Kash Patel outlines SPLC fraud indictment, gang arrests, and foiled mass shooting in FBI weekly briefing
FBI Director Kash Patel and Acting Attorney General Blanche announced an 11-count grand jury indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center earlier this week, alleging the organization secretly funneled more than $3 million in donations to individuals tied to violent extremist groups, including people associated with the Ku Klux Klan and the 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The SPLC indictment was one piece of a sprawling weekly enforcement briefing that read like a catalog of what happens when federal law enforcement actually does its job. From gang takedowns in Georgia and Southern California to a foiled mass shooting plot in Houston to the rescue of a child taken to Cuba, Patel’s Weekly Watch update covered arrests, indictments, and operations spanning at least nine states and multiple countries.
The breadth of the briefing matters. For years, critics on the right argued the FBI had become a politicized bureaucracy more interested in pursuing its own institutional vendettas than protecting ordinary Americans. Patel’s update offered a different picture, one field office after another reporting convictions, seizures, rescues, and disrupted plots.
The SPLC indictment: $3 million to extremists
The headline case was the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that has spent decades positioning itself as America’s foremost monitor of hate groups. Patel said the 11-count indictment alleges the SPLC funneled donated money to benefit people in extremist organizations and even encouraged their criminal conduct.
Patel described the recipients as members of “violent extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan” and “hate groups like the ones who organized the 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.” He said the organization “secretly funneled more than $3 million dollars in donations to benefit people in these groups and even spur their criminal conduct.”
The irony is thick enough to cut. The SPLC built its brand, and its fundraising empire, by labeling mainstream conservative organizations as “hate groups.” It wielded that label to pressure tech companies, payment processors, and media outlets into blacklisting right-of-center voices. Now a federal grand jury has returned an indictment alleging the SPLC itself was channeling donor money to actual violent extremists.
Patel said the case “show[s] that no organization is above the law.” The court and jurisdiction behind the indictment were not disclosed in the briefing, and no case number was provided. But the charge count, eleven, suggests prosecutors believe they have a substantial paper trail.
Operation Sweet Silence dismantles Georgia gang
In Columbus, Georgia, FBI Atlanta led Operation Sweet Silence, which officials said dismantled the Zohannon Street Gang and its associates. The operation produced 30 convictions, the seizure of more than $270 million worth of drugs, and the confiscation of 119 firearms. The operation targeted violent crime and what officials described as cartel-linked drug trafficking.
Those are not small numbers. A quarter-billion dollars in drugs and more than a hundred firearms removed from a single operation in a mid-sized Georgia city tells you something about the scale of the narcotics pipeline running through American communities, and the firepower protecting it.
MS-13 members sentenced in Houston
In Houston, eight individuals identified as members of MS-13 were sentenced to decades in prison for murders carried out under the direction of gang leadership in El Salvador. The sentences reflect the transnational command structure of MS-13, where orders for killings on American soil originate thousands of miles away.
Patel also reported that FBI Charlotte and FBI Houston Joint Terrorism Task Forces, acting on a public tip, prevented a planned mass shooting targeting Houston’s Jewish community. The briefing did not name the suspect or provide details on the arrest, but the prevention of a targeted attack on a religious community through citizen cooperation and inter-office coordination stands as exactly the kind of work the bureau was built to do.
House Republicans probe ActBlue over suspected foreign donations as employees plead the Fifth
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan says Republicans are investigating the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue over what he calls mounting evidence that the organization accepted illegal foreign contributions, and then tried to cover it up when Congress came asking questions.
Jordan laid out the case describing a pattern of resignations, a firing, Fifth Amendment invocations, and what he characterized as misleading statements to Congress by ActBlue’s own leadership. The committee released an interim report the day before his appearance, and Jordan did not mince words about what it found.
The platform raises billions for Democrats every election cycle. Jordan told listeners the investigation has uncovered a troubling sequence: four senior fraud-prevention and legal staffers resigned, a fifth, the general counsel, was fired with a large severance package, and when Congress deposed all five, every one of them refused to answer questions.
146 times: the Fifth Amendment wall
The scale of that refusal is now documented. The ActBlue employees invoked the Fifth Amendment at least 146 times in depositions conducted between July and December 2025. Two current officials and three former lawyers declined to answer any substantive questions from congressional investigators.
1 officer dead, another injured in Chicago hospital shooting
One police officer has died and another is in critical condition after being shot by a patient April 25 at Endeavor Health’s Swedish Hospital in Chicago, according to the Chicago Police Department.
A man was in law enforcement custody and being treated in Swedish Hospital’s emergency department when he used a firearm to shoot the two officers around 10:50 a.m., according to an April 25 news release from the Chicago Police Department. The suspect fled the scene and was later arrested less than a mile from the hospital, and a weapon was recovered.
