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(WASHINGTON) — The newly sworn-in head of the Social Security Administration told agency staff this week that when he was first offered the job in the Trump administration, he wasn’t familiar with the position and had to look it up online.

Frank Bisignano, a former Wall Street executive, said during a town hall with Social Security managers from around the country on Wednesday that he wasn’t seeking a position in the Trump administration when he received a call about leading the SSA.

“So, I get a phone call and it’s about Social Security. And I’m really, I’m really not, I swear I’m not looking for a job,” Bisignano said, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by ABC News. “And I’m like, ‘Well, what am I going to do?’ So, I’m Googling Social Security. You know, one of my great skills, I’m one of the great Googlers on the East Coast.”

“I’m like, ‘What the heck’s the commissioner of Social Security?'” said Bisignano, who now oversees one of the largest federal agencies that’s responsible for distributing retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to more than 70 million Americans.

“Put that as the headline for the Post: ‘Great Googler in Chief. Chief in Googler’ or whatever,” said Bisignano, who throughout the meeting repeatedly bemoaned media leaks from within the agency.

While Bisignano, who previously served as chairman and CEO of financial technology company Fiserv Inc., brings experience managing large organizations and overseeing complex payment systems to his new role, he has no prior history working in government or with the Social Security system.

A spokesperson for the Social Security Administration did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

In Wednesday’s 90-minute call, Bisignano sought to calm concerns about the future of the agency amid recent leadership turnover and scrutiny from Elon Musk’s government-slashing Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.

He told the managers in the meeting that Social Security was “not going away,” adding that President Trump also agrees with that.

“This is America’s, you know, safety net — it’s not going away. And hopefully you hear me say this every day,” he said. “You know who wants me to tell people that? Guess. The president.”

“I’ve gotten notes about, ‘Will the turmoil of the last five months end? Are you here to cause more turmoil?'” he said. “I don’t think it’s the turmoil of the past five months, although I will be the fifth since, you know, November, right?” Bisignano said, referring to being the fifth person put in charge of the critical agency since Trump was reelected in November.

“Are we having fun yet? Are we OK?” he asked those on the call.

Bisignano told the managers that they needed to believe that DOGE was “helping to make things better” even if “it may not feel that way.”

“Who’s heard of DOGE? Raise your hand, right? Your bias has to be, because mine is, DOGE is helping make things better. It may not feel that way, but don’t believe everything you read.”

He said DOGE would be involved in rebuilding the Social Security website and integrating artificial intelligence into the agency’s phone support systems.

The head of the agency also told managers that the SSA must adopt a “digital-first” mindset to meet the expectations of the American public, comparing the agency to how consumers interact with tech giants like Amazon.

“You’re competing with experiences that people have with Amazon, right? So if I could get something done at Amazon, why can’t I get something done the same way with Social Security? That’s how people think.”

Bisignano’s officially joins the agency following months of upheaval at the SSA, which has seen a revolving door of leadership amid DOGE’s sweeping efforts to overhaul the agency by modernizing its operations and cutting costs. Among the changes DOGE is pushing are staff reassignments, digital infrastructure overhauls, and the controversial outsourcing of certain administrative functions, according to sources.

Bisignano also said he does not intend to implement reductions in force, or RIFs, at the agency, at least for now. “I have no intent to RIF people, OK? Because that’s the big question,” he said.

When the Wall Street veteran was named Trump’s pick to lead the agency, he faced backlash from Democrats and activists who claimed his selection threatened the future of the Social Security program. In early May, lawmakers, union leaders, and activists protested his selection outside the U.S. Capitol ahead of the Senate vote on his nomination.

On Wednesday’s call, Bisignano appeared to revel in the news.

“Did you guys know there was a protest against me? Who knows there was a protest against me?” he said. “I like that protest — I want to prove them so wrong, man, this is going to be most fun I ever had.”

“I mean, think of that — a poor boy from Brooklyn, from a multi-generational household with a dad who worked in the federal government, and senators picketing that I’m going to ruin it,” he said. “No way — make it great, right?”

Bisignano, during the call, returned several times to his concerns about leaks to the press, suggesting that he would sniff them out.

“My father was a DA and I’m a detective at heart, so I can figure stuff out,” he said.

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(BOSTON) — The former manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue pleaded guilty to stealing body parts from cadavers donated to the Boston institution and then selling them, federal prosecutors said.

Cedric Lodge, 57, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to transporting stolen human remains, the Department of Justice said Thursday.

He pleaded guilty during a change of plea hearing Wednesday in federal court in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, according to his plea agreement.

Lodge, who had managed the morgue for the Anatomical Gifts Program at Harvard Medical School, admitted to transporting and selling the stolen human remains across multiple states from 2018 to at least March 2020, prosecutors said.

While employed by the morgue, he “removed human remains, including organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads, and other parts, from donated cadavers after they had been used for research and teaching purposes but before they could be disposed of according to the anatomical gift donation agreement between the donor and the school,” the U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania said in a press release.

