NewsFlash

<prior post amended to include additional material>


Don't know if the following is true, but if it is...well, it'll be interesting.





From Blue:  41 minutes is a long time to sit in your air conditioned office watching men struggle to survive as you decide to kill them.

Survivors clinging to capsized boat didn’t radio for backup, admiral overseeing double-tap strike tells lawmakers  -  https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/politics/strike-lawmakers-briefing-radio-survivors     https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/us/politics/boat-strike-shows-survivors.html?smid=url-share    https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/05/politics/suriname-boat-strike-bradley

[ohmygod. I feel literally ill.]


Congressional Representative Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) says she was just pepper sprayed by ICE agents in Tucson - https://bsky.app/profile/jamiedupree.bsky.social

CDC vaccine advisory committee votes to remove universal recommendation for hepatitis B shot at birth [this is just a huge harm] - https://abcnews.go.com/Health/cdc-vaccine-advisory-committee-votes-remove-universal-recommendation/story?id=128106987

Supreme Court minority's blistering dissent on Texas redistricting case - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26338616/25a608-order.pdf

U.S. hits $38 trillion in debt, after the fastest accumulation of $1 trillion outside of the pandemic - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/u-s-hits-38-trillion-in-debt-after-the-fastest-accumulation-of-1-trillion-outside-of-the-pandemic

Grand jury transcripts from abandoned Epstein investigation in Florida ordered released - https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-12-5-2025?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share  [It's a start. But there is much more that needs to be made public.]     https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-12-5-2025#0000019a-efbb-de08-abbe-efbb62280000

It still goes on...

Posted on Blue:  George Takei‬  ‪@georgetakei.bsky.social‬   The R word is not acceptable to hurl as a slur, especially by the President. His followers see it as their cue, though, and now they're bullying the Walz family with it. Do you see what Trump has unleashed?    https://www.thedailybeast.com/tim-walzs-daughter-eviscerates-trump-for-calling-her-dad-a-vile-slur/

[I'd say he incited the lowest common denominator.]

Ilhan Omar: "When I think about Stephen Miller & his white supremacist rhetoric — it reminds me of the way the Nazis described Jewish people in Germany—"  https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m7fv62hyp32p



And

So. California:  Border Patrol In disguise try to hire day laborers to arrest them.  BP raided five Home Depots, chased a man into a bus, and a flower vendor into a gas station, who were among at least 13 people kidnapped around the Southland, with most of the focus in Orange County. -  https://lataco.com/daily-memo-december-5th-border-patrol-posed-as-humans-hiring-day-laborers-as-a-ruse-to-kidnap-them      Immigration agents take cash box from La Puente taco stand, witness says, after arresting four people in La Puente. [Video] - https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/immigration-agents-take-cash-box-from-la-puente-taco-stand-witness-says/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

Washington State:  US senator says ICE agents 'sic attack dogs' on Vancouver man [graphic images in the article's video] - https://cbs6albany.com/news/nation-world/washington-senator-says-ice-agents-sicced-dog-on-her-constituent-oregon-washington-vancouver-portland-patty-murray-ice-immigration-northwest-processing-nwipc-wilmer-toledo-martinez

North Carolina:  ICE arrests of people with no criminal records rose in NC before Border Patrol surge - https://www.newsobserver.com/article313429082.html#storylink=cpy

Illinois:  Cicero woman with infant in the NICU is detained by ICE - https://19thnews.org/2025/12/postpartum-immigrant-detention-ice/

New Orleans:  Immigration authorities have insisted the sweeps are targeted at “criminal illegal aliens.” But the law enforcement records detail criminal histories for less than a third of the 38 people arrested in the first two days of the operation. Local leaders told the AP those numbers — which law enforcement officials were admonished not to distribute to the media — undermined the stated aim of the roundup. They also expressed concern that the online surveillance could chill free speech as authorities threaten to charge anyone interfering with immigration enforcement. - https://apnews.com/article/immigration-new-orleans-online-monitoring-b2c300245ea4ffbef335502245760a1d   New Orleans City Council President J.P. Morrell said the stated goals of the operation to arrest violent offenders did not align with the reality of what is taking place.  “There’s literally no information being given to the city of New Orleans whatsoever,” Morrell said. “If the goal was for them to come here and augment existing law enforcement, to pursue violent criminals or people with extensive criminal histories, why wouldn’t you be more transparent about who you’ve arrested and why?”

