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Dan Bongino named Deputy Director of FBI

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Dan Bongino had been named the next deputy director of the FBI.

What they're saying:
Trump said Sunday evening that Bongino’s appointment was "great news for law enforcement and American justice," and that Bongino was "a man of incredible love and passion for our country."

Who is Dan Bongino?

The backstory:
Dan Bongino, 49, is a former Secret Service agent turned conservative pundit. He served on the presidential details for then-Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, before becoming a popular right-wing figure. He also has a background with the New York Police Department.

He has been doing commentary on Fox for more than a decade, joining as a contributor in 2019 and beginning his Saturday night show in 2021.

Trump shared more of Bongino’s education and career background when announcing his new role, saying he has a Masters Degree in Psychology from C.U.N.Y., and an MBA from Penn State.

"He was a member of the New York Police Department (New York’s Finest!), a highly respected Special Agent with the United States Secret Service, and is now one of the most successful Podcasters in the Country, something he is willing and prepared to give up in order to serve," Trump’s post said.

Dan Bongino podcast

Dan Bongino’s self-titled podcast, Dan Bongino Show, is available on all major streaming platforms.

The description says Bongino "tackles the hottest political issues, debunking both liberal and Republican establishment rhetoric."

What is Deputy Director of the FBI?

The Deputy Director of the FBI oversees all FBI domestic and internal investigative and intelligence activities, according to the FBI’s official government website.

The deputy director serves as second-in-command to the director, who is Kash Patel.

Gene Hackman’s wife found mummified and bloated by workers who hadn’t seen couple for two weeks: cops

Gene Hackman’s wife was found mummified and bloated when the two were discovered dead with their dog in their multimillion-dollar New Mexico home — and the maintenance workers who initially discovered the quieted house said hadn’t seen the couple in about two weeks, police wrote in an affidavit.

Authorities said the deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation” after finding the door to the couple’s home was “unsecured and opened” and an open orange prescription pill bottle and pills scattered around the room where Hackman’s wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, and one of their German shepherd dogs were discovered.

Deputies noted that it appeared Arakawa had “obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet” when she was found on the floor of a bathroom near the home’s entry, according to the report.

The door into the couple’s $3.3 million Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, which sits on six acres and is over 8,000 square feet, was left ajar — but there was no sign of forced entry or theft, according to the report.

Authorities also noted in the report that a black space heater was found near Arakawa’s head. A responding officer said “he suspected the heater could have fallen in the event the female abruptly fell to the ground,” the affidavit said.

The couple’s deceased dog was located about 10 to 15 feet away from Arakawa inside the bathroom’s closet, deputies wrote in the report.

Meanwhile, Hackman’s body was located in what deputies believe was the mudroom near a pair of sunglasses. Officers wrote in the report that it appeared he had “suddenly fallen.”

Hackman’s body had “obvious signs of death, similar and consistent with the female decedent,” police wrote in the report.

Deputies also noted two other “healthy” dogs located on the property, one inside the residence and one outside, according to the report.

Fire department officials who responded reported finding no signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning, according to the report.

Michelle Trachtenberg dead at 39 — former ‘Gossip Girl,’ ‘Harriet the Spy’ star recently underwent liver transplant

Michelle Trachtenberg, the former child star known for a wide range of TV and film roles including in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl,” has died at the age of 39, sources told The Post.

Trachtenberg was found by her mother around 8 a.m. Wednesday at One Columbus Place, a 51-story luxury apartment complex in Manhattan’s Central Park South neighborhood, the sources said.

The actress underwent a liver transplant within the last year, but her body may have rejected the organ, according to sources, who said she died of natural causes.

The NYPD confirmed Trachtenberg was found “unconscious and unresponsive” by police and pronounced dead by EMS workers. They responded to the building after a 911 call reporting a woman experiencing cardiac arrest.

Her death is not deemed suspicious and the city medical examiner will determine the cause, cops said.

US transport chief seeks to boost air traffic control hiring

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Thursday the Trump administration will take steps to boost air traffic controller hiring after a series of recent safety incidents again raised questions about a persistent staffing shortage.

The Federal Aviation Administration will open its hiring window to become an air traffic controller through March 17, will increase starting salaries by 30% for candidates who go to the FAA training academy and will speed the time-to-hire by cutting more than four months off the old process.

A persistent shortage of controllers has delayed flights. At many facilities, controllers are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks to cover shifts.

Duffy said he was reconsidering rules that had allowed air traffic control supervisors to reduce staffing at Washington's Reagan National Airport before a fatal Army helicopter-plane collision that killed 67 people in January.

The FAA is about 3,500 fully certified air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and has about 10% fewer controllers than it did in 2012.

The FAA fired 350 probationary workers this month including some with safety-related positions. Duffy insisted that the agency eliminated no jobs critical for safety. USDOT withdrew a retirement offer made to controllers.

This week, a bipartisan group of three U.S. senators called for new funding to boost air traffic control staffing, speed training of new controllers and provide new incentives to retain aviation workers.

Last week, the U.S. aviation sector called for "robust emergency funding" from Congress for air traffic control technology and staffing after a series of crashes.

