Interim FBI director named after acting director’s unexpected retirement
It has been a busy couple of days at the FBI, as a recent appointment by President Donald Trump gives the agency its third head in less than 48 hours. The appointment comes after the FBI’s acting director unexpectedly retired Monday, Jan. 20.
Brian Driscoll, recently appointed head of the FBI’s field office in Newark, New Jersey, will now run the agency on an interim basis, according to an announcement by the Trump administration on Monday.
Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee to the role, resigned Sunday, Jan. 19, following through on his pledge to leave his post before the president returned to office.
Under Wray’s leadership, the FBI conducted investigations into Trump, including a 2022 court-approved search for classified documents that involved agents entering Trump’s house at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Wray’s resignation paved the way for Deputy Director Paul Abbate to run the bureau on an acting basis. However, Abbate unexpectedly announced his retirement Monday morning before Trump took office. That allowed the Trump administration to select Driscoll as interim director.
President Trump nominated former National Security Council staffer Kash Patel to head the agency, which requires Senate confirmation. Patel has pledged to remove most senior FBI leadership, accusing them of weaponizing its powers against Trump.
Patel has also actively promoted the pro-Trump conspiracy theory QAnon, signing copies of a children’s book he wrote about a character named “King Donald” with QAnon’s motto beside his autograph.
FBI closes diversity and inclusion office, Trump weighs in
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed it closed its Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) in December. The announcement comes less than a month before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office for a second term.
Now, Trump is weighing in on the decision. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “We demand that the FBI preserve and retain all records, documents, and information on the now closing DEI office—never should have been opened and, if it was, should have closed long ago. Why is it that they’re closing one day before the inauguration of a new administration? The reason is, corruption!”
In September 2020, during his first term in the White House, then-President Trump signed an executive order titled “Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping,” which stated, “It shall be the policy of the United States not to promote race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating in the federal workforce or in the uniformed services.”
The order banned certain diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training. It also prohibited federal agencies and contractors from conducting training that promoted certain concepts. They include the idea that one race or sex is inherently superior to another or that the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist.
After President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, he quickly revoked Trump’s executive order and signed a new one titled “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.” The new order aimed to promote diversity and inclusion in federal agencies rather than restrict them.
The FBI’s announcement comes after Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., wrote a letter to outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray shortly after a terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day that left 14 people dead.
In the letter, Blackburn accuses Wray of settling for low-quality candidates to satisfy DEI mandates. She says it compromises national security.
“Put simply, your focus on woke DEI initiatives at the FBI has endangered our national security and the lives of all Americans,” Blackburn’s letter states. “Americans now feel increasingly unsafe because of incidents like the January 1 terror attack, and the FBI’s prioritization of diversity over competence shows that their concerns are well-founded.”
Just a few months ago on the campaign trail, Trump vowed to end DEI policies at universities. He claimed the practices are discriminatory. He threatened to impose fines on colleges equal to their entire endowment if they continued implementing DEI initiatives.
Alabama passed a law last year barring state institutions from using public funds for DEI initiatives. It led to the University of Alabama and Auburn University closing their DEI offices.
Iowa, Texas and Utah have all banned DEI initiatives at universities.
In the private sector, major companies have also recently announced plans to roll back their DEI efforts. They include Walmart, John Deere, Molson Coors, Lowe’s, Meta and Tractor Supply.
Wray announced he will resign from his position, despite having three years left in his term, when Trump takes office.
Trump has tapped Kash Patel to lead the agency, pending Senate confirmation.
US Treasury files hacked by China, Biden issues cybersecurity order
Chinese hackers breached the U.S. Treasury Department between September and November 2024, gaining access to more than 3,000 files, including documents from high-ranking Treasury officials, according to testimony provided to lawmakers on Wednesday, Jan. 15. The breach impacted unclassified files, including those belonging to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo.
Treasury and law enforcement officials told members of Congress that the hack exploited a vulnerability in a third-party product used by the Treasury’s vendor, BeyondTrust.
The company alerted the government to the breach in December 2024. Officials confirmed that 419 Treasury computers were compromised, according to the testimony.
This breach comes amid escalating concerns about cybersecurity, particularly regarding Chinese hacking activities. In response to these growing threats, President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Thursday. Jan. 16, aimed at tightening security standards for companies that do business with the U.S. government.
The new executive order requires software providers who contract with the government to demonstrate the security of their products. This includes stringent security measures for cloud providers and internet-connected devices.