He then took them to his home and, along with his wife, sold them to people in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, prosecutors said. The transactions totaled in the tens of thousands of dollars, according to the indictment.

Lodge’s attorney declined to comment on the case Thursday.

Harvard Medical School terminated Lodge’s employment in May 2023, school officials said following his indictment, calling the activities an “abhorrent betrayal” and “morally reprehensible.” Lodge acted “without the knowledge or cooperation of anyone else” at the institution, the school said.

Several other individuals have also pleaded guilty to interstate transport of stolen human remains in related cases, including Lodge’s wife, Denise Lodge, who is awaiting sentencing, prosecutors said.

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(NEW YORK) — A federal jury has convicted Svetlana Dali of stowing away on a Delta flight to Paris last November after passing through security in a lane reserved for crewmembers and bypassing gate agents by blending in with boarding passengers.

Dali had been charged with a federal stowaway count for boarding an overnight Delta flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Nov. 26, 2024, and traveling to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in France without having a ticket. She had pleaded not guilty.

A Brooklyn federal jury found her guilty on Thursday.

Dali, a Russian citizen and U.S. permanent resident who most recently lived in Philadelphia, took the witness stand during the brief trial. She admitted she did not have a boarding pass when she walked onto the flight.

Instead, she said she walked through to “where the people were boarding the flights and then I just walked into the airplane.”

Dali said she stayed in the bathroom “almost the duration of the flight, almost from the beginning to the end.”

A sentencing date was not immediately set.

In a video obtained by ABC News, Dali can be seen walking up to gate B38 at Terminal 4 while other passengers have their boarding passes and passports checked for the Paris flight. After gate attendants assisted a separate group of customers and ushered them toward the jet bridge, Dali followed immediately behind, the video shows.

Dali was ultimately spotted by Delta employees before the plane landed in France, according to the FBI complaint. The complaint stated that Dali was unable to provide a boarding pass and that once the plane landed, French law enforcement would not allow her to pass the customs area.

During an interview with the FBI upon her return, Dali reportedly admitted to flying as a stowaway and stated she did not have a plane ticket and that she intentionally evaded TSA security officials and Delta employees so she could travel without buying one, according to the complaint.

Officials attempted to send Dali back to the United States on another flight shortly after, but Dali was removed from the plane after insisting against her return.

She was eventually brought back to New York to face charges. After being released, Dali allegedly cut off her ankle monitor and traveled to Buffalo, where she tried unsuccessfully to cross over the Peace Bridge into Canada on a bus.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — Two staff members with the Israeli Embassy — a couple about to get engaged — were gunned down outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday in what FBI Director Kash Patel called an “act of terror.”

The shooting has sparked outrage and has been condemned as an “unspeakable” act of antisemitism after officials said the suspect, who is in custody, shouted “free, free Palestine” following the shooting.

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were identified by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar as the victims during a press conference on Thursday morning.

He said the pair were attending a Jewish conference of the American Jewish Committee when they were gunned down “in a horrific terrorist attack.”

“This is the direct result of toxic anti-Semitic incitement against Israel and Jews around the world that has been going on since the October 7th massacre,” Sa’ar added. “I have been worried for the past few months that something like this would happen. And it did.”

An official with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to reporters during the presser that Lischinsky and Milgrim were not diplomats but embassy staff. Lischinsky was a researcher in the political department of the Israeli Embassy, while Milgrim organized U.S. missions to Israel.

Suspect taken into custody

The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was promptly taken into custody at the scene and is being questioned by police, D.C. Metro Police Chief Pamela Smith said.

The FBI said on Thursday it was conducting “court authorized activity” at a home in Chicago that is believed to be related to the suspect in the shooting.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the early indicators point to the shooting being a “targeted attack.”

“The US Attorney’s office is on scene with me, and our WFO management team, at the Washington Field Office reviewing the evidence to determine additional actions,” Bongino said. “The shooting happened a short distance from our Washington Field Office. Our FBI police officer, assigned to the external post on the WFO property, immediately responded and rendered aid after the attack. Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence. Our FBI team is fully engaged and we will get you answers as soon as we can, without compromising additional leads.”

Bongino said on Thursday that the FBI is aware of “certain writings allegedly authored by the suspect, and we hope to have updates to the authenticity very soon.”

After the shooting, officials said Rodriguez attempted to enter the building where the event was taking place and was stopped by event security, Smith said.

Katie Kalisher, who was inside the museum at the time of the shooting, told ABC News before his arrest, Rodriguez “came over to where I was and we offered him water,” which is when he reached into his backpack, pulled out a keffiyeh and said, “I did this for Gaza, free Palestine.”

Another witness, Yoni Kalin, said the suspect “looked frightened.”

Once in custody, he implied that he had committed the shooting and began to chant, “free, free Palestine,” Smith said.

He also explained where he had allegedly ditched the gun used in the shooting, which was promptly recovered, according to officials.

