Blog

(NEW YORK) — The Chinese effort to hack prominent Americans is far more pervasive than previously reported, ABC News has learned.

Sources told ABC News that U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials are concerned the espionage operation by the Chinese government may have been in place for well over a year — and perhaps longer — before it was recently discovered.

The Chinese appear to have been able to gather large volumes of data in a sweeping covert campaign targeting the cellphones and mobile devices of business leaders and other high profile Americans of both political parties, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

The evidence is mounting that in some cases the Chinese operation was able to tap into, or get access to, what cellphone users of Verizon, AT&T and Lumen were communicating.

Authorities are trying to determine whether the Chinese were able to listen to conversations and watch text messages in real time, as they were occurring, or if they captured the material for review at a later time.

Sources said that U.S. officials are only beginning to understand the breadth of the Chinese operation, but what they have found so far is deeply concerning and represents a massive breach of privacy on a disturbing scale.

The targets have included not only former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance, but also individuals working in a number of government agencies.

The FBI is systematically contacting victims, sources said.

Salt Typhoon, the name given to an advanced, persistent threat actor run by the Chinese government, is believed to be behind the operation.

Intelligence officials suspect Salt Typhoon hackers exploited routers as a gateway to cellphones and mobile devices, and there is concern that Chinese capabilities for intrusion may have made significant advances.

In a statement issued last month, Verizon representatives said, “We are aware that a highly sophisticated nation-state actor has reportedly targeted several U.S. telecommunications providers to gather intelligence. Along with federal law enforcement, industry peers and third-party cyber experts, we have been and are working to confirm, assess and remediate any potential impact. Verizon is committed to assisting law enforcement in this investigation.”

Representatives for AT&T and Lumen declined to comment.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(SANTA FE, NM) — A major storm system is bringing a historic early season snowstorm to New Mexico and Colorado.

Some areas could see up to 3 to 4 feet of snow, as the storm system moves out of the Southwest and into the western Plains.

A blizzard warning has been issued for parts of northern New Mexico, where a combination of strong winds and snow could reduce visibility to near zero.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued two statewide emergency declarations this week in response to the storm.

“This declaration gives the state more resources to continue supporting local responders as this major snowstorm persists,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement on Thursday. “I thank every single responder who has been out in the cold since Wednesday clearing roads, escorting people to safety, and doing what needs to be done to support New Mexicans challenged by this storm.”

Since Wednesday, New Mexico State Police officers have responded to “multiple calls” to assist stranded motorists, the governor’s office said.

The state’s Department of Transportation and New Mexico National Guard have been working to clear roads.

In Colorado, several locations, from Pueblo to Colorado Springs, have already gotten 12 to 18 inches of snow as of the late morning Friday, as snow continues to fall.

A winter storm warning is in effect Friday for Denver, which could see 8 to 16 inches of snow.

Schools were canceled Friday in Denver due to the storm.

“Major” weather impacts are expected in eastern Colorado starting Friday, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.

“Conditions will worsen through the day and evening as heavy snow spreads northwest across the area,” the National Weather Service in Boulder said on social media. “Impossible travel east and southeast of Denver!”

The same storm system is also expected to bring heavy rain to parts of Texas and Oklahoma, where there is a flash flood threat Friday. Locally, at least 5 inches of rain is possible.

As the storm system moves north and east on Saturday, the heavy rain threat will move into the Mississippi River Valley, from Tennessee to Louisiana.

ABC News’ Melissa Griffin contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — A text messaging service said Friday that it discovered “one or more” of its users allegedly sent out racist text messages to phone numbers across the country and that the service quickly shut down the accounts.

A representative from TextNow, a mobile provider that allows people to create phone numbers for free, told ABC News that the company was cooperating with law enforcement and condemned the vile messages that were sent to users this week.

The texts, which tell the user they’re going to be taken to a plantation to “pick cotton,” have been reported in at least 14 states and primarily appeared to target Black users from teenagers to adults, according to investigators in several states.

The messages address the recipients by name.

The TextNow representative said once the accounts that were allegedly behind the texts were reported, their teams disabled the accounts in less than an hour.

“As part of our investigation into these messages, we learned they have been sent through multiple carriers across the US and we are working with partners and law enforcement cooperatively to investigate this attack,” the representative said in a statement.

“We do not tolerate or condone the use of our service to send messages that are intended to harass or spam others and will work with the authorities to prevent these individuals from doing so in the future,” the representative added.

One text message reviewed by ABC News read, “You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Be ready at 12 pm sharp with your belongings. Our executive slaves will come get you in a brown van. Be prepared to be searched down once you’ve enter the plantation. You are in plantation group W.”

