Good morning.
Federal authorities have released new details about an alleged mass-casualty plot targeting the White House’s UFC Freedom 250 event, Vice President JD Vance is raising alarms about potential leaks from inside the White House Situation Room, and a government watchdog is seeking records about meetings between former Special Counsel Jack Smith and federal judges involved in Trump cases.
Alleged Ringleader Identified in White House UFC Terror Plot
Federal prosecutors have identified a Nebraska man as the alleged architect of a foiled attack targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the White House South Lawn.
According to court filings, 31-year-old Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez allegedly coordinated a plot involving explosive-carrying drones and sniper teams that investigators say was intended to create mass casualties among attendees and high-profile political figures.
Authorities allege Alvarez, who operated online under the alias “Shepherd,” directed planning discussions through encrypted messaging platforms and helped organize logistics, target selection, and operational details. Federal agents arrested him during a raid in Nebraska as part of a broader multi-state operation.
Prosecutors say the plan was to use drones carrying explosives to trigger panic among thousands of attendees before sniper teams opened fire on fleeing crowds. The intended targets allegedly included President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Five men have been charged in connection with the alleged conspiracy. Authorities say the plot never advanced beyond the planning stage and no explosives were deployed before law enforcement intervened.
Vance Questions How White House Conversations Reached Reporters
Vice President JD Vance says he is concerned that sensitive discussions inside the White House Situation Room may have been recorded and leaked to journalists.
The comments came after excerpts from an upcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan revealed detailed accounts of internal administration conversations involving the Jeffrey Epstein files, Iran policy, and other sensitive matters.
Speaking with Megyn Kelly, Vance said some passages were detailed enough to raise concerns about how reporters obtained the information.
“That legitimately made me worried,” Vance said, adding that secretly recording conversations inside secure government facilities would constitute a serious crime.
Haberman and Swan have said their reporting was based on more than 1,000 interviews and a variety of documentary sources collected over two years.
Even so, the episode has sparked fresh concerns inside the administration about operational security and internal leaks.
Watchdog Seeks Records on Jack Smith’s Meetings With Federal Judges
Judicial Watch has filed a lawsuit seeking records related to meetings between former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team and two federal judges who later presided over matters involving President Trump.
The watchdog group is attempting to obtain documents, notes, calendars, recordings, and other records connected to interactions between Smith’s office and Judges Beryl Howell and James Boasberg during early stages of the Trump investigations.
The lawsuit follows the release of briefing materials by Sen. Chuck Grassley that referenced meetings between Smith’s team and members of the federal judiciary. According to those notes, discussions involved executive privilege litigation and the pace of ongoing investigations.
Judicial Watch argues the public deserves greater transparency regarding the communications, particularly given the judges’ later involvement in proceedings connected to Trump.
The case will now focus on whether federal agencies must release additional records that could shed light on the nature and scope of those meetings.
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