources. We hired and trained these law enforcement officials to handle extremely important and sensitive tasks essential to the safety and security of our nation. Forcing these officials to abandon the responsibilities for which they were hired will allow dangerous criminals to remain free and expose countless Americans to more violent crime." The article pointed out that the Democratic members of Congress also raised concerns about a memo from acting Deputy Attorney General, Emil Bove diverting members of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force away from terrorism investigations and prioritizing the arrests of undocumented immigrants "with no attempt to strategically prioritize public safety threats." The article explained that since Bove's Jan. 21 memo, agents from the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies overseen by the DOJ have accompanied ICE agents on "enhanced" operations, like those in Chicago and New York City last week. The article added that the letter also asked the DOJ to provide information about how many agents from the various federal law enforcement agencies have been diverted to work on immigration arrests. The Democrats asked for the names of each employee, the years the employees have worked for the department and how the employees' agencies have been affected by their reassignments. Fox News (02/04, Pinedo) also reported on government agencies' involvement. EFTA01655615 Continued Reporting: Virginia Lawmakers Outraged Over Report of 'Flawed' FBI Headquarters Search The Washington Times (02/04, Salai) reported that Virginia lawmakers expressed outrage Tuesday over a report on flaws in the selection of Greenbelt as the site for the new headquarters of the FBI. According to the article, the inspector general of the General Services Administration published a report Monday that noted "inaccurate information" and other issues in an agency official overruling an advisory panel's recommendation to relocate the FBI in Springfield, Virginia, and selecting the Maryland suburb instead. The article quoted Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat representing the Springfield area, who told the reporting outlet, "To allow one individual to swoop down and unilaterally reverse every judged criterion and upend a unanimous decision boggles the mind and in no way could be considered fair or transparent." The article noted that Virginia state Sen. Jeremy McPike, a Democrat representing Quantico, said the overruled selection criteria showed that Springfield had a "more organic connection" to FBI activities. The article detailed that Congressional Democrats and FBI leaden demanded an investigation in November 2023 after a Biden administration appointee in the GSA overruled a three-member panel's recommendation that the agency relocate to Springfield. The FBI has sought to replace the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building, its longtime headquarters near the White House. The article disclosed that the GSA inspector general's redacted findings noted improperly weighted cost estimates, missing cellphone records and a lack of data justifying racial equity claims that Biden appointee Nina Albert cited to quash the FBI's desire to be closer to its training facility in Quantico. The offices of Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrats, said in a joint statement that they are "still carefully reviewing the GSA OIG's report and considering next steps." The article added that Maryland Democratic leaders — Gov. Wes Moore, Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, and Reps. Steny H. Hoyer and Glenn Ivey — emphasized in a joint statement that the report found "no conflict of interest in the selection of Greenbelt." Law360 (02/04, Wilson), CoStar (02/04, Lehrfeld), FFX Now (02/04, Woolsey), and The Maryland Daily Record (02/04, Staff Writer) also reported on the story. New FBI Report Details Patterns of Violence Against Native Women, Children Native News Online (02/04, Wild) reported that an FBI report on violent and sexual crimes against Native American women provides new data about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis. The article explained that the report, Violence Against American Indian or Alaska Native Females: 2021 - 2023, uses data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to identify relationships between victims and offenders, weapons used, locations of incidents, and ages of victims in both violent crimes and victims of sexual crimes. According to the article, Native Americans face murder rates that are ten times the national average, with homicide ranking among the top 10 causes of death for Native women. The article highlighted that the FBI report analyzed nearly 35,000 incidents of violent and sexual crimes committed against Native American women. Key findings show that firearms are commonly used against the victims of violent crimes, while personal weapons are used to commit sexual offenses. The article indicated that most offenses occur at residences. Native American adults are most often victims of violence, while Native juveniles make up most victims of sexual offenses. The article quoted Haley Omeasoo (Hopi, Blackfeet), executive director of MMIP nonprofit Ohkomi Forensics, who said, "It's super important to collect and analyze this information pertaining to violence against Indigenous people in the FBI special reports because we get a better idea of the extent and severity of the MMIP epidemic. Especially with the incidents occurring often by an intimate partner. So, these aren't just crimes that are occurring to Natives by unknown, non- native assailants; these are happening within our own home communities, and this report is evidence that there needs to be more resources being offered to ensure the safety of our people." Red Lake Nation News (02/05, Staff Writer) also reported on the story. Anchorage FBI Support of Trump Immigration Crackdown Draws Local Pushback Alaska Public Media (02/04, Klint) reported that local civil rights leaders are pushing back after a federal immigration enforcement operation in Alaska over the weekend. The article stated that little information was available Tuesday on the specifics of the operation, but it follows President Trump's vows to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, calling his plan the "largest deportation program in American history." The federal government's stance has left many migrant and refugee communities in Alaska worried about their status. It also prompted Anchorage School District Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt to send a letter to families Monday underscoring that his priority is that students feel safe, welcomed and supported. The article detailed that the immigration operation in Alaska was publicized by the FBI Anchorage office on X on Monday afternoon. The post says the FBI, along with the Department of Justice, is supporting the Department of Homeland Security with its immigration enforcement efforts in Alaska. According to the article, three photos accompany the post, showing men in handcuffs, flanked by FBI agents and Homeland Security officers. The article highlighted that less than an EFTA01655616 hour after the FBI's social-media post, the Anchorage School District shared Bryantt's statement on the district's immigration policy. "Any immigration official seeking to enter ASD property will be required to present a judicially signed warrant," Bryantt said. "This warrant will then be reviewed by ASD's legal counsel to ensure it meets the necessary legal standards before any action is taken." The article noted that Anchorage-based immigration attorney Margaret Stock said Tuesday that the FBI's involvement in civil immigration action is "a new development," despite its traditional involvement in criminal cases. The article indicated that Stock said, "The new Trump directive will take FBI personnel away from investigating major crimes and have them instead investigate non-crimes, like overstaying a visa, and misdemeanors like entering the country without documentation. So the FBI's mission will now include (detaining) people who have lived in Alaska for years and decades and who have deep family ties here. This is far from the best use of the FBI's skills and resources." Meghan Barker, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska, said the group is still assessing the FBI's actions in the state. Anchorage Daily News (02/04, Boots), Must Read Alaska (02/04, Downing), and Alaska's News Source (02/04, Video) also reported on the story. Jan. 6 Defendant Says Trump's Blanket Pardon Covers Conspiracy to Kill FBI Agents MSNBC (02/04, Rubin) reported that Edward Kelley was charged and convicted in the District of Columbia of assaulting law enforcement and other crimes. The article noted that Trump's blanket clemency for Jan. 6 defendants obviously clears Kelley there. The article noted that however, the Tennessee man was separately charged and convicted of the murder conspiracy in his home state, based on evidence that, while awaiting his D.C. trial, he planned to murder law enforcement, including FBI agents and employees. The article quoted the DOJ: "The proof showed that Kelley developed a 'kill list' of FBI agents and others who participated in the investigation into his conduct on Jan. 6 and that Kelley distributed this list — along with videos containing images of certain FBI employees identified on the list — to a co-conspirator as part of his 'mission." He was scheduled for sentencing in both cases this spring, before Trump issued his clemency order last month. With the D.C. case clearly wiped out by Trump's executive action, Kelley's Tennessee case remains pending sentencing. According to the article, he's now asking a judge there to vacate his conviction, to dismiss the indictment and to release him immediately from custody, citing Trump's granting of "a full, complete and unconditional pardon" to individuals "convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021." The article outlined that Kelley argues that his murder conspiracy case "is unmistakenly 'related to' his charges in Washington, D.C. and covered by his Presidential pardon." The article added that the docket in Kelley's case doesn't reflect a response to his motion from the court or the Trump DOJ. The Latin Times (02/04, Urban) also reported on the story. Continued Reporting: Trump Ally Known for Racist Comments Gets Top State Dept Job The Independent News (02/04, AFP) reported that a former Donald Trump aide who once called for "competent white men" to be "in charge" and spread conspiracy theories about the 2021 US Capitol assault has been given a top State Department post, an official said. According to the article, Darren Beattie, an influential figure in Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement and founder of the right-wing "Revolver News" site, has been named acting under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, a US official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. The role is responsible for developing the public image of American diplomacy around the world. The article indicated that the appointment has not yet been publicly announced, but Beattie -- who also reportedly has ties with white supremacists — said he would be joining the State Department in a letter published on Revolver News. The article pointed out that the publication has repeatedly pushed the idea that the FBI spurred on the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol by Trump's supporters. The article mentioned that Beattie previously worked as a speechwriter for Trump during his first term, but he left the administration in 2018 after US media revealed he had attended a conference two years earlier where white supremacists were present. Reuters (02/04, Psaledakis, Lewis), MSNBC (02/04, Benen), The Dispatch (02/04, Demas), and Devdiscourse (02/05, Staff Writer) also reported on the story. Continued Reporting: Prince Andrew Faces Arrest Fears as Calls for FBI Investigation Mount The News International (02/04, Staff Writer) reported that Prince Andrew has been warned against taking risk of visiting the US amid growing calls for fresh FBI investigation. According to the article, the Duke of York has come under fire again after new shocking new claims emerged that he remained in contact with Jeffery Epstein in 2011. The article indicated that he is said to be "terrified" to visit the US as fresh FBI probe can be launched into the Jeffery Epstein scandal, sources have claimed. The article stated that Andrew is being advised not to visit to EFTA01655617 America as the move could create new problems for him and his eldest brother King Charles. The Economic Times (02/04, Staff Writer), The Mirror (02/04, Jolly), and The Toronto Sun (02/04, Hunter) also reported on the story. The FBI Once Opened a Two-Year Investigation into the "Dirty" Lyrics of Tice Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" American Songwriter (02/04, Boisvert) reported that while there have been various recordings of the 1957 song "Louie Louie," the version recorded in the 60s by The Kingsmen is one of the most well known. The article pointed out that it's also the only version to spark an FBI investigation. The article explained that teenagers couldn't understand the lyrics, which led to them creating their own. According to the article, this caused an issue because the kids were now adding "dirty" lyrics to the song. According to Dick Peterson, who replaced the band's drummer in 1963, "We were on the front page of every newspaper saying that we were corrupting the moral fiber of the youth of America." The article highlighted that Peterson told NPR in 2023, "J. Edgar Hoover launched an investigation — they woke us up in the middle of the night pounding on the door: 'FBI, FBI!" The article added that the governor of Indiana banned "Louie Louie" after receiving complaints from two high school students who didn't like the allegedly "obscene" lyrics. The governor bought a copy of the record, listening to the song at different speeds to determine if the lyrics were, in fact, dirty. The article mentioned that according to a 2019 retrospective in the Indy Star, the govemor came to the conclusion that the song might be dirty, and contacted the FCC, who got the FBI involved. The article outlined that in the end, The Kingsmen testified in front of the FCC following the two- year investigation by the FBI. According to Peterson, the judge asked to listen to the record. "And he thought, 'Why are you fighting over this? It's a piece of junk," Peterson said, adding, "And so he said, 'Listen, nobody can tell what it says. I'm going to deem it unintelligible at any speed, and lift the ban." FBI Employee, Whistleblower Loses Job After Years-Long Fight The Journal (02/04, Milbourne) reported that Teresa Tumblin first blew the whistle on discrepancies and unethical behavior within the FBI in more than 10 years ago, when she saw things done incorrectly within the National Name Check program, where she served as a quality assurance reviewer research analyst. According to the article, Tumblin reported the discrepancies with the team leader and supervisor and on up the chain of command to the director of her division. Her allegations led to an inspection of her unit and her identification as a whistleblower. The article indicated that Tumblin faced retaliation within the FBI. She was initially moved out of her position and has been passed up for promotions and performance awards, despite having been recognized as an outstanding employee