As of Friday, the texts were reported by authorities in California, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and New York.

Local and federal investigators, including the FBI, said they were looking into the messages and urged anyone who received them to contact the authorities. The probes are ongoing.

A senior law enforcement official told ABC News that it has not been determined if the source of the racist texts is domestic or foreign, but efforts are underway to determine the origins of the sources.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a video statement posted on X Friday that “some” of the racist text messages “can be traced back to a VPN in Poland.”

“At this time, they have found no original source – meaning they could have originated from any bad actor state in the region or the world. We will continue to investigate,” Murrill said.

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson condemned the texts and said that many in the Black community are already on edge because of what he sad was a rise in racist rhetoric during the election season.

“These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday’s election results,” Johnson said.

ABC News’ Pierre Thomas, Abby Cruz, Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas and Emmanuelle Saliba contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(YEMASSEE, SC) — Forty-three primates remain on the loose in a South Carolina town, two days after escaping from a research laboratory, authorities said Friday.

As of midday Friday, the monkeys “have not yet been re-captured and returned to their enclosures,” a Yemassee Police Department spokesperson said in a statement.

Traps were being set around the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in Yemassee, where the rhesus macaque monkeys escaped en masse from their enclosures around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

The animals have since been seen near the research center, according to the Yemassee police spokesperson.

“Current observations show the primates playfully exploring the perimeter fence of the facility, engaging with those still inside by cooing to them,” the spokesperson said while urging the public to “stay clear of this area as Alpha Genesis works diligently to safely recover these animals and return them to their habitats unharmed.”

The monkeys escaped when a new employee at the Alpha Genesis center left the door to their enclosure open, Yemassee Town Administrator Matthew Garnes said during a briefing Thursday with town officials.

Mia Mitchell, a resident of Yemassee, told ABC News she was driving home Wednesday evening when she saw one of the escaped primates running across a road.

“I thought my eyes were deceiving me and I was like, ‘That couldn’t be a monkey,'” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said she and her daughter immediately pulled over and stopped to get a closer look.

“I turned around and parked on the side of the road and it ran across the road toward a house and up a tree,” Mitchell said. “I stood there and my daughter, she was jokingly saying, ‘Here monkey, monkey!’ And I was like, ‘Girl, don’t call that monkey.'”

Police officers were searching for the furry fugitives using thermal imaging cameras, according to the sheriff’s office.

The primates, according to police, are all very young females weighing 6 to 7 pounds each. There is no public health threat, police said.

“The animals have never been used for testing due to their young age and size,” the Yemassee Police Department said in a statement Thursday. “A spokesperson from Alpha Genesis can confirm that these animals are too young to carry diseases.”

Police warned residents that the monkeys can act “skittish and any additional noise or movement could hinder their safe capture.”

“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes,” the sheriff’s office said. “If you spot any of the escaped animals, please contact 911 immediately and refrain from approaching them.”

Police said they are working with staff of Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center to find the escapees.

Representatives of the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center could not be immediately reached for comment.

According to its website, Alpha Genesis “provides the highest quality nonhuman primate products and bio-research services worldwide,” including serum, plasma, whole blood and tissue samples.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said in a social media post Thursday afternoon that she is looking into the escaped monkeys.

“We’re diligently gathering all relevant information to keep our constituents informed regarding the recent escape of primates from Alpha Genesis Inc. in Beaufort County,” Mace said. “Our office has been in direct communication with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and is working closely with their team to monitor and assess the situation.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — The judge in former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case has paused all upcoming deadlines in the case, after special counsel Jack Smith filed a motion Friday requesting the pause.

As ABC News previously reported, Smith and the Justice Department are in talks about the best way to wind down the election case and his classified documents case, following Trump’s election victory on Tuesday.

The decision is based on longstanding Department of Justice policy that a sitting president cannot face criminal prosecution while in office, sources said.

“As a result of the election held on November 5, 2024, the defendant is expected to be certified as President-elect on January 6, 2025, and inaugurated on January 20, 2025,” Friday’s filing said. “The Government respectfully requests that the Court vacate the remaining deadlines in the pretrial schedule to afford the Government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.”

“By December 2, 2024, the Government will file a status report or otherwise inform the Court of the result of its deliberations. The Government has consulted with defense counsel, who do not object to this request,” said the filing.

Trump last year pleaded not guilty to federal charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election in order to remain in power.

Smith subsequently charged Trump in a superseding indictment that was adjusted to respect the Supreme Court’s July ruling that Trump is entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts undertaken as president.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has been in the process of considering how the case should proceed in light of the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling,

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

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.