Starting in 2027, the U.S. government will only purchase products that carry the new “U.S. Cyber Trust Mark.” The new label certifies a device’s security.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has warned that China’s cyber capabilities represent “the defining threat of our generation.” In a recent interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Wray described China’s cyber program as the largest in the world, surpassing every other nation combined. He emphasized the risks posed by China’s extensive data theft and its ability to infiltrate critical infrastructure.
As lawmakers and officials continue to address these cybersecurity challenges, the focus is on improving the security of government systems and the products used by contractors. The Biden administration’s efforts to strengthen cybersecurity protocols underscore the increasing urgency of defending against foreign cyber threats.
‘In position to wreak havoc’: FBI director warns of China threat before retirement
Outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray called China’s cyber capabilities “the defining threat of our generation” during an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Wray warned that China has already infiltrated critical U.S. infrastructure, including water treatment plants, the electrical grid, natural gas pipelines and telecommunications.
Wray explained that China has “pre-positioned” malware within these systems.
“There’s another part of the threat that has not gotten the attention it desperately deserves, and that’s the Chinese government’s pre-positioning on American civilian infrastructure, to lie in wait, to be in a position to wreak havoc and inflict real-world harm at a time and place of their choosing,” Wray said.
Wray also raised concerns about China’s ability to spy on high-level U.S. officials, suggesting Beijing may have intercepted communications from figures such as President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, and national security personnel. While Wray did not confirm specific targets, “60 Minutes” verified that China had monitored communications from these individuals.
Other reports point to the broader implications of Chinese espionage operations. U.S. senior officials told the Washington Post that Chinese hackers maintain access to American telecom companies, potentially exposing millions of mobile phone users from three major U.S. carriers.
The threat Wray described is echoed in the annual report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which labeled China as the most “persistent” cyber threat to U.S. government and private-sector networks. The report suggests that if Beijing were to enter a conflict with the U.S., it might consider aggressive cyber operations targeting U.S. military and civilian assets to disrupt troop deployments and cause societal panic.
China has long been accused of engaging in state-sponsored hacking campaigns targeting the U.S. and other nations.
In response to these activities, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Integrity Technology Group Inc., a Beijing-based cybersecurity firm, on Jan. 3. The company is linked to the “Flax Typhoon” hacking group, which has been targeting U.S. critical infrastructure sectors since at least 2021.
However, China continues to deny these accusations. At a Jan. 6 news briefing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected claims of state-sponsored hacking and criticized the U.S. for using cybersecurity issues to vilify China.
JD Vance, Christopher Wray speak on Jan. 6 ahead of Trump inauguration
Incoming Vice President JD Vance and outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray shared their thoughts on President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to pardon those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol. The interviews come just one week before Trump’s inauguration.
Vance addresses Trump’s plans to pardon Jan. 6 convictions
In his first interview since leaving the Senate, Vance addressed Trump’s plans to pardon those convicted of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“I think it’s very simple,” Vance told Fox News Sunday. “Look, if you protested peacefully on January the 6th and you’ve had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned. If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there but we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law and there are a lot of people, we think, in the wake of January the 6th who were prosecuted unfairly. We need to rectify that.”
Vance also spoke of executive orders concerning illegal immigration on day one of the Trump administration and of being hopeful there soon will be a cease-fire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas.
After Vance’s interview aired on Fox, the vice president-elect responded to a critic on X saying Trump will be looking at each case concerning Jan. 6 individually.
Wray addresses Trump’s plans to pardon, decision to resign
On 60 Minutes, FBI Director Christopher Wray discussed Trump’s plans to pardon many of the roughly 1,500 people charged with federal crimes in the Jan. 6 riots.
“I do think it’s important to step back and remember that we’re talking about hundreds of people who are convicted, most of them pled guilty of serious federal crimes,” Wray said. “Heck, I think 170 or so of them pled guilty to assaulting law enforcement, dozens of them with dangerous or deadly weapons. And there’s a whole bunch that were convicted of seditious conspiracy.”
Wray also explained his decision to step down three years before the end of his 10-year term. Trump appointed Wray in 2017, during his first administration.
The FBI director then oversaw investigations into Trump, as well as President Joe Biden and Biden’s son Hunter. Trump intends to replace Wray with former aide Kash Patel.
“Well, my decision to retire from the FBI, I have to tell you it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Wray said. “I care deeply, deeply about the FBI, about our mission and, in particular, about our people.”
He continued, “But the president-elect had made clear that he intended to make a change, and the law is that, that is something he is able to do for any reason or no reason at all. My conclusion was that the thing that was best for the Bureau was to try to do this in an orderly way, to not thrust the FBI deeper into the fray.”
