Month: February 2026

Gail Slater stepped down Thursday as head of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, ending a short and contentious tenure at a pivotal moment for major corporate mergers. Her departure took effect immediately. Multiple officials familiar with the matter said Slater was given the choice to resign or be dismissed after losing the confidence of senior leadership, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Justice Department officials have named Omeed Assefi, who previously served as acting antitrust chief, to lead the division on an interim basis.

Slater wrote on X, “It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave my role as AAG for Antitrust today,” adding that it was “the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role,” and thanking colleagues across the department. Slater had previously served as an adviser to Vice President JD Vance and as a senior official on tech and cybersecurity issues during Trump’s first term. She was confirmed by the Senate last year with broad bipartisan support, winning 78 votes.

Slater’s exit comes as the Justice Department faces several high-stakes matters, including scrutiny of a potential deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery, where Netflix and Paramount Skydance are vying for control. The timing also coincides with an upcoming court fight over Live Nation’s ownership of Ticketmaster, a case set to test the department’s aggressive antitrust posture.

Slater’s relationship with Bondi had deteriorated over months, fueled by disagreements about management style, merger policy, and internal decision-making. Tensions peaked over the Justice Department’s handling of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks. Slater had sought to block the deal on competition grounds, but higher-level officials ultimately allowed it to proceed through a settlement, overruling her division.

Two senior antitrust officials were removed last summer, a move that drew criticism from Senate Democrats, who alleged political interference. Bondi later accused Slater of misrepresenting national security considerations tied to the HPE deal, after intelligence officials raised concerns about blocking the merger. Bondi also denied Slater permission to attend an OECD conference in Paris, but Slater went anyway, prompting Bondi to cancel her government credit cards, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump officials also said Slater ignored other directives, including guidance on travel and internal communications.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mark Hamer resigned earlier this week, writing on LinkedIn that he was returning to private practice and praising Slater as a leader of “exceptional wisdom, strength and integrity.” Other senior officials were fired or reassigned amid disputes over merger enforcement and staffing decisions, including disagreements involving Slater’s chief of staff.

Bondi said in a statement, “On behalf of the Department of Justice, we thank Gail Slater for her service to the Antitrust Division which works to protect consumers, promote affordability, and expand economic opportunity.”

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The Trump administration announced Thursday that it is ending its large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota.

Border czar Tom Homan confirmed the decision during a press conference in Minneapolis, saying the operation known as Operation Metro Surge is being scaled back following weeks of enforcement activity and coordination with local authorities. “I have proposed and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude,” Homan said.

Earlier this month, Homan announced that 700 agents would be withdrawn immediately, leaving about 2,000 still operating in the state. A “significant drawdown” of federal immigration officers has already begun and is expected to continue into next week. While many agents will leave the state, Homan said some personnel will remain in select locations to continue working with county sheriffs and local jails. He added that immigration enforcement would not end entirely. “If you’re in this country illegally, you’re not off the table,” Homan said.

The surge began on Nov. 29, when the administration deployed more than 3,000 immigration officers to Minnesota, far above the roughly 150 federal agents previously assigned to the area. Minneapolis, a city of about 250,000 residents, has a police force of approximately 600 officers. According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 4,000 arrests have been made since the operation began, though officials have not released details on how many involved criminal charges. Homan also said more than 200 people were arrested for interfering with law enforcement during the crackdown.

The operation drew widespread criticism after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot in separate encounters involving immigration agents. Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, were both killed during confrontations tied to the enforcement effort, prompting international outrage and renewed scrutiny of the operation. “I don’t want to see any more bloodshed,” Homan said. “I pray every night for the safety or law enforcement personnel and the safety of those in the community, whether you’re here legally or illegally I don’t want to say anybody harmed.”

Following Pretti’s death, federal officials began reducing the operation’s footprint. Customs and Border Protection commander Gregory Bovino was removed from his leadership role and reassigned to California, after which Homan assumed direct control of the Minnesota effort. Homan acknowledged problems with the operation’s early execution. “As I said in my first press conference a couple weeks ago, President Trump didn’t send me here because operation were being run and conducted perfectly,” he said. “I came here to identify issues and implement solutions to improve our mission execution.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said this week that he expected the operation to wrap up within days, not months, following conversations with senior administration officials, including Homan and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also described a recent meeting with Homan as productive and said discussions focused on further reducing the federal presence.

Homan praised both Democratic leaders for working with federal authorities and for rhetoric he said helped calm clashes between protesters and law enforcement. “We’ve seen a big change here in the last couple of weeks,” Homan said. “And it’s all good changes.”

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Attorney General Pam Bondi came under sharp fire during a tense House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, as lawmakers pressed her over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and accusations that the agency has targeted President Donald Trump’s critics.

Democrats said the DOJ mishandled the release of more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related records by heavily redacting the names of alleged enablers while failing to fully protect survivors’ identities. Several survivors were seated behind Bondi during the hearing, intensifying the exchanges.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland accused the department of violating congressional directives. “You redacted the names of abusers, enablers, accomplices and co-conspirators… Even worse, you shockingly failed to redact many of the victims’ names,” he said, adding that survivors who had never gone public were exposed. The DOJ earlier acknowledged removing “several thousand” documents from its website after concerns that victim-identifying information had been inadvertently released.

