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SAN FRANCISCO – Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no planned immigration operations at Sunday’s Super Bowl LX, according to a communication from the game’s host committee to local officials.

The Bay Area’s host committee informed elected officials in San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Jose of the development in a memo following calls Friday with members of the NFL security and events teams and federal and local law enforcement officials.

The host committee wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained Monday by The Washington Post: “Public safety is our top priority for Super Bowl LX. We have been in daily contact with the NFL, which has confirmed the following with the Department of Homeland Security: There are no planned ICE immigration enforcement operations associated with SBLX.”

The committee wrote that in “coordination with NFL security and local law enforcement, DHS will have federal agents at the Super Bowl to keep fans safe.” It added that the “federal security presence at SBLX is consistent with past Super Bowls and comparable to how DHS protects other major sporting events like the Olympics and World Cup.”

Cathy L. Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer and a former D.C. police chief, confirmed the host committee’s assertion Tuesday.

“There are no planned ICE or immigration enforcement operations that are scheduled around the Super Bowl or any of the Super Bowl-related events,” Lanier said at a news conference related to Super Bowl security.

As with any Super Bowl, there are many related events for fans scheduled for the week leading up to the game.

“That includes all of the Super Bowl-related events,” Lanier said. “Again, we’ve been working with our DHS partners for 18 months. Everybody has got specific roles that they’re assigned to. There’s no ICE agents assigned as a part of our security team here. But everybody is focused on our mission here and already at it as of this morning.”

Jeffrey M. Brannigan, the Department of Homeland Security’s designated federal coordinator for Super Bowl LX, was asked during Tuesday’s news conference whether he also would commit to no ICE operations at the Super Bowl.

“I defer to Chief Lanier on those questions,” Brannigan said.

Of the DHS role at the Super Bowl, Brannigan said: “Our responsibility is to support the security planning of the cities that are responsible for these events. And that is what we are doing. There are multiple DHS agencies involved in that effort, including DHS law enforcement but not exclusive to DHS law enforcement. … The department’s depth in providing services, technical expertise and personnel to this event and other special events is wide ranging and well established.”

The Seattle Seahawks are scheduled to face the New England Patriots on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

The Department of Homeland Security did not specify its plans Monday.

“DHS is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the Super Bowl is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the World Cup. Our mission remains unchanged,” assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “We will not disclose future operations or discuss personnel. Super Bowl security will entail a whole of government response conducted in-line with the U.S. Constitution. Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear.”

Protests have erupted in cities nationwide in recent weeks over federal immigration personnel’s deployment across the country and the fatal shootings of two Americans, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis last month.

The killing of Pretti, an ICU nurse, two weeks after immigration officers fatally shot Good, a poet and mother of three, added to mounting public outrage and demands for accountability over the militarized tactics the Trump administration has pursued while ramping up immigration enforcement.

Bad Bunny, the halftime performer at the Super Bowl, sharply criticized ICE during Sunday’s Grammy Awards. The Puerto Rican rapper, who won best música urbana album, received a standing ovation for his remarks.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say: ICE out,” Bad Bunny said. “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans. And we are Americans. … The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.”

President Donald Trump, after attending last year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, has said he will not attend this year’s game. He has cited the distance of the game from the East Coast and the selections of the musical performers.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem previously said ICE would conduct enforcement activities at the Super Bowl.

“I have the responsibility to make sure everybody who goes to the Super Bowl has the opportunity to enjoy it and to leave safely,” Noem told Benny Johnson on “The Benny Show” in October, according to Fox News. “That’s what America’s about. We’ll be all over that place.”

Noem said then that those attending the Super Bowl should be law-abiding Americans “who love this country.”

The Super Bowl is classified as a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event, which DHS defines as “significant events with national and/or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support.” As with other NFL games, flight above the stadium will be temporarily restricted. Federal authorities will be on hand to mitigate any threatening drone activity. State and local authorities and local law enforcement, the NFL and a collection of federal agencies are involved in the planning.