At least 24 dead as strong winds return to fuel California wildfires
Fire crews continue to battle deadly wildfires in Southern California as the death toll rises and strong winds are set to return. And a potential end to the Israel-Hamas war could be in sight as progress was made toward a ceasefire and hostage release deal. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Jan. 13, 2025.
At least 24 dead as strong winds return to fuel Los Angeles area wildfires
At least 24 people are now confirmed dead and dozens more At least 24 people are now confirmed dead and dozens more are missing as multiple fires continue to rage in Southern California. Firefighters said they’re making progress against the wildfires that have now been burning for almost a week in the Los Angeles area.
Still, the threat remains high as dangerous Santa Ana winds will pick up again starting Monday, Jan. 13.
Weary fire crews said it’s not safe enough in many areas to assess the true total damage. Three fires continued to burn into Monday, Jan. 13: the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires, all of which broke out last Tuesday, Jan. 7.
The Palisades Fire remained the biggest and least contained, at more than 23,000 acres with only about 13% containment. Officials expanded evacuation orders for the Palisades Fire as it moves east, threatening the Brentwood and Encino areas.
The Eaton Fire was just over 14,000 acres and 27% contained on Monday. According to CalFire, the two fires are now the second and fourth most destructive in state history.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said flames destroyed more than 7,000 buildings in the Eaton Fire alone. Investigators are only about a quarter of the way through their damage assessment.
The county is now under a public health emergency over smoke and particulate matter, which could cause long-term harm.
Progress made in Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks, officials say
Mediators with the U.S., Qatar and Egypt said they’ve made significant progress in brokering a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. However, nothing has been finalized just yet.
The deal would result in the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip ever since the terror group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
It is believed there are a total of 98 hostages; however, as many as three dozen are feared dead.
Officials briefed on the negotiations said there was a breakthrough in Doha early Monday morning following talks between Israel’s spy chiefs, President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff and Qatar’s prime minister.
In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden spoke about the cease-fire deal on the phone Sunday, Jan. 12.
Officials said negotiators for Israel and Hamas took a proposed final draft of the deal back to their leaders for approval. However, this is not the first time a deal to end the war has been closely considered. The U.S. has said several times over the past year that a deal was imminent, only for it to fall through.
An Egyptian official said an agreement will likely take a few more days and both sides are aiming for a deal before Trump’s inauguration next Monday, Jan. 20. However, Hamas said there are still issues it says need to be resolved, including an Israeli commitment to ending the war and details about the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the hostage-prisoner exchange.
JD Vance, Christopher Wray speak on Jan. 6 ahead of Trump inauguration
Incoming Vice President JD Vance and outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray shared their thoughts with Fox News and CBS News with just one week until President-elect Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day.
In his first interview since leaving the Senate, Vance spoke to Fox News Sunday of executive orders concerning illegal immigration on day one of the Trump administration and of being hopeful there soon will be a cease-fire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. Vance was also asked about Trump’s plans to pardon those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol.
“I think it’s very simple,” Vance said. “Look, if you protested peacefully on January the 6th and you’ve had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned. If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there but we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law and there are a lot of people, we think, in the wake of January the 6th who were prosecuted unfairly. We need to rectify that.”
On 60 Minutes, FBI Director Christopher Wray explained his decision to step down three years before the end of his 10-year term. Trump appointed Wray in 2017, during his first administration.
The FBI director then oversaw investigations into Trump, as well as President Joe Biden and Biden’s son Hunter. Trump intends to replace Wray with former aide Kash Patel.
“Well, my decision to retire from the FBI, I have to tell you it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Wray said on 60 Minutes. “I care deeply, deeply about the FBI, about our mission and, in particular, about our people. But the president-elect had made clear that he intended to make a change, and the law is that, that is something he is able to do for any reason or no reason at all. My conclusion was that the thing that was best for the Bureau was to try to do this in an orderly way, to not thrust the FBI deeper into the fray.”
Wray was also asked about Trump’s plans to pardon many of the roughly 1,500 people charged with federal crimes in the Jan. 6 riots.
“I do think it’s important to step back and remember that we’re talking about hundreds of people who are convicted, most of them pled guilty of serious federal crimes,” Wray said. “Heck, I think 170 or so of them pled guilty to assaulting law enforcement, dozens of them with dangerous or deadly weapons. And there’s a whole bunch that were convicted of seditious conspiracy.”
After Vance’s interview aired on Fox, the vice president-elect responded to a critic on X saying Trump will be looking at each case concerning Jan. 6 individually.
