Jimmy Carter’s funeral attractive target ‘for violent extremists to attack’: Security assessment
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(WASHINGTON) — The state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter is an attractive target “for violent extremists to attack,” especially after the vehicle ramming in New Orleans that killed 14 people, though there are no known threats to the funeral, according to a new security assessment obtained by ABC News.
“State funerals are considered no-notice events that significantly reduce planning timelines for potential hostile actors,” the document said. “However, state funerals still present attractive targets due to the large gathering of senior US government officials, foreign dignitaries, and heads of state, as well as the symbolic nature of the venues and media attention expected.”
Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100, will be honored with a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday. President Joe Biden will deliver a eulogy and President-elect Donald Trump is expected to attend.
The memorials for Carter begin on Saturday when he’s transferred from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta. A ceremony will be held at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon.
Carter’s remains will be transferred to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and he will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday to Thursday. After the service at Washington National Cathedral, Carter’s remains will return to Plains.
The assessment also noted other specially designated security events this month, including the certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6 and Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The simultaneous events “may increase the perception of a target-rich environment for a variety of threat actors,” the document said.
“Targets could include the planned special events and ceremonies related to the State Funeral and associated First Amendment-protected activities around these ceremonies,” the assessment said. “While there is no indication that the intersection of these two events will lead to an increased threat picture, the potentially large crowds for both may provide an attractive target to threat actors.”
The document also specifically mentioned the New Year’s attack in New Orleans, noting “the use of vehicle-ramming alone or in conjunction with other tactics has become a recurring tactic employed by violent threat actors in the West.”
The document added that “large crowds gathering in publicly accessible locations to observe or participate in State Funeral events could become targets of opportunity for a vehicle attack.”
Fourteen people were killed and dozens were hurt when a man drove a truck through crowds on Bourbon Street early on New Year’s Day. The suspect, who also died in the attack, posted several videos online “proclaiming his support for ISIS,” and mentioning he joined ISIS before this summer, according to the FBI.
(LOS ANGELES) — Less than a week after a massive wildfire shut down California’s Interstate 5, a major freeway between Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley, the traffic artery was closed again due to heavy snow, authorities said.
Both the southbound and northbound lanes of Interstate 5 remained closed Monday morning and the California Highway Patrol said there is no timeline on when it will be reopened.
A CHP spokesperson told ABC News heavy snow caused the closure of I-5 from Castiac, near where the Hughes Fire shut down the freeway on Wednesday. The stretch of I-5 is also known as “The Grapevine.”
The area, as well as other mountainous areas north of Los Angeles, was forecast to get six inches to a foot of snow.
The Hughes Fire, one of a series of major blazes that have devastated the Los Angeles metro region since Jan. 7, erupted on Wednesday near Castaic Lake reservoir, about 45 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The fire, fanned by strong Santa Ana winds, grew quickly to more than 10,000 acres, prompting the mandatory evacuation of about 30,000 residents and putting another 20,000 on an evacuation watch.
More than 4,000 firefighters responded to the blaze, attacking it from the ground and air and preventing it from damaging any homes, officials said.
The Hughes Fire is one of four active fires still burning across Southern California, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Hughes fire was 95% contained on Monday morning, according to Cal Fire.
A weekend storm brought much-needed rain to Southern California. But the first significant rain in the area since June 1 was also accompanied by threats of a different natural disaster. Overnight, a flash flood warning was issued by the National Weather Service for Malibu, where homes and businesses were destroyed by the Palisades Fire, the largest of the blazes to devastate Los Angeles County this month.
Pacific Coast Highway west of Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Los Angeles County was closed around 4:30 p.m. Sunday due to mudflows, officials said. Mudflows in the burn-scarred areas of fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades also caused the shutdown of several main roads in the area, including the northbound lanes of Sunset Boulevard, officials said.
As of Monday morning, parts of Los Angeles County had received 1.2 inches of rain. Downtown Los Angeles had gotten nearly a half-inch of rain and Santa Monica received almost an inch. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara County got 1.75 inches of rain and Ventura County, south of Los Angeles, had received 1.36 inches.
An additional half an inch of rain is possible for parts of Southern California through Tuesday.
The rain was a welcomed sight to firefighters still battling active blazes in the region, including the Hughes Fire.
The Palisades Fire, which started on Jan. 7 and exploded to over 23,000 acres, was 94% contained on Monday. The fire destroyed nearly 7,000 structures, including homes and businesses, and killed 11 people.
The Eaton Fire, which also broke out on Jan. 7 in Pasadena and Altadena, was 98% contained on Monday. The Eaton Fire burned more than 14,000 acres, destroyed more than 9,400 structures, including homes and businesses, and was blamed for the deaths of 17 people.