New Orleans:  Allegations of detained citizens mount as arrests continue -  "Where were you born, man?" a Border Patrol agent asked a man outside a New Orleans Lowe's store on Wednesday, according to video of the encounter captured by an organizer for immigrant rights group Union Migrante. "I'm a U.S. citizen," the man replied. "But where were you born?" the agent responded. He repeated the question in Spanish, adding, "tell me the truth." "I won't answer any more questions," the man answered in English.  "OK," the agent responded. "Will you put handcuffs on him, please?" -  https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/allegations-of-detained-citizens-as-arrests-mount-in-new-orleans-border-patrol-sweeps/article_667b08e0-e717-4558-867c-6093c4284b34.html

Marrero, Louisianna:  Young mother, a US citizen, chased by Border Patrol while walking home from neighborhood grocery shop -  “We’re Brown — they assume we live illegally here, so that's why I'm concerned,” Juan Carlos Anglin [her father] said Thursday night. “Because I feel at this point, this is not going to be the last time. It's going to keep happening.”  [includes video] https://www.nola.com/news/border-patrol-new-orleans-marrero-chase/article_06a6b7fc-1987-465b-8ad8-10933de78e0f.html       https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/video-shows-masked-border-patrol-agent-chasing-woman-louisiana-marrero-rcna247756

State and federal authorities are closely tracking online criticism and protests against the immigration crackdown in New Orleans, monitoring message boards around the clock for threats to agents while compiling regular updates on public "sentiment" surrounding the arrests, according to law enforcement records reviewed by The Associated Press. -  https://www.phillytrib.com/news/across_america/records-reviewed-by-ap-detail-online-monitoring-arrests-in-new-orleans-immigration-crackdown/article_0b4ac2b7-a797-4fdd-b068-db63e2b62008.html

New York City:  Mayor Elect Zohran Kwame Mamdani @ZohranKMamdani [on X] - Last week, ICE arrested and separated a father and son after a routine check-in. Six-year-old Yuanxin had just enrolled in the first grade at an elementary school in Astoria. Now he's in custody, alone. ICE won't say where. This cruelty serves no one. It must end.   https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/ice-separates-boy-6-from-father-during-effort-to-deport-them-to-china/ Yuanxin Zheng, age six, detained by ICE.


And

Supreme Court arguments: The high court appears ready to side with President Donald Trump on the firing of a member of the Federal Trade Commission. Liberal justices warned today that backing Trump could “destroy the structure of government” as conservatives tried to tamp down fears. [CNN]

Trump admin dragged as key jobs report yanked:  "Economy so bad, no GDP report, no jobs report, and now no inflation report" - https://www.rawstory.com/trump-2674380365/

US Navy deleted video of October boat attack survivors on the Iwo Jima. Leaked document reveals effort to coverup aftermath of Oct 17 strike [can't verify legitimacy of this article] - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/navy-allegedly-ordered-sailors-to-delete-footage-of-boat-strike-survivors/ar-AA1RT5K6

The Bulwark  ‪@thebulwark.com‬ regarding video of Navy attack on boat on Sept. 2nd:
Trump on Dec. 3: “Whatever they have, we’d certainly release. No problem.”
Reporter on Dec. 8: “You said you would have no problem with releasing the full video of that strike on September 2nd.”
Trump: “I didn’t say that. You said that. I didn’t say that. This is ABC fake news.”
Video of Trump saying "that" on December 3rd - https://bsky.app/profile/thebulwark.com/post/3m7iusrt5br27

The U.S. Supreme Court in a free speech case on Monday opted not to hear an appeal by a group of residents of a rural Texas county of a judicial decision allowing local officials to remove 17 books that these officials deemed objectionable from public libraries. The justices let stand a lower court's decision allowing the removal of books including ones dealing with themes of race and LGBT identity, from its public library system. The lower court rejected the argument made by the plaintiffs that removing the books was unlawful under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections against government abridgment of free speech.


More Americans approve of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) than at any point since it took effect more than a decade ago, according to a new Gallup survey. - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/aca-approval-hits-new-high-gallup/ar-AA1RWsae?ocid=socialshare  Unfortunately, federal subsidies for the premium costs are still set to expire on December 31st. Republicans in Congress are refusing to extend the subsidies.