– – –

Goodell on security

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell did not directly address the issue of ICE operations at his annual news conference during Super Bowl week Monday.

“Security is obviously one of the things we focus on the most,” Goodell said. “It’s a SEAR 1 level event that involves unique assets at the federal level, the state level and the local level all working together. I see no change in that in the preparations for the Super Bowl. We have not seen that. We’re working with all three of those levels and doing everything we can to make sure it’s the safest environment. And the federal government is a big part of that, including this administration and every other administration before that. … I just anticipate we’ll continue to do the work to make it the safest event.”

Goodell called Bad Bunny “one of the great artists in the world” and added: “That’s one of the reasons we chose him. But the other reason is he understood the platform he was on. And this platform is to use to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talent and to be able to use this moment to do that. … I think he’ll have a great performance.”

(c) 2026, The Washington Post

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Iranian lawmaker Amirhossein Sabeti, speaking in the Iranian parliament: What good did you see from the negotiations in Oman that you now want to send a delegation to Turkey? Last time, they bombed us during the negotiations. Why are you so eager to repeat the same strategic mistake? What more concessions will you offer them […]

A Long Island Rail Road train struck a car at a railroad crossing Monday evening, triggering a fiery crash that injured three passengers, authorities said.

FBI Director Kash Patel: “The target of that search warrant was a warehouse down in Fulton County. Federal agents from the FBI went down there and followed the parameters of the search warrant, and secured the evidence—and from there, we maintain the chain of custody, and do what we always do, which is to follow […]

DEVELOPING: Firefighters are currently battling a massive blaze that has broken out at under-construction homes in the Jackson 21 development in Jackson.

President Donald Trump held talks with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House on Tuesday only weeks after threatening military action against the South American country and accusing the leader of pumping cocaine into the United States. The meeting, which focused on regional security cooperation and counternarcotics efforts, came as Trump says Petro — who has continued to criticize […]

My wedding is approaching, and I’m missing even the basic necessities. Your help will let me walk to the chuppah with joy instead of fear. CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

State Attorney Amit Isman has directed police to expand the list of suspected offenses against Bezalel Zini and two other soldiers to include “assisting the enemy in wartime,” a move taken at the final stage of a probe into the alleged smuggling of cigarettes into the Gaza Strip during the war.

Under Israeli law, assisting the enemy in wartime is among the gravest criminal offenses, with penalties that can reach life imprisonment or even death.

The decision marks a sharp escalation from a similar case only weeks ago, when soldiers from the Bedouin Reconnaissance Battalion accused of smuggling cigarettes into Gaza were charged with a lesser security offense carrying a maximum sentence of five years. Investigators say Zini and the two other suspects are alleged to have engaged in the same conduct.

MK Moshe Saada, who previously served as deputy and acting head of the Police Internal Investigations Department (Mahash), condemned the prosecutor’s decision. “Amit Isman, who is unfit and has failed, continues to use his position for political purposes and to act systematically to thwart members of the national camp,” Saada said.

Saada went further, accusing the prosecution of abusing its authority. “The delusional instruction to add an offense of assisting the enemy-punishable by death or life imprisonment-to an allegation of cigarette smuggling is part of a planned witch hunt whose goal is to trigger a constitutional crisis or to force the resignation of the Shin Bet chief, who exposed the military advocate general affair and does not fall in line with Isman and his deep-state associates.”

Earlier on Tuesday, a court approved publication of the fact that Zini is suspected of involvement in the wartime smuggling of cigarettes into Gaza.

Police told the court that Zini’s questioning has concluded and stressed that the central allegation against him relates solely to cigarette smuggling. His detention, along with that of the two other soldiers, was extended until Thursday. At the same time, authorities confirmed that all three are also under investigation for assisting the enemy in wartime.

According to police, investigators carried out a series of investigative steps over the past several weeks and have now completed the evidence-gathering phase.

