(WASHINGTON) — Trump added about the pilots that “they were devastated. They put their lives on the line.”
Since Saturday’s attack, Trump and his officials have repeatedly praised the B-2 pilots for the mission but stepped up referencing them as part of the pushback on Wednesday. Hegseth, standing next to Trump, came to the microphone to argue news reporters and outlets “don’t care what the troops think.”
“These pilots, these refuelers, these fighters, these air defenders, the skill and the courage it took to go into enemy territory flying 36 hours on behalf of the American people in the world to take out a nuclear program is beyond what anyone in this audience can fathom,” Hegseth said.
At the same time, Hegseth and Trump downplayed the report’s initial findings about the damage.
“The report said what it said and it was fine. It was severe, they think, but they had no idea. They shouldn’t have issued a report until they did, but we’ve got the information,” Trump said.
Trump earlier cited an Israeli intelligence report that he insisted assessed the “strike on Fordo destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility totally inoperable.”
Military officials have said there is no doubt the sites sustained significant damage, but that a “battle damage assessment” would take time to complete, as no Western officials have been able to personally inspect the sites as of Wednesday.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement posted on X late Wednesday that “Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed,” and also slamming the news media. A source with knowledge of Gabbard’s assessment told ABC News her description came from new U.S. intelligence.
“The propaganda media has deployed their usual tactic: selectively release portions of illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments (intentionally leaving out the fact that the assessment was written with “low confidence”) to try to undermine President Trump’s decisive leadership and the brave servicemen and women who flawlessly executed a truly historic mission to keep the American people safe and secure,” she posted in part.
Hegseth contended that the preliminary reports and images spoke for themselves.
“So, if you want to make an assessment of what happened at Fordo, you better get a big shovel and go really deep because Iran’s nuclear program is obliterated and somebody somewhere is trying to leak something to say, ‘Oh, with low confidence we think maybe it’s moderate,” he claimed.
-ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson, Kelsey Walsh and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
Alyssa Pointer for The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee voted on Thursday to recommend infants receive a newer monoclonal antibody shot for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 5-2 to recommend clesrovimab, made by Merck, for infants 8 months and younger who are not protected by a maternal vaccine.
In a second vote, the committee voted unanimously to update the resolution for the federal Vaccines for Children program to include details about the newly approved antibody shot. About half of all U.S. children are eligible for free or low-cost vaccines.
Usually, the CDC director signs off on the votes for final recommendation but, because there is currently no CDC director, the final decision will go to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
If signed off by Kennedy, clesrovimab will made available along with another RSV shot made by Sanofi/AstraZeneca.
This marks the first vote of the panel since Kennedy dismissed the entire panel and appointed his own hand-selected members.
Currently, RSV vaccines are recommended for pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy to pass on protection to a fetus, which should last throughout their first RSV season.
For babies 8 months and younger born to mothers who did not receive a maternal RSV vaccine, monoclonal antibody shots are available.
Monoclonal antibodies are proteins manufactured in a lab and mimic the antibodies the body naturally creates when fighting an infection. They do not activate the immune system as would occur with vaccination. The shot is also recommended for a small group of children from 8 months old through 19 months old who are at increased risk for severe RSV.
During the first day of the meeting, on Wednesday, Dr. Georgina Peacock, director of the Immunization Services Division in the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), shared CDC data showing 57% of infants born between April 2024 and March 2025 were protected from RSV by maternal vaccination or receipt of nirsevimab, the shot made by Sanofi/AstraZeneca.
Dr. Cody Meissner, one of the new ACIP members, described the vaccine and antibody data, showing its real-world impacts as a “truly spectacular accomplishment.”
“People should understand this is a truly spectacular accomplishment and will have enormous impact on public health,” he said.
Another ACIP member, Retsef Levi, expressed some skepticism, saying he wanted to see more data on how efficacy for the maternal vaccine changes over time, adding that RSV is a “tricky” virus that “fools interventions in unexpected ways.”
In response, Dr. Adam MacNeil of the NCRID said vaccine efficacy does wane over time, but the maternal RSV vaccine protects newborns and infants when they’re at their most vulnerable, before they develop more robust immune systems.
