President-elect Donald Trump reacts to Christopher Wray’s resignation announcement. And the Pentagon responds to claims that an “Iranian mothership” is behind the mysterious drones over New Jersey. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024.
Trump says Wray resigning as FBI director is ‘a great day for America’
The dust is still settling at the top of the FBI after Director Christopher Wray announced on Wednesday, Dec. 11, he would be resigning at the end of the Biden administration. This paves the way for President-elect Donald Trump to pick his director. Wray, who was nominated by Trump during his first administration, still had three years remaining on his 10-year term.
Earlier this month, Trump announced he would nominate Kash Patel to lead the bureau, leaving Wray with two options: resign or get fired. During a town hall with FBI employees, Wray said although leaving isn’t easy, it’s the right thing to do for the bureau and for Americans.
“This is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work,” Wray said.
Reacting to the news on Truth Social, Trump called Wray’s resignation “a great day for America,” saying it “will end the weaponization” of the FBI. He said the agency “illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me, and has done everything else to interfere with the success and future of America.”
Wray took the helm in 2017 when Trump appointed him, receiving an overwhelming confirmation by U.S. lawmakers. His leadership came on the heels of the former director’s investigation into Trump associates and their connection to Russia’s interference during the 2016 presidential election.
Distance grew between the former president and Wray when the FBI conducted searches of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in order to recover classified documents. That warrant and what agents recovered led to Trump’s federal indictment on several criminal charges.
Under Wray’s watch, the FBI also launched an investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, ending up with more than 1,500 people accused of breaking the law.
In a recent sit-down interview with NBC News, Trump said he’s unhappy with Wray and crime levels in the U.S. and vowed to fire the director once in office.
Rumors about Wray’s tenure preceded Wednesday’s announcement as incoming Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley questioned his leadership. The Iowa senator released a letter criticizing how the FBI has handled things like congressional oversight cases, sexual harassment claims by female FBI employees and the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Reform is badly needed at the FBI
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) December 9, 2024
It’s time 2 shake things up pic.twitter.com/w9FxE9yS9d
The Justice Department released a statement from Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday following the announcement praising Wray’s efforts and his ability to keep America safe. Garland said Wray has “led the FBI’s efforts to aggressively confront the broad range of threats facing our country — from nation-state adversaries and foreign and domestic terrorism to violent crime, cybercrime, and financial crime.”
Republican South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds also expressed support for Wray and had no complaints about how he led the FBI. Rounds said the former president picked a good man to lead the FBI during his first term.
The bureau’s deputy director, Paul Abbate could take over the FBI while a permanent director is confirmed by the Senate once Trump is officially sworn into office.
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, confirmed Wednesday night it donated $1 million to President-elect Trump’s inaugural fund. It comes two weeks after CEO Mark Zuckerberg had a private meeting with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg donates $1,000,000 to President-elect Trump's inaugural fund. pic.twitter.com/GcC3PF4sp2
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) December 12, 2024
The move is a major reversal from nearly four years ago when Meta banned Trump from its platforms after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump labeled Facebook an “enemy of the people” in a March interview with CNBC. He also threatened to punish Zuckerberg if he tried to influence the election against him.
House passes defense bill banning gender-affirming care for trans children
The House passed a critical defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, with a controversial caveat on Wednesday.
The $895 billion measure includes a ban on gender-affirming care for trans children under TRICARE, the military’s health insurance program. That means TRICARE will not cover puberty blockers and hormone therapy for children of service members.
While past attempts to include the ban in the NDAA have failed, this one was overshadowed by bipartisan provisions including a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members.
In addition, the NDAA also includes a provision that would ban the teaching of critical race theory in the military.
Wednesday’s vote was 281-140, with 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against the legislation. The bill now heads to the Senate for approval.
Pentagon says ‘Iranian mothership’ is not behind mysterious drones
As questions swirl over the dozens of drone sightings in New Jersey and other locations along the East Coast, the Pentagon has shot down one theory circulating at the Capitol. During a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing Wednesday, New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew criticized the Federal Aviation Administration for not taking action, before giving his opinion on what’s going on in the skies.
What we’ve uncovered is alarming—drones flying in from the direction of the ocean, possibly linked to a missing Iranian mothership.
— Congressman Jeff Van Drew (@Congressman_JVD) December 11, 2024
This is a national security crisis we cannot ignore.
Bring them down now. pic.twitter.com/YicWkcoJR1
“I’ve learned for real that there is circumstantial evidence that there is an Iranian mothership off the east coast of the United States and that’s launching these drone incursions,” Van Drew said. “They are from high, good sources, individuals who are reputable, individuals who speak with authority unfortunately are concerned with identifying who they are at this point, who are saying this, but this is true. It’s unacceptable and it’s frightening and our government has to act.”
Later in the day, Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh was asked about Van Drew’s claims.
“There is not any truth to that,” she said. “There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called ‘mothership’ launching drones towards the United States.”
Singh said there is no evidence that the drone activity is coming from a foreign entity or is the work of an adversary. She said the Pentagon will continue to monitor the situation.
Our Ray Bogan spoke with New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith, R, who requested U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin provide a state military base with the tools it needs to take down the mystery drones. Watch Ray’s report here.
Missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi found safe
Family members say Hannah Kobayashi, the Hawaii woman who’d been at the center of a missing persons investigation in California, has been found safe.
Police in Los Angeles stopped looking for her on Dec. 2, saying she traveled to Mexico to “disconnect” and reclassified her case as one of a “voluntary missing person.” On Wednesday, the 30-year-old’s mother and sister put out a statement saying she had been found safe but did not say where.
Relatives reported her missing on Nov. 13, after she failed to get on a connecting flight from L.A. to New York City on the 8th. Police later said they found video of her crossing into Mexico via the San Diego land port at Tijuana a few days after her missed flight.
During the search for the missing woman, her family suffered a tragedy as Kobayashi’s father, who traveled from Hawaii to Los Angeles to join the search party, took his own life. The family said he died of “a broken heart.”
UNC officially names Bill Belichick as next head coach
It’s the start of a new chapter for one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Bill Belichick, the 72-year-old six-time Super Bowl winning coach, is taking the offer to become the new head coach at the University of North Carolina.
Welcome to Chapel Hill, Bill Belichick!
— UNC Tar Heels (@GoHeels) December 12, 2024
The eight-time Super Bowl Champion has officially been named our next @UNCFootball Head Coach. #GoHeels x #ChapelBill pic.twitter.com/cnngQI7gnC
Belichick coached the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2023, creating a dynasty alongside quarterback Tom Brady. Belichick currently sits at No. 2 on the NFL all-time coaching wins list with 333, behind Don Shula’s 347 victories.
Belichick’s five-year deal with UNC is pending approval by the board of trustees, which is set to hold an emergency meeting Thursday, Dec. 12.
