FBI Daily News Briefing - February 5, 2025

Federal Bureau of Investigation - February 05, 2025

Seal	Federal Bureau of Investigation
Daily News Briefing
(In coordination with the Office of Public Affairs)

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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
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
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
- 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

WASHINGTON SCHEDULE

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
- 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. 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 full-scale invasion in 2014, of the just country. after the After Revolution his election, of Dignity, many and in the served West until learned 2019, of three President years Poroshenko before Russia's 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.

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