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On February 20, 2025, I had the honor of being confirmed as the Ninth Director of the FBI.

In that time, much has happened. Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the FBI and our partners at the state, local and federal level have helped deliver one of the safest periods America has seen in decades.

When I sat before the Senate for my confirmation, I promised to refocus the FBI on its core mission: crush violent crime and defend the homeland, strengthen transparency and rebuild public trust. One year in, my team and I have worked every day to turn those words into action. We delivered historic results.

From 2024 to 2025, the FBI saw a 197% increase in arrests, from 34,000 to 67,000. We disrupted 1,800 gangs and criminal enterprises, a 210% increase. Agents seized more than 2,100 kilos of deadly fentanyl — enough to kill 150 million Americans — up 31%. That mission also extended overseas, where my trip to Beijing resulted in a historic agreement to shut off the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals at the source, directly targeting the supply chains poisoning American communities. Arrests tied to Nihilistic Violent Extremism, including offenders who prey on children, rose 490%. More than 6,200 child victims were located, up 22%. Espionage arrests increased 35%. We captured six of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives in one year — two more than the entirety of the prior administration — a group collectively on the run for more than 50 years, including Ryan Wedding. Nationwide, the murder rate fell by a record 20%, a level not seen in a century.

FBI VIOLENT CRIME ARRESTS DOUBLE IN TRUMP'S FIRST YEAR COMPARED TO BIDEN RECORD: 'MASSIVE STRIDES'

President Trump let good cops be cops while giving us the resources needed to execute the mission. The results speak for themselves.

But the success of this administration and this FBI goes well beyond the numbers. Over the last year, quiet but consequential transformations have taken place inside the Bureau — changes many Americans may never see on cable news or social media, but which have paid significant dividends.

From day one, we reoriented the FBI to meet modern threats with four clear priorities: Crush Violent Crime, Defend the Homeland, Restore Public Trust and enforce fierce organizational accountability. Under the prior administration, violent crime barely cracked the top ten FBI priorities. Today, it is a central focus, which is why violent crime arrests doubled to more than 30,000 in 2025.

Shifting resources to defending the homeland helped us capture some of the most wanted criminals in the world: Nicholas Maduro, wanted by the Department of Justice for narcoterrorism; Mohammad Sharifullah, an alleged key ISIS operative in the Abbey Gate suicide bombing in Kabul; and Zubayr Al-Bakoush, a key coconspirator in the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed four Americans: Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty. We also disrupted and stopped three separate terror plots during the holiday season, preventing potential mass-casualty attacks and ensuring Americans could celebrate safely.

To restore transparency and oversight, we produced more than 40,000 pages of documents to Congress in our first year alone, a level of disclosure that represents more than double the combined document production of my predecessors.

We reduced the Bureau’s dependence on bloated Washington, D.C. bureaucracy and put safety and security resources back into Main Street America. We moved 1,000 agents out of the National Capital Region into field offices across the country, with 1,000 more intelligence and support personnel to follow this year. We also ignited the advanced training facility at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, including the first-ever law enforcement counter-UAS training program.

DOJ OUTLINES 10 ‘WINS’ UNDER TRUMP, SAYS AGENCY RESTORED AFTER BIDEN ERA

We restructured operations so that field offices no longer report through a single bottleneck at headquarters. Dividing offices into regional structures increased accountability and responsiveness to the public. We eliminated units that failed the mission, including the politicized CR-15 squad, removed personnel who acted unethically, and rebuilt leadership around results.

The FBI is now faster and more responsive, with a heavier focus on technology. We established the Director’s Strategic Information Center (DSIC), a fully overhauled information hub focused on proactive threat identification and 24/7 monitoring of critical incidents to dramatically improve response times. We also launched a Technology Working Group, led by Dan Bongino, to help strengthen national security infrastructure through artificial intelligence and enhanced biometric coordination with interagency partners. Rather than continuing a patchwork approach, we engaged private-sector partners to rebuild core systems and expanded the FBI’s leadership role in the National Counterintelligence Task Force to better coordinate efforts against hostile intelligence actors targeting the United States.

After decades of delay and excess, President Trump facilitated the deal to shut down the Hoover Building project. We canceled a minimum $5 billion taxpayer-funded plan that would not have opened for at least a decade and instead moved toward utilizing the existing Ronald Reagan Building, providing a safe and modern headquarters at a fraction of the cost to the American people.