prior to her coming forward as a whistleblower. The article noted that in a statement released this week, Tumblin shared that she has been terminated from her position with the FBI for "minor grammatical errors and spelling mistakes." The article detailed that after Tumblin's initial reporting, the DOJ investigated and reported reprisals occurred in her case in 2020. After the FBI made an argument following the release of the Office of the Inspector General's report of reprisal, it submitted a second report in 2022, which softened the tone but still reported reprisal had occurred. The article explained that Tumblin was granted a transfer to the Training Services Unit (TSU) in 2019 from research analyst GS12 to management and program analyst GS12. The article pointed out that Tumblin made another protected disclosure to Information Management Division (IMD) management and the FBI Inspection Division. She reported TSU for gross misuse of funds and mismanagement. She even went as far as to say the Training Services Unit could easily be dissolved into another unit that could result in a savings to the FBI of approximately $775,000 per year. The article stated that Tumblin noticed immediate hostility from the TSU team and management. On Aug. 23, 2023, she received a letter from the Inspection Division that the Internal Affairs Section mandated actions be taken to address the concerns raised in her complaint. The article highlighted that Tumblin was later notified that the FBI opened an investigation on May 21, 2024, for allegedly disruptive and unprofessional behavior and unprofessional conduct while on duty. She has not heard a thing from the Inspection Division since being notified, but she has been expecting special agents to raid her home any day. Tumblin was notified in October that she failed her Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), after which, on Nov. 7, she was placed on indefinite suspension with recommendation for dismissal. The article added that Tumblin was dismissed on Jan. 30 for an unjustified failed PIP that she contends she should never have placed on in the first place. She was fired after 16 years of documented outstanding, excellent and successful performance for minor spelling and grammatical errors, she said. Back to Top INTERNATIONAL NEWS Trump Said Palestinians Should Leave Gaza EFTA01655618 New York Times, Guardian, Bloomberg, NBC News, CNN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Reuters Sweden's Deadliest Attack Leaves 11 Dead at Orebro Adult School Reuters, BBC, New York Times, Guardian, Al Jazeera, Independent Trump Administration Pulling Almost All USAID Workers off the Job Worldwide Associated Press, NPR, New York Times, Guardian, USA Today, Axios China Counters Trump's Tariffs as Talks Remain in Limbo New York Times, Associated Press, CNN Ukraine Open to Trump's Idea to Exchange Aid for Rare Earths—but There's a Catch Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Washington Post Greenland Bans Foreign Political Funding as Trump Seeks Control Washington Post, New York Times Australia's Top Conservative Follows Trump's Playbook, up to a Point New York Times The Russian TV Star Who Became the Voice of the Kremlin Wall Street Journal Islamic State Members Held for Years in a Syria Prison Say They Know Nothing of the World Associated Press Inside the Operations That Took Captive 2 North Korean Soldiers Fighting Ukraine Associated Press Back to Top OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS RFK Jr. Appears on Track to Become Us Health Secretary as He Wins Key Republican Senator's Support Associated Press, Fox News, Forbes, NBC News CIA Offers Buyouts to Entire Workforce in Intelligence Agency First Newsweek, CNN, Reuters, NBC News Tulsi Gabbard Passes Senate Panel Vote as Wavering Republicans Back Her New York Times, Reuters, USA TODAY, NBC News Black D.C. Church Vandalized by Proud Boys Awarded Control of Group's Name Washington Post, CNN, CBS News, The Guardian The Salvadoran Mega-Prison Offering to Take America's Worst Criminals Wall Street Journal, New York Times JD Vance to Attend Al Summit in Paris, French Official Says Fox News Police in Long Island County Will Team Up With Ice for Trump's Immigration Crackdown Associated Press Trump Order Set to Ban Transgender Girls and Women From Female School Sports Wall Street Journal Trump Signs Executive Order Calling for Review of U.S. Funding and Ties to U.N. New York Times Armed 15-Year-Old Who Demanded Plane at Arkansas Airport Is Arrested New York Times EFTA01655619 Back to Top BIG PICTURE New York limes • Inside Musk's Aggressive Incursion Into the Federal Government • Elon Musk's X Becomes Weapon in Government Cost Cutting • China Counters Trump's Tariffs As Talks Remain in Limbo • Senate Panel Pushes Through Kennedy's Nomination Along Party Lines • Trump Proposes U.S. Takeover of Gaza and Says All Palestinians Should Leave Wall Street Journal • Trump Says U.S. Will Take Over Gaza • China Retaliates Against U.S., Intensifying Trade War • Google's Revenue Growth Slows, Sending Shares Down • Trump Hints at Curbs on Musk's Powers After Billionaire Shakes Up Washington • Ancient Air, Frozen in Time, Holds Clues to Modern