The fourth active Southern California fire was the Border 2 Fire south of San Diego near the Mexico border. The blaze, which started Thursday afternoon, was 43% contained on Monday after burning more than 6,600 acres of wildland.
“Rainfall overnight and into the morning hours has led to a substantial decrease in fire activity,” Cal Fire said in an update Monday morning. “While not ending the possibility of fires in the long term, the saturation of grass and other light, flashy fuels will lessen the threat of the spread of the Border 2 Fire.”
An ABC News graphic shows the weather forecast on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — About 265 million Americans, or nearly 80% of the population, are under cold weather alerts on Tuesday, as dangerous temperatures are felt in at least 43 states.
About 45 million Americans in the South are under winter storm alerts as the largest winter storm in decades slams the Gulf states today from Texas to Florida and up through the Carolina coast.
That storm is bringing the first-ever blizzard warning issued for Beaumont, Texas, and Lake Charles and Lafayette, Louisiana, with observed visibility down to a quarter-mile and wind gusts to 35 mph.
More than 12 million Americans are also under red flag warnings in southern California, with about 3 million tagged with a “particularly dangerous situation” as high winds and desperately dry conditions hold over the already reeling communities.
Extreme cold from coast to coast
Only five of the lower 48 states are not under cold weather alerts Tuesday morning — Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Every other state is either completely shrouded in cold alerts or partially affected.
Record lows were recorded on Monday in several cities, including Colorado Springs, Colorado, were the temperature dropped to 14 degrees below zero. Rawlins, Wyoming, hit 23 degrees below; Alliance, Nebraska, hit 22 degrees below; and Borger, Texas, tied its record low of 1 degree.
Temperatures early Tuesday are below freezing along the Gulf Coast and down to 20 below zero in the north — and those are just the actual temperatures. With wind chills, it feels near 40 degrees below zero in Fargo, North Dakota, and like 18 degrees in Houston, Texas.
Rare record-low temps are possible in Kansas City, Missouri, and in Salina, Kansas. Even this afternoon, wind chills won’t go above 15 degrees below zero in Chicago, Illinois.
On Wednesday morning, the coldest wind chill temps will reach the Northeast where wind chills near zero will hit New York City and D.C. and go below zero in Boston. Farther south in the Great Smokey Mountains, Asheville, NC will feel like -2 on Wednesday morning.
Record lows are possible on Wednesday morning in places like Corpus Christi, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Pensacola along the Gulf Coast and Cleveland and Akron in Ohio.
In the Midwest, many of these cold alerts are in effect through Tuesday morning only. In the South and East, alerts are extended through Wednesday or Thursday depending on the location.
Historic sourthern snow storm
The late 1800s saw a major snow storm along the Gulf Coast, but most of those records are not recognized by the National Weather Service, as it was before accurate reporting of snowfall was set up for these areas.
However, reports of 20 inches in Houston and 8 inches in New Orleans means this storm won’t break those historical numbers, but that was also right around the time electricity was being introduced to Southern cities — so this will likely be the most impactful storm of our modern era, and historic within the last century.
Debilitating travel conditions are expected to be widespread and power outages will be possible — which is dangerous in the life-threatening cold which could also burst pipes.
Local officials are warning residents to be prepared in case of power outage and in some communities there are suggestions to stay home and not travel if they don’t have to.
A first-ever blizzard warning has been issued for Beaumont, TX and Lake Charles, LA and Lafayette, LA with observed visibility down to a quarter-mile and wind gusts to 35 mph. (h/t Wnek)
Already in central Texas more than an inch has fallen in Gonzales and 1 inches has been reported in Taylor. These numbers will be updating all morning as reports come in.
Radar is showing widespread snow from Austin to near Corpus Christi, which will likely see sleet, to Houston to nearly all of Louisiana and into Mississippi and Alabama this morning.
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(WASHINGTON) — Staff with the U.S. Agency for International Development were told overnight that the agency’s Washington headquarters will be closed Monday, according to an email obtained by ABC News from multiple sources.
“Agency personnel normally assigned to work at USAID headquarters will work remote tomorrow, with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership,” the email said. “Further guidance will be forthcoming.”
The email arrived as Elon Musk, the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, said he was “in the process” of “shutting down” the agency. Musk claimed he had briefed President Donald Trump on his efforts, which he said Trump supports.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was made acting administrator of USAID, multiple sources told ABC News Monday, in what appears to be the latest step in the Trump administration’s effort to move USAID under the State Department. Rubio was in El Salvador on Monday on a trip to Latin America, his first international trip since being sworn in.