Airlines for America, which represents American Airlines , Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and other major carriers, praised Duffy's action to address the longstanding shortage of air traffic controllers.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said "addressing the critical shortage of air traffic controllers is the most impactful action the government can take to improve safety, reliability and efficiency for air travelers." American CEO Robert Isom called the plan "a critical initial step to making our aviation system even safer."

In 2024, the FAA cut minimum flight requirements at congested New York City-area airports through October, citing a staffing shortage of air traffic controllers.

Mel Gibson says Gavin Newsom doesn’t ‘give a damn’ about California, supports recall of governor after deadly LA wildfires: ‘Criminal negligence’

Mel Gibson threw his support behind a new effort to recall Gavin Newsom, claiming the California governor doesn’t ‘give a damn’ about the state.

The “Braveheart” star voiced his anti-Newsom passion at a Wednesday press conference on behalf of SavingCalifornia.vote, a political action group spearheading the effort to oust Newsom after last month’s apocalyptic wildfires in Los Angeles.

“Was it incompetence? Was it indifference? Complacency? Carelessness? Was it negligence? Absolutely,” Gibson said of Newsom’s and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ leadership during the Palisades and Eaton fires, which torched nearly 13,000 homes — including Gibson’s $14.5 million Malibu mansion.

“There are many who say it is criminal negligence. Do the mayor and the governor give a damn about you? Hell no!” the actor continued for a crowd of journalists and supporters in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

This week, SavingCalifornia.vote received the official green light to begin circulating a petition to hold a recall election. They will have 160 days to gather around 15 million signatures — 12% of the total votes in the last gubernatorial election — to win a recall vote.

Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks may have had accomplice, data shows, as investigators say FBI suppressing info

It’s been almost nine months since a seemingly mild-mannered 20-year-old attempted to assassinate then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at a rally in Butler.

And we still have no good reason why.

Sources told The Post the FBI has obstructed efforts to solve the mystery of why Thomas Matthew Crooks, who left no manifesto, did what he did. It’s left local law enforcement as well as Crooks’ former friends, classmates and teachers frustrated.

Those who may know, Crooks’ parents Matthew and Mary, have refused all interviews and remain in their small, three-bedroom home here, sealed off from the world like hermits. Neighbors say they only leave the house at 3 am to buy groceries.

“By the way, why do we know nothing about that guy in Butler?” Elon Musk yelled out to the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, before warning that FBI Director “Kash (Patel) is going to get to the bottom of it.”

A veteran private investigator from Erie, Penn., who was hired shortly after the fateful July 13 event at Butler Farm to look into Crooks by a private client, told The Post he believes a “criminal network” was operating with him at the time of the assassination attempt, is still in existence and still wants to kill President Trump.

Doug Hagmann, whose team of six other investigators have been working the case for months and have interviewed more than 100 people, said they also conducted extensive geofencing analysis of cell phones and tablets not belonging to Crooks that were found with him at his home, at the rifle range where he took target practice, at the rally and at Bethel Park High School where he graduated in 2022.

“We don’t think he acted alone,” Hagmann told The Post. “This took a lot of coordination. In my view, Crooks was handled by more than one individual and he was used for this [assassination attempt]. And I wouldn’t preclude the possibility that there were people at the rally itself helping him.”

Trump says tariffs against Canada and Mexico will go into effect next week: ‘Drugs are still pouring into our Country’

President Trump declared Thursday that tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico will go into effect next week, arguing that both countries haven’t done enough to combat the flow of drugs into the US.

Mexico and Canada dodged the imposition of 25% tariffs earlier this month, after the leaders of the two nations agreed to ramp up border security and crack down on fentanyl smuggling in exchange for a 30-day pause on the levy.

Absent another deal or a change of heart from the president, the tariffs will go into effect “as scheduled” on March 4.

“Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday. “A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China.”

“We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled,” the president said.

Trump, 78, further declared that China will face an additional 10% tariff on March 4, on top of the 10% levy he imposed on the US adversary on Feb. 4, with the goal of forcing Chinese officials to rein in the flow of precursor chemicals from China to criminal cartels that use fentanyl to manufacture deadly drugs for the US market.

“The April Second Reciprocal Tariff date will remain in full force and effect,” the president added, referring to the memorandum he signed earlier this month directing the Treasury Department to impose “fair and reciprocal” tariffs on all major US trading partners.

“Thank you for your attention to this matter. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” Trump’s post concluded.

Menendez brothers’ family frustrated over DA’s decision to deny killer siblings new trial: ‘Very disparaging’

The family of Lyle and Erik Menendez said they were hurt and disappointed after the Los Angeles district attorney denied the killer siblings a new trial – while lauding their relationship with the leftist former prosecutor who pushed for the brothers’ release last year.

Family members said DA Nathan Hochman lacked the understanding and sympathy his predecessor George Gascón had for the alleged sexual abuse the murderous duo experienced before they gunned down their wealthy parents in their Beverly Hills mansion more than 30 years ago. 

“The relationship is absolutely different. Gascón seemed much more open to modern thought processes of the law today and what compassion looks like and what does trauma informed practice look like,” Tamara Goodell, the brothers’ cousin, said during a webinar Thursday afternoon.