Mystery Washington Post • Flight path at National leaves little room for error • Move Gazans to another country, Trump urges • In an Ohio community, drug deaths are falling • D.C. Council unanimously expels White over bribery allegations • Fear, pain, hunger for millions as aid dries up NBC News • 'Deranged' and 'problematic': Bipartisan lawmakers bash Trump's call to 'own' Gaza; Elon Musk gets quiet White House reminders his power is limited; USAID upheaval is paralyzing global delivery of food and medicine ABC News • Trump says US will 'take over' Gaza: 'We'll own it'; 1 dead, 5 injured in shooting at facility in Ohio; Senate Republicans insist Elon Musk isn't in charge after whirlwind actions CBS News • Trump says U.S. will "take over the Gaza Strip"; USPS temporarily suspends accepting packages from China and Hong Kong; Pam Bondi confirmed as attorney general in 54-46 vote Fox News • President Trump sends message to Middle East as he says America will 'take over' the Gaza Strip; Army recruiting shatters records after President Trump's election victory; Largest hedge fund founder on why US is on brink of economic 'heart attack' CNN • Trump says US 'will take over' Gaza and Palestinians should leave; CIA sends 'buyout' offers to entire workforce; How the White House convinced skeptical Republicans to back RFK Jr., Gabbard and Hegseth Back to Top WASHINGTON SCHEDULE EFTA01655620 White House President Trump • No official presidential schedule released or announced. Vice President Vance • No official presidential schedule released or announced. US Senate • Organizational business meeting to consider an original resolution authorizing expenditures by the committee during the 119th Congress; to be immediately followed by hearings to examine the real impacts of debanking in America. — 10:00 AM — Host: Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs • Business meeting to consider S.93 to amend the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 to address harmful algal blooms S.98 to require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding, S.99, to require the Secretary of Commerce to produce a report that provides recommendations to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of Department of Commerce programs related to supply chain resilience and manufacturing and industrial innovation. — 10:00 AM — Host: Commerce, Science, and Transportation • Organizational business meeting to consider an original resolution authorizing expenditures by the committee during the 119th Congress committee rules for the 119th Congress and subcommittee assignments for the 119th Congress• to be immediately followed by a hearing to examine farmer and rancher views on the agricultural economy. — 10:30 AM — Host: Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry • Organizational business meeting to consider committee rules an original resolution authorizing expenditures by the committee during the 119th Congress 5.347, to amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 to reauthorize brownfields revitalization funding and 5.351 to establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling accessibility, to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out certain activities to collect and disseminate data on recycling and composting programs in the United States. — 10:30 AM — Host: Environment and Public Works • Business meeting to consider S.68 to prohibit the suspension of collections on loans made to small businesses related to COVID-19 5.273 to allow nonprofit child care providers to participate in certain loan programs of the Small Business Administration 5.298 to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to relocate 30 percent of the employees assigned to headquarters to duty stations outside the Washington metropolitan area, 5.300, to improve accountability in the disaster loan program of the Small Business Administration an original resolution authorizing expenditures by the committee during the 119th Congress committee rules and the nomination of Kelly Loeffler of Georgia to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration. —11:15 AM — Host: Small Business and Entrepreneurship • Organizational business meeting to consider selection of Chairman and Vice Chairman, committee rules and an original resolution authorizing expenditures by the committee during the 119th Congress. — 2:30 PM — Host: Indian Affairs • To receive a closed briefing on certain intelligence matters. - 2:30 PM - Host: Small Business and Entrepreneurship US House of Representatives • Hearing: Rightsizing Government - 10:00 AM — Host: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Business Meeting: SST • Business Meeting SST Business Meeting - 10:00 AM — Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology EFTA01655621 • Hearing: The State of U.S. Science and Technology: Ensuring U.S. Global Leadership. — 10:00 AM — Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology • Hearing: "America Builds: Maritime Infrastructure" — 10:00 AM — Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure • Hearing: Hope on the Horizon: Prioritizing Small Business Growth in the 119th Congress — 10:00 AM — Host: Committee on Small