Trump broke his promise to protect a lifeline for 71 million Americans on Social Security - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-broke-his-promise-to-protect-a-lifeline-for-71-million-americans/ar-AA1RVmp3  As the Trump administration claims that things have never been better, millions of Americans are having a very different experience. In fact, more people today now die waiting in line for their initial disability determination than any time since President Dwight Eisenhower signed the disability portion of the Act into law in 1956. Even just recently, Trump and DOGE risked 300 million Americans’ personal data from the Social Security Administration. They have robbed Americans of customer service and peace of mind. [Fox News.]


And



And

St. Cloud, MN ‒ The day after President Donald Trump called Somali immigrants in Minnesota “garbage,” more than 100 residents and elected officials gathered at a library to reassure their Somali neighbors they were still welcomed in St. Cloud, a regional hub roughly an hour drive north of Minneapolis. - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-volcano-of-controversy-has-hit-the-minnesota-somali-community/ar-AA1RPJS6

Mayor Elect of New York City:  New York is — and always will be — a city for all immigrants. Know your rights. Protect your neighbors. - https://bsky.app/profile/zohrankmamdani.bsky.social/post/3m7fynvtkgs2t

New York State: Protesters demand Albany County end contract with Avelo Airlines - https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/protesters-demand-albany-county-end-contract-with-avelo-airlines

Minneapolis - https://bsky.app/profile/saltybitchables.bsky.social/post/3m7bts43loc2o

Louisiana: Community members in Kenner activated rapid-response teams to follow Greg Bovino and Border Patrol through the neighborhood. They alert residents and warn them not to open their doors unless CBP has a court-ordered warrant. - https://bsky.app/profile/strictlychristo.bsky.social/post/3m7ggccme4s2l

New York:   Attorney General James sues to stop Trump Administration’s attempt to cut off SNAP benefits for permanent residents. 35,000 New Yorkers’ SNAP benefits in jeopardy as states face threat of catastrophic financial penalties - https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-sues-stop-trump-administrations-attempt-cut-snap-benefits

House defense bill ignores Trump’s 'Department of War' name change - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/house-defense-bill-ignores-trump-s-department-of-war-name-change/ar-AA1RWkvn?ocid=socialshare

Judge expands criminal contempt probe over deportation flights, saying Kristi Noem failed to provide answers - https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-doj-targets-anti-ice-160045133.html

And

Release the Epstein files.
11 days.

<Previous post amended to add additional information.>



12 FBI agents fired for kneeling during racial justice protest sue to get their jobs back - https://apnews.com/article/fbi-george-floyd-kash-patel-72ac540b4d5afd90d6be3199ac808630


And

New Orleans:  'You're scaring everybody!' Protesters cripple Border Patrol chief's new operation  - https://www.rawstory.com/gregory-bovino/


New Orleans: DHS agents target the Vietnamese community. Many Vietnamese residents endured waves of displacement to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam war, after the fall of Saigon in 1975. -  https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/immigration/dhs-agents-target-the-vietnamese-community-in-new-orleans

New Orleans City Council refuses to hear public comments on ICE - https://popularresistance.org/new-orleans-city-council-refuses-to-hear-public-comment-on-ice/

New Orleans: Officials demand ICE change tactics -  https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3m7d4c4e67k2y

Kenner (near N.O.), Louisanna: Protest against ICE raids - https://bsky.app/profile/noturtlesoup17.bsky.social/post/3m7g6k2c6ok2b



Trump Official Forced to Clarify Exactly How Many Somalis Are Garbage. Donald Trump’s White House has launched a particularly racist attack on the Somali American community. - https://newrepublic.com/post/203923/trump-official-how-many-somalis-garbage

Let's call Trump's anti-Somali hate for what it is. It's not "heated" or "divisive." It's Nazi stuff. - https://www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-somali-racism?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Immigration thugs deploy to Minnesota, kidnapping 19 people and sexually assaulting a US citizen - https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/12/08/jptb-d08.html     Edina-born Somali woman kidnapped and assaulted by ICE in Minneapolis, held and harassed for over 24 hours  -  https://www.fox9.com/news/u-s-citizen-arrested-during-immigration-crackdown-family-says





Trump Calls Somali Community “Garbage”: Minnesota Responds to Racist Rant and Immigration Sweeps - https://www.democracynow.org/2025/12/5/minnesota

Minnesota Lutheran Pastor ref Trump's vile attacks on Somalis - https://bsky.app/profile/tizzywoman.bsky.social/post/3m7ksd66wws2b

Twin Cities religious leaders unite to support Somali community and condemn Trump attacks. Religious leaders from churches, Jewish temples and mosques from across the state opposed remarks from President Donald Trump that included calling Somalis “garbage.” - https://www.startribune.com/twin-cities-religious-leaders-unite-to-support-somali-community-and-condemn-trump-attacks/601539354

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey made clear he will NOT back down to Trump's efforts to terrorize Somali immigrants. - https://bsky.app/profile/progavalanche.bsky.social/post/3m7dkcyg5222t  [He's a good man.]