Perhaps most importantly, we made it a top priority for field leaders to work hand in hand with state and local law enforcement. Last year, we created a series of Homeland Security Task Forces — historic partnerships with state officials focused on removing violent criminals from American streets. In Virginia, that effort resulted in nearly 600 arrests in just one month. We replicated this model in Memphis and Washington, D.C. under the President’s Task Force. In those two cities alone, violent crime is down 30%, while homicides are down nearly 70% in D.C. and 50% in Memphis. We also established the first-ever Law Enforcement Partner Engagement Council (LEPEC), giving local law enforcement a permanent seat at the table inside the FBI.

By the numbers, President Trump’s FBI delivered a record year. But the institutional changes implemented over the last year go far beyond statistics, arrests, or headlines. We have rebuilt and remade the FBI into an organization designed to better serve the American people and keep the country safer for decades to come, alongside our partners at the Department of Justice who continue to prosecute bad actors and hold them accountable.

As for us, we will continue to put the Mission First.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL

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At least six victims have been identified in the tragic avalanche incident on Tuesday that killed up to nine people in Sierra Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, California.

Six of the victims were among a group of outdoor-loving mothers who regularly traveled together. A joint statement from the affected families identified the women as Kate Vitt, Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, and sisters Caroline Sekar and Liz Clabaugh.

"We are devastated beyond words," the families said in the statement. "Our focus right now is supporting our children through this incredible tragedy and honoring the lives of these extraordinary women." 

All the women were described as "mothers, wives, and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors."

8 SKIERS FOUND DEAD, 1 MISSING AFTER MASSIVE LAKE TAHOE AVALANCHE

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said during a news conference Wednesday that authorities had told the families the mission had shifted from rescue to recovery.

"They were on their way back to camp when the avalanche actually hit," Moon said, adding that it took search and rescue crews hours to find the first few survivors.

The group of women, most of whom resided near California, were reportedly seasoned backcountry skiers. They were reportedly well-trained, fully prepared, and equipped with avalanche safety gear.

"They were passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains," the families' statement said. "They lived in the Bay Area, Idaho, and the Truckee–Tahoe region."

They expressed being "heartbroken" and said they are doing their best to support one another and their families in the way they believe the mothers would have wanted.

McAlister Clabaugh, the brother of Sekar and Clabaugh, told The New York Times that Sekar, 45, was a mother of two who lived in San Francisco. 

Liz Clabaugh, 52, served as a graduate nurse residency program coordinator at St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Vitt, a San Francisco resident, held positions at SiriusXM and Pandora, according to her LinkedIn profile, and was a mother to two children.

Several members of the group were also connected to Sugar Bowl Academy, an elite boarding and day school for competitive skiers and snowboarders that has counted multiple Olympians among its alumni.

"This tragedy has affected each and every one of us. The depth of support for the families whose lives have been changed forever reminds us of how special this community is," Executive Director Stephen McMahon said.

2 SKIERS KILLED IN AVALANCHE ON POPULAR MONT BLANC SKIING ROUTE NEAR FRENCH-SWISS BORDER

The Feb. 17 avalanche near Castle Peak in the Sierra Nevada mountains became the deadliest in California’s history.

Authorities reported that the tragedy involved a group of 15 backcountry skiers, including 11 clients and 4 guides, on a multi-day guided expedition organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides.

Eight people were confirmed dead, with one additional person presumed dead.

"We are profoundly grateful for the extensive rescue efforts by Nevada County Search and Rescue, Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue and all of the authorities involved, and for the outpouring of support from the Tahoe community and beyond," the families said in the statement.

"We are heartbroken and are doing our best to care for one another and our families in the way we know these women would have wanted," they added. 

To continue recovery efforts for the final missing individual, authorities announced Thursday that all National Forest lands and trails around Castle Peak will be closed for roughly one month, from Feb. 20 through March 15.

Authorities emphasized that emergency personnel may need to use snow machines, aircraft and even explosives during the operations.

"Due to the current instability of the snowpack and need to prioritize first responder access to the area, members of the public are prohibited from entering the closure area during search and rescue operations," the U.S. Forest Service-Tahoe National Forest said.