Following developments in the case, prosecutors have submitted a prosecutor’s statement against Zini, a procedural step that typically precedes the filing of formal charges, which is expected on Thursday.

{Matzav.com}

Legislation that U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law on Tuesday included more than $4 billion for Israel, as well as several other provisions in support of the Jewish state, according to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Trump acted fewer than three hours after the U.S. House of Representatives cleared the bill that would reopen the federal government through Sept. 30 after a short shutdown. The Senate had passed the legislation earlier.

Atop the list is $3.8 billion for the U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding, which includes $3.3 billion in security assistance and $500 million for missile defense, such as Iron Dome and Arrow.

“Congress sent a powerful message about the strength and vibrancy of the U.S.-Israel alliance,” AIPAC stated. “This funding makes America safer, stronger and more prosperous, and ensures our democratic ally can defend itself from our shared enemies.”

Other funding includes $47.5 million for U.S.-Israel emerging technology cooperation (a $27.5 million increase), $75 million for U.S.-Israel counter-drone and directed energy investment (up $20 million), $80 million for U.S.-Israel anti-tunnel defense cooperation (a $32.5 million increase), $37.5 million for the Nita Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act that supports economic cooperation and peace building and $3 million for U.S.-Israel international development cooperation.

The measure also bans funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry against Israel.

“Congress once again came together to send an unequivocal and bipartisan message of support for Israel and the U.S-Israel relationship,” AIPAC stated. “This strong bipartisan support reflects that the enduring partnership between the United States and the Jewish state remains stronger than ever.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

The Otef Israel Forum responded to the report on Tuesday on mortar shells and rockets that were discovered in the southern Gaza Strip, warning that, in its words, this is only “the tip of the iceberg” of a much wider and dangerous phenomenon. According to the forum, trucks entering the Strip from Egypt are not […]

SAN FRANCISCO – Google breached its own policies that barred use of artificial intelligence for weapons or surveillance in 2024 by helping an Israeli military contractor analyze drone video footage, a former Google employee alleged in a confidential federal whistleblower complaint reviewed by The Washington Post.

Google’s Gemini AI technology was being used by Israel’s defense apparatus at a time that the company was publicly distancing itself from the country’s military after employee protests over a contract with Israel’s government, according to internal documents included in the complaint.

In July 2024, Google’s cloud-computing division received a customer support request from a person using an Israel Defense Forces email address, according to the documents included in the complaint, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in August. The name on the customer support request matches a publicly listed employee of Israeli tech firm CloudEx, which the complaint to the SEC alleges is an IDF contractor.

The request from the IDF email address asked for help making Google’s Gemini more reliable at identifying objects such as drones, armored vehicles and soldiers in aerial video footage, according to the internal documents included with the complaint. Staff in Google’s cloud unit responded by making suggestions and doing internal tests, the documents said.

At the time, Google’s public “AI principles” stated that the company would not deploy AI technology in relation to weapons, or to surveillance “violating internationally accepted norms.” The whistleblower complaint alleges that the IDF contractor’s use contradicted both policies.

The complaint to the SEC alleges that Google broke securities laws because by contradicting its own publicly stated policies, which had also been included in federal filings, the company misled investors and regulators.

“Many of my projects at Google have gone through their internal AI ethics review process,” the former employee who filed the complaint said in a statement to The Post, provided on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from the company. “That process is robust and as employees we are regularly reminded of how important the company’s AI Principles are. But when it came to Israel and Gaza, the opposite was true. … I filed with the SEC because I felt the company needed to be held accountable for this double standard.”

A Google spokesperson contested the whistleblower’s allegations and said the company did not violate its AI principles because the account’s usage of its AI services was too small to be “meaningful.” The AI product that was used is broadly available to any customer, the spokesperson said.