The developments are expected to add to the ongoing turmoil inside USAID, where sources told ABC News that DOGE staffers have moved to take over offices, escalating tensions as more senior staff members are locked out of internal systems, additional employees are placed on administrative leave and the agency’s newly appointed chief of staff resigned.
The Musk-led agency is working to assert control over the USAID, which oversees foreign aid, disaster relief and international development programs.
On Friday night, a dramatic scene played out when a group of individuals who identified themselves as State Department employees and DOGE representatives arrived at the USAID offices in the Ronald Reagan Building and demanded immediate access to every office, according to sources familiar with the incident. It is unclear what legal authority, if any, DOGE representatives have to make such demands.
“It looked like people who dressed up for their first job interview,” a source said.
After initially being denied entry, the group told security guards that if they were not granted entry, they would call the U.S. Marshals Service, sources said. The guards ultimately complied, the source said.
Two top security officials at USAID were placed on administrative leave after they refused to comply on Saturday amid the ongoing turmoil at the agency, sources told ABC News.
Sources told ABC News that more USAID employees were also placed on administration leave, and many were locked out of internal systems amid clashes with DOGE representatives working to take over the agency.
Amid the upheaval, USAID Chief of Staff Matt Hopson resigned just days after Trump appointed him to the position, sources said. It was not immediately clear if Hopson’s resignation was due to changes inside the agency.
However, Musk has been joining USAID staff calls during the week amid the shakeup at the agency, according to a source familiar with the matter. And as reports emerged over clashes inside USAID, Musk unloaded a barrage of attacks against the agency across his social media platform, X.
“USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die,” Musk wrote in one post.
When shown Musk’s posts on X targeting USAID, a senior official for the agency told ABC News, “The warp-speed of this mafia-like takeover has shaken USAID staff to the core.”
“We are not criminals. Where are Republican Senators like Senator Graham and Risch who have supported the good work of this agency in the past? Will they speak out?” the official asked. “Yes, USAID needs reform, like all agencies, but we’d expect this to come with a degree of thought and involvement from Congress.”
Inside the Ronald Reagan Building, posters and flags featuring USAID were taken down and stacked in hallways, sources who were in the building told ABC News. Some USAID employees who were placed on administrative leave had their ID badges and work computers seized, the sources said.
In response to reports on DOGE’s activity at USAID, DOGE spokesperson Katie Miller wrote on X, “No classified material was accessed without proper security clearances.” The USAID press office did not respond when asked for comment.
The group gained access to USAID’s internal systems on Friday, including the agency’s website and several critical databases, according to sources familiar with the matter. Among the systems was the Development Evaluation Clearinghouse, which houses reports on past and ongoing USAID programs, as well as the Development Information Solution (DIS) — a system used to track congressionally mandated and performance-related data for all USAID programs worldwide.
Sources also said that the group also seized control of a software system called Phoenix, a program for USAID’s financial management system used to track and manage the agency’s budgeting, accounting and financial transactions. The system was down over the weekend, sources said, which has sent shockwaves across contractors for USAID who are fearful they won’t be paid for their work. Major firms that manage global supply chains, including those for initiatives like antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and other essential medicines to combat HIV/AIDS, rely on Phoenix.
Sources told ABC News the Trump administration’s foreign aid cuts are being overseen by Peter Marocco, a campaign ally in the Office of Foreign Assistance who was reportedly caught on camera inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Sources also told ABC News that Trump ally Mark Kevin Lloyd has been placed as acting assistant administrator for the Bureau of Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS) at USAID, which oversees a considerable budget. Lloyd, a Tea Party activist, was Trump’s Virginia field director in 2016 and later appointed USAID religious freedom adviser in 2020.
The chaos inside the agency has led those familiar with USAID to question whether the overhaul of the agency marks the end of U.S. international development efforts or a strategic consolidation of resources under the State Department. Some see the potential for the administration to leverage USAID’s existing infrastructure — its contracting officers, global footprint and established contract mechanisms — to rapidly redirect aid programs in a way that far exceeds the capacity of the State Department.
After the USAID website went dark on Saturday, the agency’s chief information officer sent an internal email stating that the website is “currently unavailable” and that they have no information on when it will be restored, according to an email obtained by ABC News.
“M/CIO is informing users that USAID.gov is currently unavailable. We will send a follow-up notice once there is more information. At this time there is no update on when the site will be available,” the email, which was sent Saturday evening, reads.
A source told ABC News that these notices would typically detail that the team is working to restore access, but that was missing from this notice.
Some staff are taking the “no update” on when the site will be brought back as “a decision made to turn out the (internet) lights.”