The votes comes after the group announced on Wednesday it would review the current childhood immunization schedule.
Martin Kulldorff, the ACIP’s new chair, said two new work groups would be established, one focusing on the cumulative effects of children and adolescents receiving all recommended vaccines on the schedule and another reviewing vaccines that haven’t been examined for more than seven years.
The latter group may discuss whether the hepatitis B vaccine is necessary at birth before a baby leaves the hospital, according to Kulldorff.
“The number of vaccines that our children and adolescents receive today exceeds what children in most other developed nations receive and what most of us in this room received when we were children,” Kulldorff said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics put out a video on Wednesday, saying immunization policy through ACIP is “no longer a credible process” and that it will continue to publish its own vaccine recommendations for children.
In the morning, CDC staff presented data on COVID-19 vaccines, showing safety and efficacy as well as a reduction in hospitalizations and deaths.
For the 2024-25 updated COVID vaccine against emergency department and urgent care encounters, the CDC found 79% effectiveness for children between nine months and 4 years old, 57% effectiveness among children between five and 17 years old and 34% effectiveness for those aged 18 and older.
Kulldorff asked where the data shows COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness from placebo-controlled trials. Dr. Adam MacNeil, from the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), said the CDC’s evaluation of effectiveness came from real-world data.
“Randomized clinical control trials are not necessarily comparable to what we’re currently seeing with the vaccine,” MacNeil said. “Where we’re trying to now monitor is the real-world impacts of these vaccines as opposed to clinical trial data, which was certainly extensively documented.”
The ACIP members also discussed questions about potential safety signals surrounding the COVID vaccine, with the CDC determining that myocarditis and pericarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle and the sac around the heart, respectively — are still risks, but no other risks have been found.
ABC News’ Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
(GARY, Ind.) — Five people have been killed after a train hit their vehicle when the driver allegedly went around the crossing gate, authorities said.
The incident occurred near Highway 20 and Utah Street in Gary, Indiana, when a witness told Gary Police that the crossing gate for the oncoming South Shore train was down when the driver of the vehicle went around it to beat the train, according to ABC News’ Chicago Station WLS.
It appears the train may have also been damaged in the crash, according to WLS. South Shore service was temporarily suspended but is now up and running again Thursday morning, WLS said.
Authorities have not yet released the names of those involved in the crash and the investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called President Donald Trump “Daddy” on Tuesday, reacting to the president’s recent use of expletives when he accused Iran and Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement.
Early Wednesday morning during a bilateral meeting between Trump and Rutte during the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Trump likened the countries of Israel and Iran to “two kids in a schoolyard” that had a “big fight.”
“You know, they fight like hell. You can’t stop them. Let them fight for about two-three minutes, then it’s easy to stop them,” he continued.
Rutte raised eyebrows when he interjected, “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get them to stop.”
“You have to use strong language,” Trump agreed. “Every so often you have to use a certain word.”
One day earlier, Trump became visibly frustrated about the Israel-Iran conflict, blurting an expletive before departing the White House en route to the summit.
Trump was receptive to Rutte’s nickname, saying during a press conference later Wednesday that the secretary-general meant it in an affectionate manner.
Asked if Trump views his NATO allies as his “children,” the president responded, “No, [Rutte] likes me. I think he likes me. If he doesn’t, I’ll let you know. I’ll come back and I’ll hit him hard, OK? He did it very affectionately, ‘Daddy, you’re my Daddy.'”
Rutte later defended his use of the word and continued to pile praise on Trump, describing him as a “good friend.” He also said his language is a matter of taste.
On Trump’s decision to strike Iran and the ceasefire, Rutte said “I think he deserves all the praise.”
Matt Stone/Boston Herald via MediaNews Group via Getty Images, FILE
(LOS ANGELES) — When Los Angeles Police Department officers went racing toward a potential kidnapping call downtown this week, callers indicated a true kidnapping was underway, according to police.
Police say the caller stated that several individuals were involved, but did not identify themselves.
Officers and an LAPD supervisor say they arrived on scene to find an agitated crowd as federal agents were taking part in an immigration enforcement arrest, which have been increasingly common in Los Angeles as the Trump administration has surged resources to the city in recent weeks.