"It is our top priority to ensure the safety of first responders during this recovery mission and aid in the return of each victim to their families," Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Chris Feutrier added in a statement. "Our deepest condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones from this tragic incident. Our sincere appreciation to all first responders, law enforcement and partners that are supporting this recovery." 

The avalanche marks the deadliest in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state. It is also the second deadly slide near Castle Peak this year after a person on a snowmobile was buried in January.

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A woman was arrested at a Las Vegas airport after allegedly tying her dog to a baggage sizer at a JetBlue ticket counter and walking away, police said.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) responded to Harry Reid International Airport on Feb. 2 after receiving reports that a dog had been tied to a metal carry-on baggage sizer and left behind at the airport's JetBlue ticket counter.

The woman was arrested on charges of animal abandonment and resisting arrest.

Footage released by the LVMPD shows the woman, whose face was blurred in the video, approaching the ticket counter with her dog before walking away and leaving the dog's leash tied to the counter.

PASSENGER’S WI-FI NAME TRIGGERS BOMB SCARE, FORCES TURKISH AIRLINES EMERGENCY LANDING

Officers told the woman that she would receive a citation for leaving her dog at the counter.

"Well, I was trying to re-book my flight," the woman told police.

"So you walked out here to re-book your flight?" the officer responded.

"Yeah, that’s what they told me at the counter," she said.

"To walk out here without your dog?" the officer replied.

According to LVMPD, airline staff told the dog owner she had not completed the required online forms to travel with the animal as a service dog and was denied a boarding pass. The woman then left the dog behind and went through the airport to the departure gate, police said.

BULLET DISCOVERED ON COMMERCIAL JET AT MAJOR AIRPORT SPARKS SECURITY SCARE

The woman allegedly told police the airline would not allow her to fly with the dog and claimed it had a tracking device, "implying it was acceptable to leave the animal behind and it would return to her."

Police said the woman became "hostile" and "resisted officers’ attempts to detain her" as they escorted her back through the security checkpoint.

"We can’t believe we have to say this… but please don’t abandon your dog at the airport — or anywhere else," the LVMPD said in a social media post.

After a mandatory 10-day hold period passed without the owner returning, the nonprofit Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas took custody of the 2-year-old goldendoodle mini poodle mix nicknamed "Jet Blue." The rescue will place him in a new home.

The group shared in a Facebook post this week that "Jet Blue" has received numerous applications and inquiries from potential owners.

"This sweet boy is incredible. Truly incredible. And after everything he’s been through, the thought of him ever experiencing abandonment again has us on very high alert," the nonprofit wrote. "We will be extremely intentional in choosing his forever family. He deserves stability. Security. Commitment. A lifetime promise."

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A 21-year-old New Jersey woman died of hypothermia after slipping off a trail near the summit of New York’s tallest mountain during a winter hike, officials said.

Brianna Mohr was found on Feb. 12 near the summit of Mount Marcy by New York State Forest Rangers, where she was pronounced dead, according to the New York State Police.

State rangers said they responded to a report of a hiker and her dog in distress on Mount Marcy at 3 p.m., launching an extensive search.

Mohr was found around 9 p.m. and showed no signs of life, police said. An autopsy later determined the cause of death to be hypothermia.

MORE THAN 20 'ILL-PREPARED' HYPOTHERMIC HIKERS RESCUED FROM SNOWY CONDITIONS ON NEW ENGLAND'S HIGHEST PEAK

Her dog was not injured and was rescued.

According to AccuWeather.com, temperatures in Keene, New York, where the mountain is located, ranged from -8 to 20 degrees the day Mohr was hiking. Mount Marcy, in the Adirondacks, is the tallest mountain in the state at 5,344 feet.

Mohr called 911 at 3:05 p.m. to report that she had slipped off the trail near the summit and was unable to get back to it, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation told the Asbury Park Press.

2 HIKERS IN OLYMPIC NATIONAL FOREST KILLED AFTER TREE FALLS ON POPULAR TRAIL

Rangers searched for Mohr with snowmobiles and a tracked utility vehicle and the state police Aviation Unit flew overhead in case of a hoist rescue, the outlet reported.

The paper said rangers aboard the helicopter were unable to locate Mohr, and one ranger was dropped at the Marcy Dam Outpost to continue the search on foot just past 6 p.m.

The outlet shared a message posted on Instagram on Feb. 16 by Mohr's brother Ryan.