Special counsel Jack Smith resigns as fight to block Trump report continues
Special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the criminal investigations into Trump, resigned from the Department of Justice. While his departure was expected, it comes as Trump and his allies continue efforts to block the release of Smith’s final report on his investigations.
Smith’s resignation was made public Saturday, Jan. 11, in a brief footnote of a DOJ court filing to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon of Florida. She was appointed to the bench by Trump.
Cannon issued an order last week temporarily blocking the DOJ from releasing Smith’s investigation into Trump’s interference in the 2020 election results. The DOJ filed an emergency motion late Friday, Jan. 10, asking a federal appeals court to reverse the order.
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin scrubs New Glenn launch attempt
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin called off the planned launch of its New Glenn rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday morning. The company scrubbed the launch due to a “few anomalies” found during the countdown.
The delay of the rocket’s inaugural attempt to reach orbit could last at least 24 hours or longer. The launch, when it does happen, will include an attempt to land New Glenn’s first stage booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean.
In an interview with Reuters before the launch attempt, Bezos said that the booster landing is “the thing we’re most nervous about.”
A wild ending to NFL’s wild-card weekend with 1 more game to go
The NFL’s wild-card weekend saw one wild finish Sunday night. Five teams advanced to the divisional round, and a final wild-card game will be played Monday night.
On Saturday, the Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 in the opening game of wild-card weekend. Then the Baltimore Ravens moved on with a convincing 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills dominated the Denver Broncos 31-7 while the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-10.
Late Sunday night, a last-second field goal — with the ball hitting off the uprights and going through, known as a “doink” — gave the Washington Commanders the 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was Washington’s first playoff win since 2005.
Monday night, the Minnesota Vikings will meet the Los Angeles Rams in a game that was moved from Los Angeles to Arizona due to the wildfires.
Is your Wi-Fi router a national security risk? US government weighs ban
TP-Link is the bestselling Wi-Fi router internationally and on Amazon. Now, the U.S. government is considering banning these devices over cyberattack risks.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, investigators at three agencies, Commerce, Defense and Justice, are looking into these Chinese-made routers.
In October, Microsoft said it was tracking “a network of compromised small office and home office (SOHO) routers” known as CovertNetwork-1658 and said “routers manufactured by TP-Link make up most of this network.”
The network has been used by multiple “Chinese threat actors” to gain access and launch cyberattacks.
This comes more than a year after Microsoft “uncovered stealthy and targeted malicious activity … aimed at critical infrastructure organizations in the United States.”
Microsoft said Volt Typhoon is “a state-sponsored actor based in China that typically focuses on espionage and information gathering.” The company said it “tries to blend into normal network activity by routing traffic through compromised [small office and home office] network equipment, including routers, firewalls and VPN hardware.”
“These small office home office routers were not themselves the intended targets,” FBI Director Christopher Wray testified in January. “The targets, of course, were our critical infrastructure, but what the Chinese were doing were using these easy targets to hide and obfuscate their role in the hacking of our critical infrastructure.”
In August, two lawmakers pressed the Biden administration to investigate TP-Link, calling it a “glaring national security issue.” Along with being in homes across America, the letter noted that TP-Link devices are also on U.S. military bases.
Straight Arrow News reached out to TP-Link to comment on these investigations. The company didn’t immediately respond.
A spokesperson did tell the Journal, “We welcome any opportunities to engage with the U.S. government to demonstrate that our security practices are fully in line with industry security standards, and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the U.S. market, U.S. consumers, and addressing U.S. national security risks.”
The Chinese embassy in Washington said the U.S. is using the guise of national security to suppress Chinese companies, something both sides have accused the other of in an ongoing tech tit-for-tat.
If the U.S. government went forward with banning TP-Link routers, it would be the biggest such move since the Trump administration labeled China’s Huawei and ZTE national security threats and ordered the tech be ripped out of U.S. infrastructure.
Any action against TP-Link would likely fall on Trump’s second term.
TP-Link was founded by two brothers in China in 1996. As tensions between China and the U.S. worsened, in October, TP-Link announced its new global headquarters would be in the United States.
The company said the move is “reinforcing our commitment to the U.S. market and enhancing our ability to innovate and compete on a global scale.”
Trump says Wray resigning as FBI director is ‘a great day for America’
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.
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
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.
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.
This is a national security crisis we cannot ignore.
“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.”
“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 Kobayashifound 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
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.
FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign ahead of Trump inauguration
FBI Director Christopher Wray announced his resignation Wednesday, Dec. 11. He said he would leave office before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
Trump nominated Kash Patel to lead the bureau, meaning Wray was left with two options: resign or be 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 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,” the FBI director said.