“We answered a general use question, as we would for any customer, with standard, help desk information, and did not provide any further technical assistance,” a statement provided by the spokesperson said. “The ticket originated from an account with less than a couple hundred dollars of monthly spend on AI products, which makes any meaningful usage of AI impossible.”

Google documentation for its “cloud video intelligence” service says that tracking objects in video is free for the first 1,000 minutes and then costs 15 cents per minute.

A spokesperson for the SEC declined to comment. Anyone can file a complaint with the agency, which does not make them public. Complaints do not automatically lead to an investigation.

Representatives for the IDF and CloudEx did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2024, CloudEx was among the sponsors of a tech conference held south of Tel Aviv called “IT for IDF,” which featured Israeli military officials praising the importance of cloud computing to its operations in Gaza, according to the event website.

The complaint to the SEC claims that the use of Gemini described in the internal Google documents was related to Israel’s operations in Gaza, without citing specific evidence. Google previously said its work for the Israeli government was “not directed at highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services.”

Google, which used the motto “Don’t be evil” when it went public in 2004, has since its founding focused on serving consumers and businesses. More recently, company leaders have also sought defense contracts, triggering protests from some employees.

The company introduced its AI policies that barred uses related to weapons or surveillance in 2018, after employee pushback led the company to decline to renew a Pentagon contract that involved analyzing drone footage.

In 2021, Google and Amazon won a $1.2 billion cloud deal with Israel’s government known as Project Nimbus. Microsoft also provides cloud computing to the Israeli government. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Post.

Some Google, Amazon and Microsoft employees have protested the companies’ work with Israel. Google fired more than 50 workers in April 2024, according to a group representing the workers, after some of them staged sit-ins at company offices and demanded it cease working with the Israeli government. Microsoft has also fired workers, after protests at its campus near Seattle.

Google in February of last year updated its AI policies to remove its pledges not to apply the technology to weapons or surveillance, saying it needed to evolve to help democratically elected governments keep up in the global battle for AI dominance.

When the CloudEx employee filed the support request to Google in 2024, they described a bug that led to the Gemini AI software failing to properly analyze aerial footage some of the time. A Google staffer was copied in on the initial request, according to the documents included in the complaint to the SEC. The complaint alleges that staffer works on the IDF’s Google Cloud account.

After exchanging several messages with a Google support worker, the CloudEx employee said the issue resolved itself, according to the documents.

In December, the Pentagon announced that Google’s Gemini was the first AI offering to be provided to Defense Department employees on its new GenAI.mil platform, under a new drive to increase military use of the technology.

The whistleblower report adds to claims that major American tech companies have been drawn into assisting Israel in its war in Gaza, even as public opposition to the war in the United States has grown.

Israel has said that about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, died in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas that triggered the war. The Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, says that more than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war.

Reporting from The Post and other news organizations has shown that Google and other U.S. tech giants have worked on military-related projects for Israel.

In January 2025, The Post reported that Google employees rushed to provide the Israeli military with greater access to AI tools in the weeks after the Oct. 7 attack. An internal document showed that one Google worker had warned colleagues that if requests from Israel’s Defense Ministry for more AI capacity were not approved, the country might turn to Amazon instead.

In August, Microsoft, which also has contracts with the Israeli government, said it had opened an internal inquiry after the Guardian newspaper reported that the company’s cloud services were being used to store phone-call data obtained through large-scale surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.

In September, Microsoft said the investigation led it to shut off a unit inside Israel’s Ministry of Defense from accessing some cloud services, in line with its terms of service barring mass surveillance of civilians.