"You were the best friend and sister I could have ever asked for growing up with you was awesome because I always had you to tell me what was cool and what wasn’t because you were and always will be the coolest person I know," he wrote.

Mohr's mother, Stephanie West, posted a photo of her daughter on Valentine's Day with the caption, "I am so lost."

Mohr's Instagram account includes dozens of photos from trips to scenic destinations, including national parks.

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A Washington, D.C., grandmother who lost her grandson to gun violence delivered a fiery defense of President Donald Trump during a Black History Month celebration Wednesday at the White House.

Forlesia Cook’s grandson, Marty William McMillan Jr., was killed in 2017 at the age of 22. Cook has since spoken publicly about the loss, including testifying before Congress about his killing.

After Trump invited Cook to say a few words at the event, she used the moment to defend him, urging critics to "get off the man’s back."

"I love him, I don't want to hear nothing you got to say about that racist stuff," she said. "And don’t be looking at me on the news, hating on me because I’m standing up for somebody that deserves to be standing for."

TRUMP'S DC CRIME SUCCESS PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON CHICAGO'S DEADLY 'WAR ZONE'

Cook’s voice grew louder as she continued.

"Get off the man’s back," she said. "Let him do his job. He’s doing the right thing. Back up off him."

She ended her remarks by declaring, "And grandma said it."

VANCE, HARRIS, OBAMA ISSUE TRIBUTES TO REV JESSE JACKSON

The East Room crowd erupted in applause and cheers.

Trump appeared to welcome the praise, joking that she should run for public office.

"Wow, that’s pretty good," Trump said. "When is she running for office? Forlesia, when are you running for office? You have my endorsement."

PIRRO CREDITS 'ENHANCED FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP' FOR DC’S FIRST HOMICIDE-FREE STRETCH IN DECADES

Cook also thanked Trump for calling the National Guard to the capital and praised his tough-on-crime approach.

"One thing I like about him, he keeps it real, just like grandma," she said. "I appreciate that because I can trust him."

The White House event marked the annual celebration of Black History Month.

Trump also addressed the death of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, saying, "I wanted to begin by expressing a sadness at the passing of a person who was, I knew very well, Jesse was a piece of work. He was a piece of work, but he was a good man."

"I just want to pay my highest respects to Reverend Jesse Jackson," Trump added, calling him "a real hero" and saying, "he really was special, with lots of personality, grit and street smarts."

The president also announced that former Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

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Here are some of the latest headlines on TMZ:

"Paris Hilton’s Hottest Shots Ever!!! Happy 45th BDAY!"

"‘Chicago Fire’ Star Brittany Curran Arrested, Booked on Drunk in Public Charge"

"Eminem Ex-Wife Facing Legal Trouble Over Crashing Car"

Kinda tabloidy, to be sure.

And the entertainment site, founded two decades ago by Harvey Levin, a onetime TV consumer reporter, has had more than its share of controversies. 

Its paparazzi chase and confront celebrities. TMZ apologized for loud cheering in the newsroom just before its announcement that Charlie Kirk had died. The site is often first with reports on celebrity deaths, sometimes with gory details, but incorrectly said that musician Jerry Lee Lewis had died, two days before his actual death. Some ex-staffers accused the site of having a racist and misogynistic culture.  

NANCY GUTHRIE CASE: RET. FBI AGENT SAYS BUREAU PREPARING FOR 'PARALLEL REALITIES' WHILE AWAITING DNA RESULTS

And yet lots of people love TMZ – 45 million visits in January – and its TV show. Fox Entertainment bought the site in 2021.

I bring all this up because Harvey Levin, under incredible pressure, has become a paragon of journalistic responsibility and restraint.

In the heartbreaking disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Levin is now a central player because a man purporting to know about her abduction has written to TMZ four times. Levin is closely consulting with the FBI, which is exactly what he should be doing.

In fact, since the source – is demanding payment in Bitcoin for his information – doesn’t trust the government, Levin has offered to act as a negotiator between him and the FBI. The bureau approved but the man has not agreed.

The TMZ founder is also careful to say he doesn’t know if his pen pal is real or fake in terms of what he claims to know, and cannot vouch for him.

While he may offer a quote from the latest missive, he leaves out most of these letters in deference to the life-threatening nature of the situation.

