US has seized survivors after strike on suspected drug-carrying vessel in Caribbean

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has seized survivors after a strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean, the first since President Donald Trump began launching deadly attacks in the region this summer. That’s according to a defense official and another person familiar with the matter. It is believed to be at least the sixth strike since August, and the first to result in survivors who were picked up by the U.S. military. It was not immediately clear what would be done with the individuals, who the person said were believed to be held aboard a U.S. military vessel. They confirmed the strike on the condition of anonymity because it has not yet been publicly acknowledged by Trump’s administration.

FBI says a Louisiana resident assisted Hamas and lied on his US visa application

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The FBI is accusing a Louisiana resident of participating in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, then lying on his application for a visa to live in the U.S. On Friday, Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, 33, was scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court. An FBI criminal complaint unsealed this week alleges that Al-Muhtadi armed himself and gathered a group to cross into Israel, participating in the attack that killed more than 1,200 people and led to hundreds of kidnappings. He later submitted a fraudulent visa application, denying involvement in terrorist activities, and obtained legal residence in the U.S, where he worked at a local restaurant in Lafayette. It is unclear if he had an attorney.

Iowa superintendent detained by ICE falsely claimed he was a US citizen, indictment says

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district has been indicted by a federal grand jury after authorities say he falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen who was eligible to work. A two-count indictment returned Thursday evening by a federal grand jury in Des Moines charges Ian Roberts with one count of making a false statement for employment and one count of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Roberts, who is originally from Guyana and worked for two decades in school districts across the country, was detained last month by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in a targeted operation.

FEMA staff sound the alarm on disaster preparedness at rally at agency headquarters

(AP) — Current and former staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency demonstrated against workforce and program cuts during a “FEMA Solidarity Rally” on Friday, a potentially risky act of protest because some of the same staffers were placed on leave after signing a public dissent letter in August. Several dozen people gathered outside the FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C., calling on President Donald Trump to stop dismantling the agency charged with managing the federal disaster response. They warned that eliminating FEMA, something the president suggested he would consider, would put lives at risk and hurt communities.