The arrests prompted days of protests earlier this month, which saw both peaceful marches and violent clashes with law enforcement.
The alleged kidnapping, which happened Tuesday morning, has similarities to an incident earlier in June when federal agents, driving cars that appeared to be civilian vehicles, crashed into a car while making an immigration arrest, prompting calls to the LAPD of a hit-and-run accident. The agents left, with their apparent target in handcuffs, after the encounter and before police arrived.
LAPD traffic officers responded and investigated the case as a hit and run, not initially knowing it had been a federal immigration arrest.
The LAPD says federal agents do not notify the police department of planned enforcement activity in advance. The department is in the dark on when or where operations will unfold or what methods federal agents will use.
They say this is partly because the department has been prohibited from immigration enforcement in a policy that goes back to 1979. And now, California law prohibits police agencies from working with federal immigration agents.
During recent federal immigration operations, agents involved almost completely cover their faces with masks or other coverings to protect their identities. They also typically wear street clothing and professional sports team hats along with tactical vests that often don’t clearly identify which agency they are with, besides the words “Police” or “Federal Agent.” They don’t display any serial number, badge number or name to identify themselves.
The lack of transparency by federal agents has California lawmakers proposing legislation that would require most federal, state and local law enforcement operating in the state to wear uniforms of some kind, clearly show a badge, identifiable information and their faces would have to be uncovered.
“Law enforcement officers are public servants, and people should be able to see their faces, see who they are, know who they are,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-Calif., when introducing the bill. “Otherwise, there is no transparency and no accountability.”
Wiener and the co-authors of his legislation are calling it the “No Secret Police Act.”
Lawmakers say the masks intimidate and the lack of any police uniforms and gear can make it unclear if the federal agents are even real law enforcement or are imposters posing as police to commit crimes or take advantage of the situation.
“What we have been seeing in the last few weeks are law enforcement — some local, some federal — who are wearing masks to completely hide their faces while they are carrying out deportation and other enforcement activities,” said Assembly Public Safety Committee Chair Jesse Arreguin, D-Oakland.
The legislation would, however, allow SWAT team members to cover their faces along with law enforcement who need to cover uniforms for wildfire gear and medical-grade masks over their faces if there is an airborne threat like smoke, a chemical agent or a virus.
In Tuesday’s potential kidnapping call, the LAPD says they found a woman partially handcuffed who moved toward officers and stood next to an LAPD patrol SUV. Police say that is when a federal agent approached and apprehended her. The LAPD says it was not involved in her detention or arrest. But officers moved onlookers out of the roadway and, like this month’s protests, were tasked with clearing the street and maintaining order and public safety.
But community activists allege local police allowed the “kidnapping” to go forward. “Guess who were protecting the kidnappers who were kidnapping our people? LAPD officers. They completely protected the ICE operation that kidnapped our people,” Ron Gochez, founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Union del Barrio, which has been reporting ICE sightings in real time on social media, told ABC News’ Los Angeles station KABC.
But the LAPD said it did not take part in the federal operation and will “not participate in or assist with civil immigration enforcement,” according to a police statement. Rather, the LAPD said its officers remained on scene to “de-escalate tensions, move pedestrians out of the roadway, and allow emergency vehicles safe passage.”
(WASHINGTON) — Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was briefly hospitalized Wednesday morning after he got lightheaded at the gym, his spokesperson told ABC News.
He was treated for dehydration and released Wednesday, the spokesperson said, after going to the hospital “out of an abundance of caution.”
By Wednesday afternoon, the New York Democrat was back at work at the Capitol, the spokesperson said.
“He wants to remind everyone to drink some water and stay out of the heat,” the spokesperson added.
(WASHINGTON) — Following his closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO Summit on Wednesday, President Donald Trump didn’t rule out sending Ukraine monetary and defense aid as he voiced frustrations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During his press conference at the conclusion of his trip to The Hague, Netherlands, Trump signaled a willingness to provide Ukraine with additional aid and sell or send Patriot air-defense missiles to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.