Maine:  Maine’s Somali legislators speak out after Trump’s latest attacks - https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/12/05/maines-somali-legislators-speak-out-after-trumps-latest-attacks/



Judge orders restoration of key record belonging to Tufts student formerly detained by ICE. More than eight months after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk and removed her from a key federal international student database, a judge has ordered her record in the database restored.  ... The termination of her SEVIS record has prevented her from working and participating in research that is “integral to her graduate studies,” the ACLU of Massachusetts, which is helping represent her, wrote in a press release.  - https://www.masslive.com/news/2025/12/judge-orders-restoration-of-key-record-belonging-to-tufts-student-formerly-detained-by-ice.html


Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Nashville evidentiary hearing canceled - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/kilmar-abrego-garcia-s-nashville-evidentiary-hearing-canceled/ar-AA1RWvea?ocid=socialshare

Judge orders the release of an immigrant with ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt - https://apnews.com/article/karoline-leavitt-ice-immigrant-detained-50575c83c36dac62f629f396593c0bc8?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share


And

Federal judge throws out Trump order blocking development of wind energy - https://apnews.com/article/trump-wind-power-offshore-attorney-general-a8c2f1201ac6b0607e8c4a1c36e651ba?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share

Federal judge grants request to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell case records - https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-12-9-2025?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share

[Wow, Congress actually seems to be considering doing something!]  Congress to withhold Pentagon travel funds until it sees boat strike videos. Lawmakers quietly stuck the requirement into their must-pass annual defense policy bill. - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/ndaa-boat-strikes-congress-hegseth-without-funds-00680679

Senator Rand Paul: "This is an insane policy. It's inconsistent. It's not war. It's not the way we've ever done this. If we can blow up a boat in the ocean, what about when they get to Miami & put it in a truck? Can you shoot a grenade launcher at the truck? No! We arrest people b/c sometimes we're wrong." - https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m7kn2vewdf2u

"There is a point in any declining republic where foreign and domestic policy stops looking like strategy and starts looking like a racket. We are well past that point."  -Rick Wilson - https://www.againstallenemies.net/p/war-criminals-and-war-criminals

<previous post amended to add more information>



The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the dismissal of more than 1,000 employees. - https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-dismisses-more-than-1000-employees/

Trump Personally Intervenes to Block Release of January 6 Documents. Donald Trump is blocking access in a lawsuit brought by police officers injured in the January 6 DC riot. - https://newrepublic.com/post/204173/donald-trump-personally-intervenes-block-release-january-6-documents





And



Minneapolis, MN:  Somali refugee who works as addiction recovery leader detained by ICE, described as "gang member" - https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/abdulkadir-sharif-abdi-ice-arrest-minnesota/?intcid=CNR-01-0623

PSA Elgin, Illinois: ICE raid Dec 6 2025. Guns pointed at children as young as three, flash-bangs detonated, tear-gas deployed. -  https://bsky.app/profile/thetnholler.bsky.social/post/3m7jn7obnu22b

Gotcha:   ICE Has A Plan To Arrest Undocumented Migrants Voluntarily Leaving U.S.: Memo.  “Operation Irish Goodbye,” as it’s being called, could be aimed at boosting numbers for Trump’s much-hyped deportation campaign. - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ice-plan-undocumented-immigrants-border_n_69371e0ce4b0020dff816622?origin=home-latest-news-unit

Minnesota:  Republican state senator to Trump: Somalis are ‘woven into Minnesota’s fabric’ - https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/06/republican-state-senator-to-trump-somalis-are-woven-into-minnesotas-fabric [Poor guy, he thinks Trump actually cares about that.]