(c) 2026, The Washington Post

President Donald Trump signed a roughly $1.2 trillion government funding bill Tuesday that ends the partial federal shutdown that began over the weekend and sets the stage for an intense debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding. The president moved quickly to sign the bill after the House approved it with a 217-214 vote. “This […]

The first husband of former first lady Jill Biden has been charged with killing his wife at their Delaware home in late December, authorities announced in a news release Tuesday. William Stevenson, 77, of Wilmington was married to Jill Biden from 1970 to 1975. Caroline Harrison, the Delaware Attorney General’s spokesperson, confirmed in a phone […]

Did you ever realize that most of the good in your life slips by unnoticed? Small wins. Big saves. Tiny moments that show He’s with you. And then what happens? We forget. Like… • The bus that waited. • The appointment that suddenly opened. • The friend who texted at the perfect second. • The […]

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States is engaged in ongoing negotiations with Iran, while declining to reveal where the discussions are being held. Speaking to reporters, Trump confirmed that diplomatic contacts are underway but said details about the venue remain confidential.

“They are negotiating. They’d like to do something, and we’ll see if something is going to be done,” Trump said. He added that Tehran had missed earlier opportunities to reach an agreement. “They had a chance to do something a while ago, and it didn’t work out. And we did Midnight Hammer. I don’t think they want that happening again,” Trump continued, referring to U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last June. “But they would like to negotiate. We are negotiating with them right now, yes.”

Trump says he is negotiating with Iran but doesn't know where the next meeting will be.
Then he says he doesn't think Iran wants another Midnight hammer. pic.twitter.com/bBH2rGSMid

— Ali (@MerruX) February 3, 2026

When pressed about where the talks would take place, Trump refused to elaborate, responding simply, “I can’t tell you that.”

The comments came amid reports that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were expected to meet Friday in Istanbul to discuss a potential nuclear agreement. However, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday that consultations are still ongoing regarding the location of the meeting.

According to reports, Iran has requested that the talks be moved from Istanbul to Oman, signaling continued disagreement over the framework and setting of the negotiations.

Trump has repeatedly urged Iran to reach an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program, while making clear that military action remains an option if diplomacy fails.

Ahead of the anticipated talks, two Iranian officials told The New York Times that Tehran is prepared to shut down or suspend its nuclear program as part of an effort to ease tensions between the two countries. The report said Iran favors a U.S. proposal from last year that would establish a regional consortium for nuclear power production.

The officials also disclosed that Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, recently held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the report, Larijani delivered a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, indicating that Iran could agree to transfer its enriched uranium to Russia, similar to arrangements included in the 2015 nuclear deal.

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After years of public criticism and petitions to the Supreme Court of Israel, the Israel Police have begun testing a new method for dispersing protests: water cannons using water mixed with pepper spray, instead of the controversial “skunk” spray. According to a Ynet report, police have conducted trials of the new method during several protests […]

When the 58-year-old fraud victim told investigators in Maryland the details of how she had been duped out of $1.7 million, they knew she was hardly alone.

A year-long, expanding investigation – the results of which were made public Monday – revealed just how widespread her plight was: more than 650 victims, targeted by the same three call centers in India and losing over $48 million. The fraudsters posed as tech support workers, allowing them to gain access to victims’ computers, or described themselves as American law enforcement as part of elaborate ruses.

“A staggering amount of money,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, head of the bureau’s Baltimore field office. “It’s infuriating and it’s unfair.”

The probe led authorities in India to raid the call centers on Dec. 11 and 12, Paul said. Those operations were “dismantled,” according to India’s Central Bureau of Investigation, leading to the arrest of six leaders and the seizure of laptops, cellphones, other devices and cash.

Maryland officials said the victims probably will never see their money again.

Investigators this week described how the scams started at the call centers, where workers spent their days looking for American targets through email, text messages, phone calls and computer pop-up warnings.

They often played the role of a tech support worker from, say, Microsoft or Apple, persuading their marks to download software onto their computers. Or they said they were calling from the U.S. Social Security Administration to report that criminals were using the victim’s Social Security number for money laundering, drug trafficking or child pornography. “It’s always something that sounds horrific,” FBI agent Jeremy Capello said.

The terrified victims are often transferred to someone purporting to be from U.S. law enforcement agencies such as the FBI or Drug Enforcement Administration.