CAN’T SAY ‘FOR SURE’ IF PERSON CLAIMING TO KNOW PERPETRATOR IN GUTHRIE CASE IS ‘LEGIT’: HARVEY LEVIN

In an interview on CNN, Levin spoke of the kidnappers of Nancy Guthrie from her Arizona home, where blood was found. "We know it’s the same person because they keep putting the same Bitcoin address in, saying that he can lead them to Nancy and the kidnappers. I say that plural…Let me just read you this….’I know what I saw five days ago south of the border and I was told to shut up. So I know who he is and that was definitely Nancy with them.’ So he says ‘them,’ plural. And in another email, a previous one, he also referred to the kidnappers in the plural."

Levin is operating under the assumption that Nancy Guthrie is still alive – if his tipster is not a fraud – and is now angling for the FBI’s $100,000 in reward money. He claims to know where she is. After more than two weeks, many of us were sadly starting to believe she was no longer with us.

"I’m not going to get into it until and unless he actually gives us the information because I feel like this is becoming a cat-and-mouse game," Levin told anchor Kate Bolduan. . So what we said to him was, look, you don’t trust the FBI, you’ve made that clear. And so if you’re contacting us, just give us the info, we’ll give it to the FBI. And then if that leads to finding Nancy and the arrest of the kidnapper, then there’s a record that you’re the one who did it and you’ll get the ransom money."

In the latest letter, Levin recalled, the source said, "‘Look, I have a burglary conviction 10 years ago,’ which I think is really interesting. He has a burglary conviction because you’re wondering, why is this guy somehow connected to the kidnapper? So he said, look, he has a record. And he’s worried, it sounds like, of getting implicated in this somehow. He’s worried of retaliation by the people who have done this. He gets into that in several of the letters."  

Meanwhile, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos announced he has cleared all Guthrie family members, who he said have been cooperative, and accused the media of being "cruel." This was a clear reference to NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield, who doubled and tripled down in saying she had a source saying the husband of Savannah Guthrie’s sister Annie was a prime suspect in the investigation, even when the sheriff’s department called that "reckless" and said it had no suspects.

This back-and-forth between TMZ and the alleged whistle-blower may turn out to be nothing more than a twisted footnote. But it has put the website usually obsessed with the likes of Paris Hilton in the center of a saga to which the whole country seems addicted, and has created the possibility that Savannah Guthrie may never return to "Today."

Harvey Levin, with his suitably cautious approach, is walking a difficult tightrope, and he knows it.    

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

"Look, there have been times we’ve worked with law enforcement, but most of the time there’s a wall, and you know, they are sources, but we’re not cooperating…

"It’s tricky to navigate this because we’re not part of law enforcement at the same time. It’s obvious that somebody’s life hangs in the balance here. So we’re trying to do as much as we can and also kind of draw that line between journalism and helping law enforcement."

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The Vatican will not join President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace, its top diplomatic official said Tuesday, signaling reluctance from the Holy See to take part in the post-war initiative.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Holy See "will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States," the Vatican’s official news outlet reported.

The Board of Peace, which was chartered in January and includes nearly 20 countries, is tasked with managing recovery efforts in the Gaza Strip after the Israel-Hamas war.

While responding to questions about Italy declining to join the board, Parolin said "there are points that leave us somewhat perplexed," adding that "there are some critical points that would need to find explanations."

TRUMP SNUBS CANADA BY WITHDRAWING COUNTRY'S INVITE TO JOIN 'MOST PRESTIGIOUS BOARD OF LEADERS EVER'

"The important thing is that an attempt is being made to provide a response," he said. "However, for us there are certain critical issues that should be resolved."

Parolin continued, "One concern is that, at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted."

Pope Leo, the first U.S. pope, received an invitation to join the peace board in January.

TRUMP ENVOY WARNS HAMAS OF 'SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES' AS ADMIN LAUNCHES PHASE TWO OF GAZA PLAN

Leaders from 17 countries participated in the initial charter signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, in late January, including presidents and other senior government officials from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Central and Southeast Asia.

Israel formally joined the board last week ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with Trump at the White House.

Several other countries were also invited by the White House, including Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece and China.

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Poland and Italy on Wednesday said they would not join.

Trump announced Sunday that board members have pledged more than $5 billion in aid for Gaza.

The president said the funding would be formally pledged during a meeting Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

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