Police have charged Alphanso Talley, 26, of Chicago with 20 felonies in the incident, including murder, attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery, escaping from police and aggravated unlawful restraint, according to an April 27 news release from the police department. Mr. Talley allegedly robbed a convenience store about three hours before the shooting. He was arrested afterward and asked to be taken to a hospital because he was not feeling well, according to scanner audio cited by the Chicago Sun-Times.
One officer was pronounced dead at another nearby hospital on Saturday morning and the other remains in critical condition, according to the release. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling identified the officer fatally shot as John Bartholomew, 38, a 10-year police department veteran, the Sun-Times reported April 27.
The suspect was brought to the emergency department for treatment around 9 a.m. and was “wanded” upon arrival, in accordance with Endeavor Health’s public safety weapon detections protocols. He was escorted by law enforcement at all times, a health system spokesperson said in an April 27 statement shared with Becker’s. No employees or patients were physically harmed, the spokesperson said.
“The safety of our patients and team members remains our top priority,” the spokesperson said. “We are cooperating with law enforcement during their investigation and our deepest compassion remains with the officers and their families.”
Gunman opens fire at White House Correspondents’ Dinner; Trump says he ‘wasn’t worried’ as Secret Service agent hit
A 31-year-old man opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday at the Washington Hilton, striking a Secret Service agent in the vest before being taken into custody in the lobby. President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and cabinet members were among roughly 2,500 attendees swiftly ushered from the room after shots rang out.
The alleged gunman, Cole Allen, had sent a 1,052-word manifesto to his family just ten minutes before the attack, the New York Post reported. The Post said it exclusively obtained the document Sunday morning. In it, Allen reportedly called himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and revealed his intent to kill Trump administration officials.
Allen now faces one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. The annual dinner has been postponed and is expected to take place in about a month.
California Billionaire Tax Likely Headed to Ballot
Supporters of California’s proposed billionaire tax say they have gathered enough signatures to put the measure before voters in November, setting up a fight over whether the state should impose a one-time 5% wealth tax on its richest residents.
More than 1.5 million people signed petitions for the initiative, people familiar with the campaign told The Wall Street Journal. County officials still must verify the signatures, but supporters say they expect to clear the roughly 875,000-signature requirement.
The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, which represents more than 120,000 healthcare workers, proposed the tax to offset healthcare funding cuts tied to President Donald Trump’s tax cuts and spending law.
“When our growing coalition files these signatures, David will have won the first round against Goliath,” Suzanne Jimenez, a spokeswoman for the Billionaire Tax Now coalition, said in a statement Sunday.
If approved, the tax would apply to people who lived in California as of Jan. 1 and have a net worth of $1 billion or more at year’s end. SEIU-UHW projects about 200 people would be affected.
Woman, 38, Plummets 50 Feet to Her Death at Indianapolis International Airport
A woman fell 50 feet to her death at an Indiana airport over the weekend.
On Saturday, April 25, at 12:15 p.m. local time, dispatchers at the Indianapolis International Airport in Marion County saw a 38-year-old woman fall from the outside edge of Upper Terminal Drive and plummet approximately 50 feet to the ground below while watching security footage, NBC affiliate WTHR, CW affiliate WISH and FOX affiliate WXIN reported.
Afterwards, officers with the airport’s police department and first responders with the airport’s fire department arrived at the scene and attempted to save her life. They performed life-saving measures for 30 minutes before she was pronounced dead, according to the reports. An official from the Marion County Coroner’s Office arrived at the scene just before 2 p.m. to commence a death investigation, WTHR reported.
19-year-old trans substitute teacher arrested for making online threats against Loudon County high school
Hadyn Dollery, of Chantilly, was arrested and charged with threats of bodily injury after he allegedly made threats at John Champe High School while online.
Hadyn Dollery, 19, is no longer available on the substitute teachers list for Loudon County Public Schools (LCPS). Dollery, of Chantilly, was arrested and charged with threats of bodily injury after he allegedly made threats at John Champe High School while online.
Dollery is male but identifies as transgender and has been booked into an adult detention center in Virginia as a male, according to reporter Nick Minock. He was arrested and is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center, per WJLA. Authorities have not talked about the exact nature of the threats or who at the school they were directed at.
The sheriff’s office said they got information from the Safe2Talk app that led them to see that Dollery had made the statements threatening violence online. The case comes as there have been other instances of trans-identified suspects being involved in violence in the nation. Some critics of transgender ideology have pointed to the intervention with hormones as well as other sex-change measures as having negative impacts on the mental health of trans-identified individuals that can lead to criminal activity.