Wray served seven years of a 10-year term as FBI director.
Trump reacts to Wray’s resignation
“The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social.
The president-elect said Wray’s exit will end the weaponization of the FBI.
Senate Republicans joined Trump in calling Wray’s departure good news. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, R, said he was glad Wray made the decision.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, R, said the FBI director’s resignation would make Patel’s confirmation more urgent. Hawley called on Wray to resign for over a year.
Washington reacts to Wray’s departure
Democrats expressed disappointment after Wray announced his resignation. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said political pressure influenced Wray’s decision to step down.
“It vastly heightens the hazards of weaponizing the FBI for political or personal ends — which should be an anathema to all my colleagues, regardless of party,” Blumenthal said.
The U.S. Justice Department released a statement on behalf of Attorney General Merrick B. Garland following Wray’s announcement, praising the FBI director’s efforts and his ability to keep America safe.
“He 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.”
Statement by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland
Natalie Bara, president of the FBI Agents Association, thanked Wray for upholding the agency’s mission.
“This commitment is at the core of who we are as Special Agents, and it does not waver when there are changes in a presidential administration or when the leadership in the Bureau changes.”
Statement by FBI Agents Association President Natalie Bara
South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, R, expressed support for Wray, saying he had no complaints about how he led the FBI. He said Trump picked a good man to lead the FBI during his first term.
Wray’s FBI appointment
Trump appointed Wray as the FBI’s director in 2017, and he received an overwhelming confirmation from U.S. lawmakers.
His appointment 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 president-elect and Wray when the FBI conducted searches of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. The raid led to the recovery of classified documents and a federal indictment of several criminal charges against Trump.
Under Wray’s leadership, the FBI launched an investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021. More than 1,500 people were accused of breaking the law that day.
In a recent sit-down interview with NBC News, Trump said he’s unhappy with Wray and crime levels in the United States. He vowed to fire the director once he took office in January 2025.
Wray’s leadership under question
Rumors of Wray’s tenure preceded Wednesday’s announcement as incoming Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, questioned his leadership.
The Iowa senator released a public letter that criticized how the FBI has handled things like congressional oversight cases, sexual harassment claims by female FBI employees and the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Bureau Deputy Director Paul Abbate could step in as FBI director in the meantime. Once Trump is sworn into office, a confirmation hearing can be held to appoint a permanent replacement for Wray.
Currently, there are no announcements about a temporary replacement.
FBI Director Wray considering resignation before Trump’s inauguration
FBI Director Christopher Wray is reportedly planning to resign on or before President-elect Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day, according to The Washington Times. Wray, who is seven years into a 10-year term, was appointed during the first Trump administration but is looking to step down before Trump can fire him.
The newspaper notes that Wray’s resignation would preempt any effort by Trump to remove him, especially as the president-elect nominated Kash Patel, a lawyer and former Department of Justice prosecutor, to lead the FBI.
Patel is scheduled to meet with Republican senators in Washington this week as part of the Senate confirmation process required to take over the FBI.
Wray’s decision comes after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the incoming Senate judiciary chair, publicly expressed his lack of confidence in the FBI director on Monday, Dec. 10.
In an 11-page letter to Wray, Grassley detailed his frustrations with the director’s leadership and criticized the FBI’s handling of congressional oversight requests. These included inquiries into sexual harassment claims by female FBI employees, the Afghanistan withdrawal, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information and the unprecedented raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
“As we stand at the threshold of a new Congress and a new administration, with seven years of water under the bridge, you’ve failed in these fundamental duties as director,” Grassley wrote. “Your and Deputy Director [Paul] Abbate’s failure to take control of the FBI has hindered my work and others’ work throughout multiple congresses on matters that needed timely information, and has prevented the truth on some issues from ever reaching the American people.”
“You’ve also shown a continuing double standard and failure to carry through on promises,” Grassley continued. “For the good of the country, it’s time for you and your deputy to move on to the next chapter in your lives.”
In response, the FBI issued a statement to The Washington Times.
“The FBI has repeatedly demonstrated our commitment to responding to congressional oversight and being transparent with the American people,” the statement said. “Director Wray and Deputy Director Abbate have taken strong actions toward achieving accountability in the areas mentioned in the letter and remain committed to sharing information about the continuously evolving threat environment facing our nation and the extraordinary work of the FBI.”
If Wray steps down, it’s likely that current Deputy Director Paul Abbate will serve as acting director until Trump’s nominee is confirmed by the Senate.