Bondi largely avoided direct answers, repeatedly calling Democrats’ questioning “theatrics” and labeling the hearing a “circus.” When Rep. Pramila Jayapal asked her to turn around and apologize to survivors in the room, Bondi refused, saying she would not “get in the gutter for her theatrics.” In her opening remarks, however, she said, “I have spent my entire career fighting for victims, and I will continue to do so. I am deeply sorry for what any victim — any victim — has been through, especially as a result of that monster.”

The hearing devolved into personal attacks. Bondi referred to Raskin as a “washed-up lawyer” and later a “washed up loser lawyer,” criticized Rep. Hank Johnson’s experience, and dismissed Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon’s questions, prompting Scanlon to respond, “Thank you for the insult.”  Republicans were not spared. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky questioned inconsistent redactions in the Epstein files, leading Bondi to say, “This guy has Trump derangement syndrome,” and call him a “failed politician.”

Outside the hearing, survivors and family members condemned the department’s actions. “The DOJ needs to do its job. Give us the rest of the files and start the investigations,” said survivor Dani Bensky. Sky Roberts, the brother of Virginia Giuffre, said Bondi’s handling of the matter was a failure, telling her, “Do your job, Pam.” Democrats also accused Bondi of politicizing the DOJ. Raskin said she had turned it into “Trump’s instrument of revenge,” adding, “Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza, and you deliver every time.”

Bondi denied claims of weaponization, declaring, “Weaponization has ended,” while accusing “liberal activist judges” of “coordinated judicial opposition.” She repeatedly praised Trump, calling him “the greatest president in American history.”

The hearing followed news that a federal grand jury declined to indict six Democratic lawmakers over a video urging service members to refuse “illegal orders.” Amid the clashes, Bondi and Rep. Eric Swalwell briefly found common ground over safety concerns, with Bondi saying, “None of you should be threatened, ever… None of your children should be threatened. None of your families should be threatened.”

Despite bipartisan criticism over the Epstein files, Republicans largely used their time to defend Bondi or highlight administration priorities such as crime reduction and immigration enforcement. The volatile hearing underscored mounting pressure on the attorney general from both Congress and a White House eager for visible wins amid legal and political headwinds.

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A shooting at a high school followed by a related incident at a nearby home left at least nine people dead and dozens injured Tuesday afternoon in Tumbler Ridge, a small community in northeastern British Columbia, according to Canadian authorities.

Police on Wednesday afternoon identified the suspected shooter as 18-year-old Jesse van Rootselaar, according to CBC and The New York Times. Rootselaar is believed to have killed her mother and stepbrother at a home in Tumbler Ridge on Tuesday, Feb. 10, before traveling to the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and killing six others. Rootselaar then died by suicide at the school as first responders arrived at the scene At least 25 other people were injured in the shooting, per authorities.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported that officers were dispatched to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School around 1:20 p.m. local time after receiving reports of an active shooter. Inside the school, responders found six victims dead. A seventh person later died while being transported to a hospital. Two additional victims were airlifted for treatment of serious or life-threatening injuries, while roughly 25 others were treated locally for less severe wounds. Investigators later confirmed a second scene at a residence believed to be connected to the school attack, where two more people were found dead. Details about how those victims were injured have not yet been released.

RCMP North District Commander Chief Superintendent Ken Floyd told reporters at a news conference that investigators are still working to determine a motive and understand how the victims were connected to the suspect. Floyd said, according to a clip shared by CTV News, “I think we will struggle to determine the why, but we’re going to try and do our best to determine what transpired that day and what led up to this tragic event in Tumbler Ridge and across our communities.”

The Peace River South School District initially placed both the secondary school and a nearby elementary school under a “lockdown and secure and hold” before announcing that both campuses would remain closed for the rest of the week. Tumbler Ridge Secondary School serves about 175 students in grades 7 through 12. Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darry Krakowka described the town of roughly 2,700 residents as “one big family” where “everybody knows everybody,” noting that the community is struggling to process the scale of the loss.

Prime Minister Mark Carney canceled planned travel to Halifax and Europe, saying in a statement, “I am devastated by today’s horrific shootings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.” He added, “My prayers and deepest condolences are with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to these horrific acts of violence.” In a separate message, he told residents that “the nation mourns with you.”

British Columbia Premier David Eby said the province would provide ongoing support to the community. “Our hearts are in Tumbler Ridge tonight with the families of those who have lost loved ones. Government will ensure every possible support for community members in the coming days, as we all try to come to terms with this unimaginable tragedy.” Speaking later, Eby reflected on the broader impact, saying, “It’s hard to know what to say on a night like tonight,” and noted that tragedies like this force families to think about children’s safety at school.

Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger called the attack “one of the worst mass shootings in the province’s and country’s history,” praising first responders who arrived within minutes. Eby echoed that sentiment, crediting their rapid action with preventing even greater loss of life.

Mass shootings remain uncommon in Canada, particularly at schools. The country’s deadliest mass shooting occurred in 2020, when 22 people were killed during a rampage in Nova Scotia, an event that later prompted a federal ban on assault-style weapons.

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Authorities in Pima County, working alongside the FBI, briefly took an individual into custody and later released them after questioning related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the case who spoke with ABC News.

The person was stopped and detained during an encounter south of Tucson, and investigators conducted a search tied to that individual as part of the ongoing inquiry. In a post shared on social media, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that deputies had “detained a subject during a traffic stop.”  Officials said the sheriff’s department, with support from the FBI’s Evidence Response Team, executed a court-approved search at a property in Rio Rico, Arizona, roughly 60 miles south of Tucson. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said hours later it had completed the search of the property, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

Earlier on Tuesday, federal authorities released newly recovered surveillance images and videos tied to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie as investigators intensify efforts to locate her more than a week after she vanished from her Arizona home.

The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department shared four black-and-white images and several short video clips showing a masked individual outside Guthrie’s residence near Tucson in the early hours of Feb. 1, the morning she was reported missing. The person is seen wearing gloves, a face covering, khaki pants, sneakers and a backpack, and appears to deliberately interfere with the home’s doorbell camera. In one clip, the individual approaches the front door with their head lowered; in another, they face the camera with a flashlight held in their mouth before obscuring the lens with what authorities believe to be prairie brush.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the footage depicts an “armed individual,” noting that a possible firearm can be seen holstered at the front of the person’s belt. According to investigators, the subject’s actions suggest prior knowledge of the camera’s location. No nearby vehicle is visible in the footage, though law enforcement believes one could have been parked elsewhere on the street. Patel explained that the video had initially been unavailable due to technical issues, including the removal or disruption of recording devices. The material was ultimately recovered from residual backend data with help from private-sector partners.

Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will. She had been dropped off at her house the night of Jan. 31 and was reported missing around noon the following day.  Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said the doorbell camera stopped functioning around 1:47 a.m. on Feb. 1. Additional data showed motion detection shortly afterward, and Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker app disconnected from her phone at 2:28 a.m. Her phone and critical medication were later found inside the home.

Despite the release of the images, officials stressed that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified. The individual seen in the footage is currently described only as a subject investigators are trying to identify. Savannah Guthrie has repeatedly appealed to the public for assistance, sharing the FBI’s images and videos across social media. In one post, she wrote, “Someone out there recognizes this person. We believe she is still out there. Bring her home.” In another emotional video message, she urged people nationwide to report anything unusual, saying, “We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help.”

According to reports, a note sent to a local television station demanded $6 million and included a threat against Nancy Guthrie’s life. The FBI, however, has said it is “not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers,” and confirmed that the latest deadline tied to a bitcoin ransom has passed. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have publicly stated they are willing to pay for their mother’s safe return. In a video alongside her brother and sister over the weekend, Savannah Guthrie addressed those responsible directly, pleading, “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

The FBI is also offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery or a conviction related to her disappearance. Agents from across the country have been deployed to support the search, and a 24-hour command post remains active in Tucson. Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.

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Republican gubernatorial hopeful Jeff Johnson has suspended his Minnesota governor campaign after his 22-year-old daughter, Hallie Marie Tobler, was found fatally stabbed in her St. Cloud apartment over the weekend.

St. Cloud police say officers responded to a medical emergency call Saturday night and discovered Hallie dead from multiple stab wounds inside a locked apartment. Her husband, 23-year-old Dylan Tobler, was also found at the scene with serious injuries that investigators believe were self-inflicted. Authorities have said he is believed to be “the person responsible for Hallie’s injuries and death.” He remains hospitalized in stable condition under police custody and is expected to be transferred to jail once released. On Tuesday, Dylan Tobler was charged with one count of second-degree murder in connection with his wife’s killing. It is not immediately clear if Dylan Tobler was released from the hospital as of Tuesday morning; and his attorney did not immediately return a request for comment. Hallie Tobler and her husband had been together for several years before marrying in late 2021, according to family.

Johnson, a former St. Cloud city council member, launched his bid for the Republican nomination for governor last year and was part of a crowded GOP field. Following the killing, the Minnesota Republican Party confirmed he was stepping away from the race. The party said in a statement: “There are no words that can adequately express the sorrow we feel for Jeff and his family. The loss of a child is unimaginable, and our thoughts and prayers are with them as they grieve this devastating tragedy.” The party added, “We ask all Minnesotans to join us in lifting up the Johnson family during this incredibly painful time.”

The tragedy also prompted an outpouring of condolences from across Minnesota’s political spectrum. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar shared, “My condolences to Jeff Johnson and his entire family for the loss of their daughter on Saturday night. John and I are praying for all those who loved her during this unimaginably difficult time.”

Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the stabbing and have asked anyone with information to contact local authorities or submit tips through Crime Stoppers.

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