“They do want to have the anti-missile, missiles,” Trump said of Ukraine. “As they call them the Patriots, and we’re going to see if we can make some available.”
Trump’s openness comes as Zelenskyy told ABC News earlier this month the United States diverted anti-drone weapons, previously promised to Ukraine under a Biden administration agreement, to the Middle East.
“You know, they’re very hard to get. We need them to. We were supplying them to Israel, and they’re very effective, 100% effective. Hard to believe how effective,” Trump said.
“As far as money going, we’ll see what happens. There’s a lot of spirit,” Trump added.
Trump also appeared to shift his tone when describing his conversation with Zelenskyy, a relationship marked by many pivots.
“He was very nice, actually. You know, we had little rough times sometimes. He was uh – couldn’t have been nicer. I think he’d like to see an end to this. I do,” he said of Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy offered similar praise of Trump, calling their meeting “long and substantive” while affirming he told him Ukraine is ready to buy more U.S. weapons.
“With the President, we discussed the protection of our people — first and foremost, the purchase of American air defense systems to cover our cities, our people, churches, and infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Ukraine is ready to buy this equipment and support American arms manufacturers. Europe can help as well,” Zelenskyy said. “We also talked about possible joint drone production. We can strengthen each other.”
During his press conference, Trump added Zelenskyy was fighting a “brave” and “tough” battle while putting pressure on Putin to show more willingness to end the conflict.
“Look. Vladimir Putin really has to end that war. People are dying at levels that people haven’t seen for a long time.”
Then, when pressed on why he wasn’t able to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine quickly as he adamantly claimed while on the campaign trail, Trump again pointed the blame towards Putin.
“It’s more difficult than people wouldn’t have any idea,” Trump said.
“Vladimir Putin has been more difficult. Frankly, I had some problems with Zelenskyy. You may have read about him, and it’s been more difficult than other wars.”
Trump’s public praise of Zelenskyy marks a shift in tone for the President, who has had public battles with the leader of Ukraine.
Most notably in February, a public Oval Office spat between the two officials led to a scrapped bilateral mineral deal, which wasn’t finalized for two months until the pair sat down together on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral.
Then, in recent weeks, as Trump focused on negotiating an agreement between Iran and Israel, he left last week’s G7 Summit in Canada early, skipping out on a bilateral with Ukraine.
However, after their meeting on Wednesday, Trump displayed more compassion for the situation in Ukraine in a moment highlighted by his exchange with a Ukrainian reporter who said her husband was a Ukrainian soldier while she and her children fled to Warsaw for safety.
“Wow, that’s rough stuff, right? That’s tough,” Trump said, asking the reporter many personal questions before answering her policy question.
“That’s very good question. And I wish you a lot of luck. I mean, I can see it’s very upsetting to you. So say hello to your husband. Okay?” Trump said.
(NEW YORK) — The stock market has been on a tear in recent weeks, shrugging off newly imposed tariffs, caution at the Federal Reserve and war in the Middle East.
The S&P 500 has soared 20% since an April low suffered after President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement. Over that period, the tech-heavy Nasdaq has climbed 28%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has jumped 12%.
Over the past month — even as a U.S.-China trade tensions resurfaced and the Iran war broke out — the S&P 500 climbed more than 5%.
Concern among investors about topsy-turvy economic policy has given way to cautious optimism about a dialed-back tariff posture and continued economic growth, some analysts told ABC News. While day-to-day price swings will likely persist, they added, the current outlook points to further gains over the remainder of the year.
“The market is making a pretty concerted effort to try to look past some of these near term disruptions,” Yung-Yu Ma, chief investment strategist at PNC Financial Services, told ABC News.
In recent weeks, Trump has rolled back some of his steepest levies, easing costs imposed upon companies and alleviating concern about a sharp surge of inflation.
A trade agreement last month between the U.S. and China slashed tit-for-tat tariffs between the world’s two largest economies and triggered a surge in the stock market. Within days, Wall Street firms softened their forecasts of a downturn.
The downshift of tariffs has coincided with data demonstrating a healthy economy.
Fresh inflation data earlier this month showed a slight acceleration of price increases, but inflation remains near its lowest level since 2021. Hiring slowed but remained sturdy in May as the uncertainty surrounding on-again, off-again tariffs appeared to curtail hiring less than some economists feared, a government report this month showed.