‪Illinois:  Gov. JB Pritzker has approved a set of new laws designed to strengthen protections for immigrants and limit abusive immigration enforcement practices. One law directs hospitals, schools, and childcare centers to safeguard the immigration status of the people they serve, keeping that information confidential. Another creates a pathway for individuals to sue law enforcement officers for financial damages if those officers violate constitutional rights while carrying out immigration-related operations. Pritzker also finalized a previously passed measure that prohibits immigration enforcement from taking place outside court proceedings. [Of course, the Trump admin will tie this up in court.] -  https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/governor-jb-pritzker-bills-illinois-federal-immigration-enforcement/


And, of course

Robert Reich‬ ‪@rbreich.bsky.social: Donald Trump, Jr.’s net worth has increased six-fold since his father was reelected. Eric Trump has gotten ten times richer over the same time period.  Funny how that works, huh?

Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal - https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/08/propublica-trumps-own-mortgages-match-his-description-of-mortgage-fraud-records-reveal

Message from Mr. Sulu - https://bsky.app/profile/georgetakei.bsky.social/post/3m7liizmyi62l


Big Brother Is Watching:  from Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social     A heads-up to anyone traveling to the U.S. from abroad - be prepared for increased scrutiny of your online presence. Travelers from countries like Britain, France, Germany, and South Korea could soon be subject to a review of up to five years of their social media history, according to a proposal filed Tuesday (Dec 9) by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Recommendation: CBP can only review what you voluntarily disclose or what is publicly visible. Make sure your personal accounts are set to private, and maintain an alternative public-facing account for general viewing. -  https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-22461.pdf

PSA = https://bsky.app/profile/gmf1369.bsky.social/post/3m7j2rvxrpk2p


When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.  Leviticus 19:33-34

[Note:  It's a direction, not a suggestion.]

Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.  Exodus 23:9

[Note:  It's a direction, not a suggestion.]

"So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:5

Posting to be amended 12/11/25.

A message from George Takei [Mr. Sulu]:  This #HumanRightsDay I am proud to be supporting Amnesty International’s efforts to support asylum seekers, immigrants, and refugees, as well as stopping the spread of dangerous authoritarian practices. Join me! amnestyusa.org/act - https://bsky.app/profile/georgetakei.bsky.social/post/3m7nlnbpcrd2c [Please watch his video.]

Following  reports that U.S. Navy personnel aboard the USS Iwo Jima were ordered to delete documentation of two survivors of a deadly boat strike on October 17th American Oversight, a DC Watchdog group, sent a letter to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of the Navy. -  https://americanoversight.org/featureddocument/letter-to-nara-dod-and-navy-regarding-reported-deletion-of-footage-of-oct-17-boat-strike/      Three separate US strikes on alleged drug boats have initially left survivors. Each time they’ve been treated differently. [One they just left floating out at sea.] - https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/10/politics/survivors-3-strikes-us-military

The Pentagon did not conduct a routine investigation into the impact of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s disclosure of sensitive military information in a group chat on Signal earlier this year and whether it damaged national security – in part because Hegseth never authorized it. - https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/11/politics/pentagon-did-not-conduct-hegseth-signal-investigation

Trump administration adds militarized zone in California along southern US border [so not good] - https://apnews.com/article/trump-adds-militarized-zone-border-california-b592a6a82351c4a632e861e92d71a181

Trump confirms the U.S. seized a tanker off Venezuela - https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-confirms-the-u-s-seized-a-tanker-off-venezuela-says-well-keep-the-oil/ [Considering we are not at war with Venezuela, this would seem to be an act of piracy.]


And

US threatens new ICC sanctions unless court pledges not to prosecute Trump - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-threatens-new-icc-sanctions-unless-court-pledges-not-prosecute-trump-2025-12-10/  [Hmmmm, could there be the faintest of writing on the wall now that's making the Orange One nervous?]

Ummm...well, there's this online:    Trump, 79, spirals in 500-word rant over his declining health - https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/trump-79-spirals-in-500-word-rant-over-his-declining-health/ar-AA1S65kk    The Rant:


https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/we-asked-ai-models-to-analyze-trumps-latest-bizarre-rant-verdict-profound-narcissistic-vulnerability/


And

In January, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services will roll out a pilot program that will use AI to review Medicare patients' requests for care. Insurers will get rewarded when they deny care. What could go wrong?  - https://www.newsweek.com/medicare-will-start-using-ai-help-make-coverage-decisions-next-year-2111093


And

Vermont public school superintendent, US citizen, shared his tale of detention by Homeland Security - https://www.wcax.com/2025/12/09/winooski-superintendent-testifies-about-airport-detention/

It’s been two weeks since ICE took Yuanxin Zheng from his father. He is six years old. He’s still not home.