“Very honestly, what we heard from the LADA’s office the other day felt very disparaging. It felt like a continuation of the narrative from 1989 and very honestly, it was very frustrating.”

Hochman announced his recommendation on Feb. 21 that the LA County Superior Court deny the brothers’ request for a retrial due to new evidence that the pair had been molested by their father – a request Gascón supported in October in light of the fresh findings.

The pair were convicted of killing their parents, José Menendez, a wealthy music producer, and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, execution-style in August 1989.

Fed judge finds Trump’s mass firings of federal probationary workers were likely unlawful

A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration’s massive dismantling of the federal workforce.

US District Judge William Alsup ordered the Office of Personnel Management to inform certain federal agencies that it had no authority to order the firings of probationary employees, including at the Department of Defense.

“OPM does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe,” to hire or fire any employees but its own, Alsup said.

The complaint filed by five labor unions and five nonprofit organizations is among multiple lawsuits pushing back on the administration’s efforts to shrink a workforce that Trump has called bloated and sloppy.

Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired, and his administration is now aiming at career officials with civil service protection.

Lawyers for the government agree that the office has no authority to hire or fire employees in other agencies.

But they said the Office of Personnel Management asked agencies to review and determine whether employees on probation were fit for continued employment.

They also said that probationary employees are not guaranteed employment and that only the highest performing and mission-critical employees should be hired.

“I think plaintiffs are conflating a request by OPM with an order by OPM,” said Kelsey Helland, an assistant US attorney in court Thursday.

MIDDLE EAST

Iran receives chemical key for missile fuel production from China - CNN

One of two Iranian cargo vessels carrying a chemical from China which is used in missile fuel production has anchored outside the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, CNN reported Thursday, signaling a potential resurgence of Iran’s missile production capabilities.

The shipment of 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate was transported from China aboard the Golbon, which departed from Taicang port on January 21. The second vessel, the Jairan, has yet to depart, according to ship tracking data and intelligence sources cited by CNN.

Iran’s missile production infrastructure was severely damaged by Israeli strikes on Oct. 26 2024, which some experts believed would set back its solid propellant production by a year. However, the arrival of this shipment suggests that Iran could be resuming production sooner than anticipated.

Sodium perchlorate is a key precursor for ammonium perchlorate, an essential component in solid rocket propellant used in mid-range ballistic missiles.

Western intelligence sources cited by CNN estimate that the shipment could enable Iran to produce enough solid propellant for up to 260 Kheibar Shekan or 200 Haj Qasem missiles—both capable of reaching targets up to approximately 1,450 kilometers away.

The delivery was purchased for the Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization (SSJO), a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responsible for missile development, according to CNN’s intelligence sources.

The Golbon and Jairan are operated by the US-sanctioned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), which Washington and London accuse of facilitating military-related transfers for Tehran.

Iran, lacking an effective air force, has heavily relied on developing short- and medium-range missiles, including a variety of ballistic delivery systems.

Dozens of Palestinians prisoners released after Hamas returns bodies of 4 hostages

Hamas handed over the bodies of four hostages to the Red Cross early Thursday in exchange for Israel’s release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was to end.

An Israeli security official confirmed that Hamas handed the hostages’ bodies to the Red Cross. Israel said the caskets were delivered with the help of Egyptian mediators through an Israeli crossing and an identification process had begun.

At around the same time, a Red Cross convoy carrying several dozen released Palestinian prisoners left Israel’s Ofer prison headed for the West Bank town of Beitunia, where hundreds of well-wishers jostled for a glimpse of the bus as it arrived.

Friends and family greeted the released prisoners, hugging them and snapping photos. One released man made a victory sign as he was carried on the shoulders of supporters, with the crowd chanting “God is Great.” The released prisoners wore Israeli Prison Service T-shirts that some of them took off and set on fire.

Hours later, buses carrying hundreds of other Palestinian prisoners arrived in the Gaza city of Khan Younis, with some men kissing the ground as they emerged from the buses.

Israel and Hamas begin negotiations for next phase of cease-fire, Egypt says

Israel and Hamas have begun negotiating the terms of the next phase of the cease-fire deal just two days before the truce expires, Egyptian mediators say.

“Intensive discussions” have resumed in Cairo on Thursday, with Egyptian, Qatari and American mediators pushing Israel and Hamas to continue the cease-fire and free the remaining hostages in Gaza.

The already-strained talks had been frozen after the two sides accused each other of breaking the terms of the cease-fire, with negotiations likely to grow heated over Israel’s refusal to fully withdraw from the Palestinian enclave.

The renewed talks were pushed forward by mediators in an effort to stop the war from resuming come midnight Saturday, with Cairo insisting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza be addressed as well.

“The mediators are also discussing ways to enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population and support stability in the region,” Egypt’s state information service said about the talks.

The second phase of the cease-fire calls on Hamas to free the remaining 28 living hostages in Gaza, including New Jersey native Edan Alexander.

Hamas has agreed to free the hostages in one fell swoop, provided Israel keep its end of the bargain and fully withdraws its forces from Gaza as they negotiate the future of the land and its people.