“The antennas come down because you think you’re talking to a trusted person in the government,” said John McCarthy, the top prosecutor in Montgomery County, Maryland. “That’s how they suck you into this.”

The big goal: convincing the victims that their money wasn’t safe in the bank and that it needed to be transferred for safekeeping, to the FBI or DEA or even the U.S. Treasury Department. Soon enough, the target – often an otherwise smart person but fully in the grip of skilled impersonators – is routing money to specific bank accounts, purchasing and moving cryptocurrency, buying gold bars for an “agent” of the government to pick up, or sending cash.

“It’s all about the art of making people believe you’re someone you’re not,” said Capello, who works in the FBI’s Baltimore field office and has investigated white-collar fraud for 16 years.

The first person to reach targets, Capello said, often speaks with a noticeable Indian accent. As the victim talks to more people faking identities – especially the purported American law enforcement officers – the voices tend to become more American-sounding, according to Capello. Sometimes that is how the fraudsters speak, but sometimes they are Americanizing their voice through software and AI, according to Capello.

Another central part of the scam: convincing the victims to keep their money movements secret so as not to attract attention from the criminals who already knew about them.

The 58-year-old reported the fraud to detectives at the Montgomery County Police Department, who had arrested several gold-bar scammers working in Maryland, some with ties to Indian call centers. They had put out the word: Come to us if you have been swindled. By the time the 58-year-old fraud victim had arrived, the Montgomery detectives, working alongside the FBI, were determined to trace the frauds to the call centers overseas.

The woman provided a wealth of data of the people she was dealing with: bank account numbers, email addresses, phone numbers. “We were off to the races,” Capello said.

Investigators worked closely with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), slowly linking the woman’s details with others in Maryland and elsewhere in the United States.

The U.S. and Montgomery County investigators were able to present their case to Indian authorities through an FBI agent stationed in Delhi solely tasked with helping to investigate scam call centers in India, according to Capello. Before authorities there could search the call centers, though, they needed sworn statements from at least two U.S. victims, which Capello and the Montgomery detectives were able to provide.

The India raids took place in Noida, Delhi and Kolkata, according to authorities there.

“During the period 2022-2025,” India’s Central Bureau of Investigation said in a news release, “the accused individuals, operating under pseudonymous identities of US Government officials from Drug Enforcement [Administration], Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Social Security Administration, conspired to target US victims by threatening them that their Social Security Numbers had been used for money laundering and drug deliveries.”

The Indian call centers used in frauds, Capello said, sell each other lists of potential American targets with phone numbers and email addresses. And they work in highly competitive operations, with quotas posted on the walls, he said.

The fraudsters present themselves as concerned, diligent government agents, but their power and intimidation is never far from the surface. And they’re not scared to bring it the fore, Capello said, recalling how one victim – balking at their demands – suddenly received an email with what looked like a genuine American arrest warrant and a threat that he would be locked up if he did not follow orders.

The message, in no uncertain terms, was this: “How do we know you’re not involved in this too?”

“These scams exploit fear, trust and vulnerability. They are deeply personal crimes,” Montgomery County Police Captain Marc Erme said.

Capello said it remains very difficult to recover any of the money. But he feels like their work – dismantling the three call centers – will help prevent more scams.

“We’re making an impact,” he said. “We’re chipping away at it.”

(c) 2026, The Washington Post 

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Yisrael Hayom journalist Ariel Kahana spoke about the hypocrisy of the left and other topics in an interview with Kol Chai on Tuesday morning. Regarding the reopening of the Rafah Crossing, Kahana said, “This is a significant achievement in my view. No goods are entering, inspections on our side are extremely strict, and our forces […]

Graphic videos showing the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk while he spoke to a crowd on a Utah college campus quickly went viral, drawing millions of views. Now, attorneys for the man charged in Kirk’s killing want a state judge to block such videos from being shown during a hearing scheduled for Tuesday. Defense […]