The outbreak of tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and Israel earlier this month sent stocks falling and hiked oil prices. Those challenges proved short-lived, however, as stocks resumed their gains and oil prices eased amid a ceasefire.
“The stock market doesn’t care about geopolitical events,” Ivan Feinseth, a market analyst at Tigress Financial, told ABC News. “The market might react for a day or two, but it was nothing sustained.”
Investors have also placed hope in an expected lowering of interest rates at the Fed. So far this year, the central bank has taken up a wait-and-see approach, holding interest rates steady as policymakers await the potential effects of tariffs. A recent Fed forecast suggested a likely pivot, however, predicting two quarter-point cuts this year as well as two quarter-point cuts next year.
“The stock market’s recent strength reflects growing optimism around a soft landing, improving corporate earnings and the potential for lower interest rates ahead,” Brian Buetel, managing director at UBS Wealth Management, said in a statement last week.
Still, the market faces meaningful risks, analysts said.
Trade tensions could worsen and tariffs could escalate, some analysts said, while noting the difficulty of anticipating exactly where the levies will land. A resumption of hostilities in the Middle East could drive up oil prices and hamper global economic growth, they added. A burst of tariff-induced inflation could nudge the Fed toward a cautious approach and delay potential interest rate cuts.
“Despite the market getting close to its highs, getting too enthusiastic is probably not what’s called for at this point,” Ma said. “It’s still a back-and-forth market.”
Nevertheless, analysts expect an upswing in the stock market over the remainder of 2025. Feinseth forecasted an uptick in the S&P from its current level of 6,090 to 6,500, which would mark an increase of 6%. Ma predicted similar gains, saying the market would rise at least 5%.
“We think the overall end destination is one that will be palatable for markets,” Ma said. “But it will be a bumpy path from here to there.”
(WASHINGTON) — With the Fourth of July just days away, law enforcement and federal officials are on guard about Iranian retaliation in the United States, despite officials saying there are no specific, credible threats at this time.
This comes after the U.S. military’s strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities by B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
“We would be foolish to assume that they’re not plotting revenge even if we can’t see it right now. It will come, and we need to maintain vigilance because if we don’t, they will use the element of surprise to their advantage and cause harm,” said Elizabeth Neumann, a former Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for counterterrorism during the first Trump administration.
Even before Saturday’s bombing mission in Iran, the U.S. was at a heightened level of security after a string of high-profile terrorist attacks occurred across the country in the first six month of 2025 — including a deadly truck ramming rampage in New Orleans on New Year’s Day and a June 1 Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder, Colorado.
The wave of extremist violence has come against a backdrop of a rising number of assaults, vandalism and harassment nationwide linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
In the wake of the U.S. mission to cripple Iran’s ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, released a message on social media saying, “We will not surrender.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi threatened in a speech that his country will seek revenge that will have “everlasting consequences” and accused the United States of committing “dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior.”
“In accordance with the U.N. Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people,” Araghchi said.
On Monday, Iran carried out a missile attack on the United States’ Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. U.S. Central Command said both U.S. and Qatari forces “successfully defended” against the attack and that no casualties were reported.
Later in the day, President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been agreed upon between Israel and Iran, but tensions remained high into Wednesday.
‘A long memory’
In reponse to the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear apparatus, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a nationwide bulletin, saying the ongoing conflict is “causing a heightened threat environment in the United States” and warning that “low-level cyber-attacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct against US networks.”
Neumann, an ABC News contributor, said Iran’s initial response to the U.S. bombing of three of its nuclear facilities is similar to what the country did following the Jan. 3, 2020, U.S. strike in Baghdad, Iraq, that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, leader of Iran’s elite Quds Forces.
Five days after Soleimani’s death, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard launched a ballistic missile attack on the U.S. Al Asad airbase in western Iraq. The attack left over 100 U.S. service members with traumatic brain injuries, according to the Pentagon.
“We were definitely very concerned about the potential for something to happen in the homeland,” said Neumann, who was working in the DHS under the first Trump administration when Soleimani was killed.