Business • Hearing: Hearing Entitled: Make Community Banking Great Again — 10:00 AM — Host: Committee on Financial Services • Hearing: "Preparing the Pipeline: Examining the State of America's Cyber Workforce" — 10:00 AM — Host: Committee on Homeland Security • Hearing: Powering Americas Future: Unleashing American Energy — 10:15 AM — Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce • Hearing: "The State of American Education" — 10:15 AM — Host: Committee on Education and Workforce • Hearing: Legislative Hearing on: H.R. 410 Rep. Begich Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension Act of 2025• H.R. 412 Rep. Bergman To authorize the Bay Mills Indian Community of the State of Michigan to convey land and interests in land owned by the Tribe• H.R. 504 Rep. Gimenez Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act. and H.R. 741 Rep. Stanton Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2025. - 10:15 AM — Host: Committee on Natural Resources Cabinet Members • Secretary of Defense Hegseth hosts an enhanced honor cordon and meeting welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. • Secretary of State Rubio is on travel to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic from February 1-6, 2025. • Secretary of State Rubio meets with Guatemalan Cabinet Ministers in Guatemala City, Guatemala at 9:30 AM (LOCAL) • Secretary of State Rubio holds a press availability with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo in Guatemala City, Guatemala at 11:30 AM (LOCAL) • Secretary of State Rubio holds a meet and greet with employees and families of U.S. Embassy Guatemala City in Guatemala City, Guatemala at 1:30 PM (LOCAL) • Secretary of State Rubio participates in a criminal migrant repatriation and fentanyl seizure engagement in Guatemala City, Guatemala at 2:35 PM (LOCAL) Visitors • No events scheduled. General Events • CSIS: Resilient Allied Energy Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific — Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Location: Online event, 9:00 AM. The CSIS Korea Chair brings together policymakers, experts, and scholars to discuss ways to enhance U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral energy cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. This public conference will discuss the Trump administration's energy policy and its implications, ROK-Japan cooperation in Joint Development Zone (JDZ), and the prospects for U.S.-ROK-Japan civil nuclear cooperation to strengthen their partnership in nuclear safety and nonproliferation. • AEI: The Future of College Admissions: A Conversation with Edward J. Blum — Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Location: AEI Auditorium, 4:30 PM. The 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. EFTA01655622 Harvard significantly altered the college admissions landscape by effectively banning race as a factor in admissions. The landmark ruling triggered a slew of changes in admissions policies nationwide. . Atlantic Council: What's to come for transatlantic economic relations — Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Location: Atlantic Council, 9:30 AM. On Wednesday, February Sat 9:30am ET, the Atlantic Council's Europe Center and GeoEconomics Center will host a discussion on the outlook for transatlantic economic relationship. . Wilson Center: Major Changes to US Migration Policy in the Americas — Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Location: Wilson Centerl, 9:30 AM. The new US administration is implementing radical changes to US migration policy. In the first days of his second term, President Trump signed Executive Orders and adopted other measures to accelerate the removal of undocumented migrants and stem the flow of new arrivals at the Southwest border. . Hudson Institute: A Conversation with Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko — Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Location: Hudson Institute, 10:00 AM. Petro Poroshenko became the fifth president of Ukraine in 2014, just after the Revolution of Dignity, and served until 2019, three years before Russia's full- scale invasion of the country. After his election, many in the West learned of President Poroshenko as the chocolate king thanks to his confectionary company. But those who followed Ukraine's post—Cold War development also knew him as a member of the Ukrainian Rada and a minister in multiple presidential administrations. . Hudson Institute: Increased Economic Pressure Will Help the Trump Administration End Russia's War Against Ukraine — Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Location: Hudson Institute, 1:30 PM. Three years into the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces remain unable to achieve major advances on the battlefield, and Moscow's economy is increasingly weak. President Donald Trump has threatened to increase pressure on Russia if the Kremlin does not negotiate an end to the war. But President Vladimir Putin shows no interest whatsoever in doing so and continues to message maximalist goals of annexing Ukraine. Email Public Affairs to subscribe to the Daily News Briefing. Mobile version and archive available here. EFTA01655623