Hundreds in NYC rally to support 6-year-old separated from dad after ICE check-in - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hundreds-nyc-rally-support-6-year-old-separated-dad-ice-check-rcna248027      https://queenseagle.com/all/2025/12/8/locals-rally-as-ices-presence-in-worlds-borough-grows


Proposed new regs by CPB include self-reporting deportation and changes to ESTA that would mean you could not apply for it via the website, but would be required to use a  mobile phone and download their ap to do so (as I read it). [The last thing in the world I think I'd want on my phone - if I owned a smartphone - is a CPB ap!] And then there's the social media thing.

Abstract: CBP invites the public to comment on the following changes listed
below, that were submitted to and approved by OMB through an
emergency clearance, with the justification of an unanticipated event
and reasons to believe following the normal PRA process would
result in public harm.
1. Voluntary Self-Reported Exit (VSRE) Pilot and I-94 Automation:
CBP is implementing a new functionality within the CBP Home
mobile application, or any successor mobile application, to allow
aliens who are subject to I-94 requirements and who are departing
the United States, to voluntarily provide biographic data from their
passports or other travel documents, facial images, and geolocation
to provide evidence of that departure. Note that while the use of this
functionality is optional, submitting a facial image is a required part
of this functionality. This collection of data is a part of CBP’s critical
efforts to fulfill DHS’s statutory mandate to collect biometric
information from departing aliens and CBP’s plans to fully automate
I-94 information collection. This capability will close the information
gap on alien entries and exits by making it easier for aliens subject
to I-94 requirements to report their exit to CBP after their departure
from the United States. It will also create a biometrically confirmed,
and thereby more accurate, exit record for such aliens leaving the
United States.
CBP will use geolocation services to confirm that the traveler
reporting their departure is outside the United States, as well as, run
“liveness detection” software to determine that the selfie photo is a
live photo, as opposed to a previously uploaded photo. The mobile
application will then compare the facial image submitted to facial
images for that person already retained by CBP to confirm the exit
biometrically. CBP will use this information to help reconcile a
traveler’s exit with that traveler’s last arrival. The report of exit will
be recorded as a confirmed departure in the Arrival and Departure
Information System (ADIS) maintained by CBP. Aliens can use this
information as proof of departure, which is most relevant in the land
border environment, but may be used for departures via air and sea
if a traveler desires. This is also beneficial for the alien, as having
proof of an exit via a CBP mobile application provides travelers with
evidence for Officers to consider in the event that the Officer is
unsure whether a nonimmigrant complied with I-94 requirements
during their previous entry.
2. Photo upload for ESTA website and mobile:
CBP intends to update the ESTA application website to require
applicants to provide a photograph of their face, or “selfie”, in addition
to the photo of the passport biographical page. In addition, CBP
intends to update the mobile application and require third party
submissions to include a “selfie” or photograph of the applicant's
face. These photos would be used to better ensure that the applicant
is the rightful possessor of the document being used to obtain an
ESTA authorization.
Currently, applicants are allowed to have a third party apply for an
ESTA on their behalf. While this update would not remove that
option, third parties, such as travel agents or family members, would
be required to provide a photograph of the ESTA applicant.
As noted previously, the ESTA Mobile application currently requires
applicants to take a live photograph of their face, which is compared
to the passport photo collected during the ESTA Mobile application
process. This change will better align the application processes and
requirements for ESTA website and ESTA Mobile applicants.
3. VWP Burden of Information Collection Increase:
CBP has calculated the estimated burden for this information
collection to account for additional countries added into the VWP
over the next three years. As an ESTA is required for any travel to
the United States under the VWP, the collection is being updated to
include travelers from current VWP designated countries and
travelers from potentially added designated countries over the next
three years.
Additionally, CBP recently revised the collection to add Qatar into the
VWP. CBP invites the public to comment on the PRA burden of the
Visa Waiver Program Designation (VWP) changes.