Neumann said the DHS’s Iran specialists assumed Iran would activate sleeper cells possibly in the United States and that Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shiite militia group, would launch terrorist attacks against U.S. interest.
But Neumann said Iran’s attack on the Al Asad airbase was used by Iran to appease its domestic audience by publicly displaying pictures of the attack to give the impression they were pushing back against the United States.
“Since they mostly control the airwaves in Iran, they can kind of get away with it. They don’t actually have to do a major military strike and hurt us the way that we’ve hurt them because they can just kind of manufacture the story that they want for their domestic audience,” Neumann said.
Neumann recalled that at the time, the DHS rapidly prepared an assessment of what Soleimani’s assassination could mean for the United States and released a bulletin similar to the one DHS put out this week. But after the attack on the Al Asad airbase, Iran’s response quieted down.
“The Iranian regime … has a long memory and they recognize that they do not have the strength right now to get back at us,” Neumann said. “But they will wait and they will look for opportunities to cause harm.”
She noted that in August 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard attempted to pay an individual $300,000 to kill John Bolton, the National Security Advisor during Trump’s first term, saying it was likely in retaliation for Soleimani’s death.
In November 2024, the Department of Justice announced that three people, including one described as an “asset” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, were charged in Iran-linked murder plots, with one of them accused of trying to assassinate then-President-elect Trump to avenge the killing of Soleimani.
Iran could turn to ‘crude or escalatory tactics’ employing proxies
A threat assessment by the Center for Internet Security that was released after the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, said, “Tehran is likely to leverage a combination of direct, proxy, and irregular/inspired forces to conduct physical, cyber, or terrorist attacks against US interests both at home and aboard.”
“In light of Israeli strikes and the degradation of the Iranian proxy network in the Middle East, Iran will likely seek to re-establish deterrence against its adversaries, potentially relying on crude or escalatory tactics and informal networks,” according to the assessment. “US interests — particularly Embassies and military bases overseas — are likely to be targeted, and it is possible that Tehran will order or encourage attacks on the US government institutions, businesses, critical infrastructure, or civilians.”
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, widespread surprise attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists that ignited the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the DHS and FBI have repeatedly issued warnings that large-scale events are prime targets of violence.
“Violent extremist messaging continues to highlight major sporting and cultural events and venues as potential targets, and threat actors — including domestic violent extremists (DVEs), homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) inspired by Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), and other mass casualty attackers not motivated by an ideology — previously have targeted public events with little to no warning,” according to the joint bulletin put out in May by the DHS and FBI.
Given the nation’s alarming security threat, the FBI is planning to reallocate potentially thousands of FBI agents away from immigration enforcement work to focus on cyber threats and counterterrorism efforts, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News on Tuesday. Months ago, as ABC News has previously reported, the FBI directed agents from around the country, many of them working on counterterrorism and cyber issues, to focus instead on helping DHS conduct immigration enforcement operations.
‘Lone wolf’ and cyberattacks
Richard Frankel, a retired FBI agent, said that no credible threats against the U.S. homeland have been uncovered, “but there has been a lot of chatter.”
Frankel said in an ABC News Live interview on Monday that the FBI has been briefing the governors across the country about the heightened threat.
“They’re going to tell the governors that they need to maybe heighten their protection of special sights,” said Frankel, an ABC News contributor, adding that the New York Police Department has added extra security to landmarks such as the Empire State Building and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum as well as synagogues and other religious institutions.
Don Mihalek, a retired senior Secret Service agent and a national security and law enforcement consultant, said a major concern for law enforcement is that Iran or its proxies will try to elicit “lone wolf” attackers, who are radicalized online, to create mayhem on its behalf.
“I think that’s the bigger issue that everybody is worried about because I don’t think the Iranians are dumb enough to launch a state-sponsored, flag-waving attack against the continent of the United States,” Mihalek, an ABC News contributor, said. “But I think they definitely could get some guy in a basement who is antisemitic, who is anti-U.S., who just needed that little push to go to the local shopping center or a mall some place and conduct a low grade, low level attack that would disrupt that part of the United States and if it was coordinated it would have a significant impact on the U.S.”