In a case highlighted in Utah earlier this week, a trans-identified male father attempted to take a child to Cuba for the purposes of sex change surgery. The child is 10 years old.
Those with more information about the Loudon County case should contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-777-1021.
FBI Director Kash Patel confronts NBC reporter over Atlantic defamation lawsuit at press conference
FBI Director Kash Patel fired back at an NBC News reporter during a Tuesday press conference, flatly denying allegations from a recent Atlantic article and calling the reporter’s questions baseless, a confrontation that underscored the widening rift between the bureau’s new leadership and a press corps that has leaned heavily on anonymous sourcing to challenge him.
The exchange took place at a news conference Patel held alongside acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. The stated purpose of the event was to discuss an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center. But NBC News reporter Ryan Reilly steered the questioning toward a different subject: a story The Atlantic published the previous Friday.
Patel had already responded with force. On Monday, the day before the press conference, he filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over the report.
The exchange
Reilly asked Patel to comment on the security concerns raised in The Atlantic’s reporting and pressed him on a claim that Patel had at one point believed he was fired by President Donald Trump after being temporarily unable to log in to FBI internal computer systems.
Patel did not hedge. He denied ever being intoxicated on the job, said he was “never locked out” of the FBI’s systems, and called the reporter’s line of questioning dishonest. When Reilly described his question as “straight-forward,” Patel responded directly:
“The simple answer to your question is you are lying.”
He then turned to the room and challenged the assembled press corps:
“Let’s have a survey. How many of you people believe that’s true?”
Patel continued, rejecting the premise of the questioning entirely and tying it to what he described as a pattern of false media narratives:
“The problem with you and your baseless reporting is that is an absolute lie. It was never said. It never happened, and I will serve in this administration as long as the president and the attorney general want me to do so.”
It was a pointed statement, not just a denial of the allegations, but a public declaration that he has no plans to step aside. For a director who has faced a stream of political pressure since taking the helm of the FBI, the message was unmistakable.
Nancy Mace files resolution to expel Cory Mills from Congress over misconduct allegations
Rep. Nancy Mace moved Monday to force fellow Republican Cory Mills out of the House, introducing an expulsion resolution that accuses the Florida congressman of domestic violence, stolen valor, and profiteering from federal contracts while serving in office.
What Mace is alleging
Mace did not mince words. In a statement, the congresswoman laid out a broad set of accusations against Mills, as Breitbart reported:
“The swamp has protected Cory Mills for far too long and we are done letting it slide. We tried to censure him and strip him from his committee assignments. Both parties blocked it, but we are not backing down.”
She described the evidence against Mills as “overwhelming,” accusing him of “beating women and telling them to lie about it, cyberstalking women, lying about his military service, and profiting off his seat.”
Mace’s resolution specifically cites allegations of falsely representing his military service, sexual misconduct, campaign finance violations, and illegal activity involving federal contracts while serving in Congress. Mills has not been criminally charged in connection with any of these allegations.
On social media, Mace went further, writing that she did not come to Congress “to watch powerful people abuse women and cover it up,” Newsmax reported.
“Any Member who votes to keep him here is voting to protect a woman beater and a fraud. He needs to be expelled immediately.”
Fifth Circuit upholds Texas law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals handed religious liberty advocates a major win Tuesday, ruling that Texas can require every public school classroom in the state to display a copy of the Ten Commandments. The 9, 8 en banc decision reversed a lower court injunction and cleared the way for enforcement of Senate Bill 10.
The ruling marks the most significant federal appellate victory for Ten Commandments displays in public schools in decades, and it sets the stage for a potential showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court.
By early December 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union and allied religious freedom organizations had filed suit in the U.S. District Court in San Antonio on behalf of 18 families with children in Texas public schools. Sixteen school districts were named as defendants, seven of them from North Texas. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the law.
Who Are ‘La Eme’? Kash Patel Announces Major Raid on Mexican Mafia
FBI Director Kash Patel announced a major series of federal raids Thursday targeting the Mexican Mafia—also known as La Eme—one of the most powerful and secretive criminal organizations operating in the United States.
Patel said multiple federal agencies executed search and arrest warrants at roughly 30 locations across Southern California, primarily in Orange County, resulting in dozens of indictments and arrests in what was called “Operation Gangster’s Paradise.”
Among the 37 people taken into custody include alleged murderers, drug traffickers and racketeers, according to the Department of Justice.
“The defendants accused of operating their own ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ in Orange County by peddling illicit drugs and carrying out assault and murders, among other crimes, are being held accountable today,” said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. “Orange County communities should be proud of their law enforcement professionals whose hard work and devotion to this case made the streets of Orange County safer today.”