CBP also invites the public to comment on the newly proposed
changes listed below:
1. ESTA Website Decommission:
CBP will decommission the ESTA Website Application process to
establish the ESTA Mobile application as the sole platform to apply
for a new ESTA.
CBP intends to require applicants to submit ESTA applications solely
via the ESTA Mobile application; consequently, travelers would no
longer be permitted to submit ESTA applications using the existing
ESTA website. CBP believes that moving to a mobile-only approach
for ESTA submissions will both enhance security and improve
efficiency. The ESTA website would remain available as a resource
for information about the ESTA program, as well as allow applicants
to check the status of their ESTA applications but will not be used to
collect information from applicants.
Currently, applicants can apply for an ESTA via the ESTA website or
the ESTA Mobile application. However, poor quality image uploads
to the ESTA website have resulted in applicants bypassing the facial
comparison screening. A case study from the National Targeting
Center (NTC) Traveler Application Security Unit (TASU) of a poorquality
passport photo submission demonstrates the increased
accuracy of live mobile image capture over web-based uploads. NTC
TASU identified over 2,400 poor quality passport biographical page
uploads and over 8,000 invalid passport photos that led to negative
or failed photo comparison screenings. CBP believes that travelers
are aware of this vulnerability and have begun to exploit it by
purposely uploading poor quality images to avoid detection.
Additionally, CBP continues to struggle with fraudulent third-party
websites. Third-party fraudulent websites charge travelers
exorbitant fees to process an application, where many of these
applications may never be processed by CBP, resulting in a traveler
being unable to board a U.S. bound plane.
Lastly, unlike ESTA Mobile, the ESTA website is unable to validate
the authenticity of the passport through the certificates embedded on
the electronic chip (e-Chip). Bad actors exploit this vulnerability to
apply for an ESTA. NTC TASU has discovered hundreds of
fraudulent ESTAs created by facilitators to support visa applications.
These facilitators uploaded fraudulent passport bio pages to obtain
approved ESTAs. travelers then presented official ESTA printouts,
falsely claiming the ESTA holder was a spouse, to strengthen their
visa applications.
The ESTA Mobile application provides superior identity verification
methods, including liveness detection, facial recognition and Near
Field Communication (NFC)-based passport scanning/electronic
chip verification. Applying for an ESTA on the website does not allow
NFC verification of an ePassport, unlike when using the mobile app.
The current ESTA Mobile submission process includes retrieving
biographic information and portrait photo from the e-Chip, matching
the portrait with a live selfie via the CBP Traveler Verification Service
(TVS), and auto-denying applications that fail Country Signing
Certificate validation from the Traveler Document Authentication
System.
While transitioning to a mobile-only ESTA system may present some
initial challenges, the long-term benefits, including enhanced security
and fraud reduction, make the transition a viable national security
decision. CBP believes the continued evolution of mobile technology
will further streamline and secure the traveler authentication process,
paving the way for future advancements in contactless verification
and biometric authentication.
2. Romania Removal from Visa Waiver Program (VWP):
Due to the removal of Romania from the approved list of countries
under the VWP, CBP is updating relevant collections to reflect this
removal. The public can refer to https://www.dhs.gov/visa-waiverprogram
for the list of approved countries under the VWP.

3. Mandatory Social Media:
In order to comply with the January 2025 Executive Order 14161
(Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other
National Security and Public Safety Threats), CBP is adding social
media as a mandatory data element for an ESTA application. The
data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social
media from the last 5 years.
4. High Value Data Elements
To comply with the January 2025 E.O. (14161), and the April 4,
2025, Memorandum Updating All Forms to Collect Baseline
Biographic Data, CBP will add several “high value data fields” to the
ESTA application, when feasible. This is in addition to the information
already collected in the ESTA application.
The high value data fields include:
a. Telephone numbers used in the last five years;
b. Email addresses used in the last ten years;
c. IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos;
d. Family member names (parents, spouse, siblings, children);
e. Family number telephone numbers used in the last five years;
f. Family member dates of birth;
g. Family member places of birth;
h. Family member residencies;
i. Biometrics – face, fingerprint, DNA, and iris;
j. Business telephone numbers used in the last five years;
k. Business email addresses used in the last ten years.
CBP invites the public to comment on both the previously approved
emergency changes and the newly proposed changes.


And

Judge in New York orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell-related grand jury records. The ruling comes days after a federal judge in Florida also ordered the release of grand jury investigations into Jeffrey Epstein from 2005 and 2007. [So where the hell are they then?] - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/new-york-judge-orders-release-ghislaine-maxwell-related-grand-jury-rec-rcna248191