Mihalek noted the possibility of Iranian sleeper cells being activated in the United States to organize and execute attacks.
During a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science on Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi was asked by Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, how many Iranian sleeper cells currently exist in the United States.
“Congressman, I can’t talk about that in this setting. But what I can tell you is I know Homeland Security, I know the FBI, and they are focusing on doing everything we can to keep our nation safe. And they will continue to do that,” Bondi said.
Asked by Gonzales how many active cases of threats to the homeland the DOJ currently has open, Bondi answered, “Countless” without elaborating.
And just flagging DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s comments on the threat from Monday:
Reporters asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday about the possibility that people who have crossed the border illegally could be Iranian-affiliated, radicalized actors.
“We’re aware that some of these folks that may have come into our country could’ve been radicalized and so that is why we go out every day to identify individuals that could be a threat to our homeland,” Noem said. “We recognize that as tensions escalate, there could be more of a potential for threats here at home. That’s why we’re at an elevated threat right now and we will continue to stay diligent.”
Nome said that in the past, there have been people who have been radicalized both in the United States and abroad.
Asked about concerns over the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, Noem said, “There’s been concern since I took this job.”
“We have incredible threats to this country from many nations that are enemies to the United States of America,” Noem said. “It’s not just Iran. It’s North Korea, Russia, China — consistently every single day are trying to threaten our way of life.”
How can the average citizen help?
Mihalek said another worry for law enforcement is that Iran or its supporters will attempt to commit cyberattacks in the United States.
In 2023, then-White House deputy national security advisor Anne Neuberger told the Associated Press that an Iranian hacker group known as “Cyber Av3ngers” had conducted low-level cyberattacks on U.S. water authorities in multiple states and were responsible for a string of ransomeware attacks on the health care industry.
Mihalek said the average citizen could play a significant role in protecting themselves and helping law enforcement thwart attacks, particularly during large events scheduled around the Fourth of July.
“If you see something strange or have somebody in your orbit who is acting strange, you want to let somebody know so they can look at it and investigate it. Often when that happens, the threat is mitigated before it becomes a problem,” Mihalek said. “The other part is if you’re going out some place, you’re going to an event, take the time to look for the exits, how to get out of some place, pay attention to your surroundings and listen to your gut.”
(NEWARK, N.J.) — New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging she assaulted law enforcement officers outside of an immigration detention facility, her office said.
McIver appeared in a federal court on Wednesday for her arraignment after a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment earlier this month charging her with “assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering” with federal law enforcement officers.
The Democratic congresswoman has alleged the prosecution is politically motivated and her office called the charges “baseless.”
“Rep. McIver has confidently entered her official plea: not guilty. She is crystal clear that she will not back down as leaders across this country are targeted for speaking up,” her spokeswoman, Hanna Rumsey, said in a statement Wednesday. “These charges have always been about politics and Rep. McIver will not be deterred from doing the work the people of New Jersey elected her to do. The Congresswoman will not fold.”
On May 9, McIver and several other members of Congress were at Delaney Hall, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Newark, to conduct oversight.
Tensions escalated when a federal officer ordered Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to leave a secured area of the facility or face arrest, and pushing and shoving allegedly occurred, according to prosecutors.
“During her continued attempts to thwart the arrest, McIver slammed her forearm into the body of one law enforcement officer and also reached out and tried to restrain that officer by forcibly grabbing him,” the Department of Justice said in a press release following the indictment. “McIver also used each of her forearms to forcibly strike a second officer.”
Following the indictment, McIver said the “facts are on our side.”
“The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation,” she said in a statement at the time. “This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trump’s administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do. But it won’t work — I will not be intimidated.”
Supporters of McIver gathered outside the Newark federal court on Wednesday, with some calling for the closure of Delaney Hall.
If convicted, the maximum penalty for the charges in the indictment ranges from one to eight years, according to interim New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba.
“As I have stated in the past, it is my Constitutional obligation as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected when executing their duties,” Habba, President Donald Trump’s former defense attorney, said in a statement following the indictment. “While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve.”
Baraka was arrested at the facility and charged with trespassing, though Habba later dropped the charge.