‘No active threat’

“There is no active threat,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said during the press conference at the Metropolitan Police Department.

“I want to be clear that we will not tolerate this violence or hate in our city. We will not tolerate any acts of terrorism, and we’re going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks to send a clear message that we will not tolerate antisemitism.”

Emergency call centers began receiving calls around 9:08 p.m. reporting a shooting in the area, Smith said.

When emergency responders arrived, the man and one woman were found at the scene, not breathing, she continued. At least one of the victims was first transported to a local hospital in critical condition, sources told ABC News.

The two victims had been exiting the event at the museum when the incident occurred, officials confirmed.

“The couple that was gunned down tonight were about to be engaged,” Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said at the press conference. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing next week in Jerusalem.”

Leiter also shared that he had received a call from President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening, pledging the support of the U.S. in combating antisemitism.

Meanwhile, Trump posted a statement about the shooting on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying, “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!”

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday they believe the suspect acted alone — “from everything we know now.”

“I saw a young man’s body being taken away, who was about to get engaged. He had an entire life in front of him, and that was taken away. The hate has got to stop, and it has to stop now. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi said.

Questions about security

Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, confirmed with ABC News that the AJC had hosted an event at the museum on Wednesday night, adding, “We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue. At this moment, as we await more information from the police about exactly what transpired, our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families.”

The incident took place near the FBI field office in D.C. A top spokesperson for the FBI posted on X that there was a bureau presence at the scene working in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Department.

Bondi and interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro went to the scene shortly after the incident, Bondi said in a post on X.

“Praying for the victims of this violence as we work to learn more,” she wrote.

Bondi was asked Thursday morning, when she again visited the scene, about whether there was a security failure in preventing the attack.

“I don’t think anyone would have expected what happened last night,” Bondi said. “They were in an event, a beautiful event. … But no, I think law enforcement were on the scene immediately because of that, and the great men and women of the FBI are doing an incredible job as well as Metropolitan Police.”

Reaction to the shooting

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement in the aftermath of the shooting saying he was “shocked” at the murder of two employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.

“The Prime Minister spoke with Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and received an immediate update on the details of the incident,” the statement said. “The Prime Minister sends strength to the Ambassador and the embassy employees.”

“My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous anti-Semitic murderer,” Netanyahu said. “I have instructed to increase security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world and security for representatives of the state.”

Netanyahu also spoke with the parents of both victims, the prime minister’s office said.

In Washington, D.C., the Secret Service on Wednesday night increased the security posture and patrols for the Israeli Embassy and the residence of the Israeli ambassador, officials said.

In New York City, the NYPD expanded its presence and security measures at Jewish and Israeli facilities and locations connected with the Israeli government. The increased security will remain in place indefinitely and is both visible and hidden, officials said.

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, called the shooting a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism” in a post on X.

“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” he wrote.

United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X, “We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims. We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris and former second gentleman Doug Emhoff shared reactions to the incident on social media Thursday morning, with Harris calling the attack a “shocking act of antisemitic violence.”

“Jews must be able to gather without fear or violence. We will not be silent and we will never let antisemitic terror defeat us. May the memory of Yaron and Sarah be a blessing,” Emhoff, who is Jewish and worked to combat antisemitism as second gentleman, wrote on X.

The Capital Jewish Museum, which has been closed since the shooting, will be reopening “in the coming days, with all necessary security in place,” according to Beatrice Gurwitz, executive director of the museum.

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(CHICAGO) — Federal authorities seized nearly $34 million worth of illegal e-cigarettes in their latest effort to crack down on unauthorized vaping products entering the U.S.

The Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection discovered nearly two million illegal e-cigarette units during inspections in Chicago this February, officials announced Thursday.

Almost all the products came from China and included brands like Snoopy Smoke and Raz.

In a new move to combat illegal imports, the FDA also sent warning letters to 24 companies that bring tobacco products into the country.

“We can and will do more to stop illegal e-cigarettes from coming into the United States,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in the press release. “These seizures keep unauthorized products away from our nation’s youth.”

More than 20 million e-cigarettes are sold each month in the U.S., according to CDC Foundation data. However, only 34 tobacco and menthol-flavored e-cigarette products are allowed to be sold in the U.S.

Officials said many companies tried to sneak illegal products past customs by using fake labels and incorrect values on shipping documents.

“We keep finding more shipments of vaping products that are packaged and mislabeled to avoid getting caught,” according to Bret Koplow, who leads the FDA’s tobacco regulation center. “But we’re getting better at stopping these products before they reach U.S. stores.”

The FDA said the seized products would be destroyed. This operation was part of an ongoing effort that had already stopped more than $77 million worth of illegal e-cigarettes in the past year through similar raids in Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago.

The agency has also issued more than 750 warning letters to companies making or selling unauthorized vaping products and over 800 warnings to stores selling them. It also filed financial penalties against 87 manufacturers and more than 175 retailers.

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