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The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced on Monday that it was launching an investigation after a Catholic school in Long Beach, California, was broken into and vandalized.

"The @CivilRights will open an investigation into this awful crime," Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said on X.

The Holy Innocents Catholic School was desecrated after its assembly hall, chapel and classrooms were broken into, school officials said.

Statues were smashed, images of Mary and other religious figures were destroyed and a photograph of the pope was knocked to the floor, images of the destruction show.

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The vandalism also includes defecation on school grounds, as well as partially consumed food and drinks left behind, allowing authorities to conduct DNA tests as they search for suspects, according to Fox 11.

Local police and the FBI have been contacted about the incident.

Investigators said the church suffered an estimated $100,000 in damages from the break-in, Fox 11 reported.

MISSISSIPPI SYNAGOGUE ARSON SUSPECT'S DAD TURNS HIM IN AFTER LAUGHING CONFESSION, FBI SAYS

"Statues smashed. Images of Our Lady destroyed. The tabernacle thrown to the floor. This is one of the worst cases of vandalism the local bishop has ever seen. Hatred of Christ only destroys hearts. Pray for this school," Lila Rose, president of pro-life group Live Action, wrote on X.

Members of the church said they were heartbroken after learning about the desecration.

"There are crucifixes. There are statues of the Blessed Mother. The tabernacle itself was taken and thrown on the floor and the Sacred House is there. That, to me, is more traumatizing than anything else. It's not just the material things. It's the heart behind the things," Holy Innocents school principal Cyril Cruz told Fox 11, adding that "evil is out there, so we need to pray."

A GoFundMe launched to support the school has raised nearly $60,000 as of Tuesday morning.

"What appears to have been multiple perpetrators smashed statues and ruined images of our Lady, other statues as well, and threw the tabernacle down … Bishop Mark Trudeau said that it is the worst case of vandalism that he's ever seen in the region," the fundraiser reads.

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Congress is a very superstitious place. Only on Capitol Hill would temporal markers like Groundhog Day and Friday the 13th hold legislative resonance.

The partial government shutdown will continue until at least Tuesday. This impacts 78% of the federal government after Democrats scuttled a multi-bill spending plan last week over concerns about ICE.

The charge now for the House of Representatives is to align with a revised Senate-passed plan from Friday. This bill would fund the Pentagon, HUD, transportation programs and a host of agencies through September 30. But it would only operate DHS temporarily as Democrats demand reforms to ICE.

Many House Democrats balked at the plan supported by many Senate Democrats on Friday. That contributed to uncertainty about whether the House can reopen the government this week. First, House Democrats argued they weren’t a party to the deal cut by many Senate Democrats to partly fund the government and only apply a Band-Aid to DHS funding.

DEMOCRAT WHO BROKE WITH PARTY SAYS HIS DHS FUNDING VOTE A 'MISTAKE' AFTER 2ND MINNEAPOLIS ICE SHOOTING

House Democrats seethed — not so privately – last March when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other Democrats agreed to help Republicans avoid a shutdown. So last Thursday, I asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) if he and Schumer were in sync this time.

"First of all, that question is, so March of 2025," Jeffries chided.

He then ran through a litany of examples of House and Senate Democrats aligning, ranging from health care to the fall government shutdown. Jeffries then answered the question.

"Yes. Short answer. We are on the same page," said Jeffries.

And then added a caveat — which is so February 2026.

"Now with respect to what emerges from the Senate, as is always the case, we will evaluate whatever bill comes over to us on its merits," said Jeffries.

Some Democrats were fine with the funding deal. Moderate Democrats didn’t want to continue the government shutdown. It’s bad politics back home. Others embraced earmarks they secured in the funding package. Yet progressives argued they couldn’t support any funding bill until they saw concrete plans to reform ICE. That’s to say nothing of some on the left wanting to defund ICE.

"I will be voting no on this funding package. I refuse to send another cent to (White House Adviser) Stephen Miller or (Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi Noem," said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee.

But Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, planned to vote yes. The bill funds most of the government for the rest of the fiscal year. And it buys time to get a deal on ICE.

"If we do not do that, we will not be able to bring the kinds of pressure that is necessary to make sure that ICE does not continue to terrorize our communities," said DeLauro.

So there may be the votes to pass the bill. But the real problem may be on a test vote, known as the rule.

The House must approve the rule first to determine how it will handle a bill on the floor. If the House adopts the rule, it can debate and vote on the bill. If the vote on the rule fails, the gig is up.

Some Republicans may oppose the rule. And Democrats made clear they would not assist on the procedural measure which is customarily carried by the majority party.

"Republicans have a responsibility to move the rule," said Jeffries. "If they have some massive mandate, then go pass your rule."

House Republicans feel the pressure.

HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS DRAWS LINE ON DHS, ICE FUNDING AS MINNEAPOLIS UNREST FUELS SHUTDOWN RISK

"We always work until the midnight hour to get the votes. You never start the process with everyone on board," said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).

It’s about the math.

The Republican majority shrank Monday after the House swore-in Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX). He won a special election in Texas over the weekend. The GOP majority now holds a 218-214 advantage. In other words, Republican can lose one vote and still pass a bill on their own if every Member casts a ballot.

"Does his election make your job a little tougher tomorrow?" I asked House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he met with Menefee for the ceremonial swearing-in.

"We have a one vote margin now. So what could go wrong? That's fine. We're happy for him. And, I hope the first vote is not to shut the government down. That's not a good way to start," said Johnson.

"Are you going to make the job a little harder on the Republican side tomorrow?" I queried Menefee.

"I just got elected on Saturday and just jumped off the plane to get here. So my first job is to figure out what the bathroom is," said Menefee.

I followed up.

"Does that mean a no vote tomorrow?"

"It means I've got to consider the issues very thoughtfully and cast a vote that matches my values," deflected Menefee.

"Good answer!" exclaimed an ecstatic Johnson.

So everything hinges on the rule vote. If the House crosses that procedural hurdle, it can probably pass the bill and end the shutdown. If not, there’s trouble.

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he hoped there was a bipartisan solution to what he termed a "long, pointless and destructive shutdown."

Perhaps it’s only appropriate that everyone was talking about ending a government shutdown on Groundhog Day. Especially after the record-breaking 43-day shutdown last autumn.

By the way, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. He forecast six more weeks of winter. After all of these funding fights, when is someone going to ask Phil for his prognostication about the shutdown?

But forget Groundhog Day. What everyone should really focus on is Friday the 13th. As in a week from Friday. If the House aligns with the Senate and ends the partial government shutdown, lawmakers only have until 11:59:59 pm et on Friday the 13th to fund DHS. Otherwise, DHS remains broke. Again. That means FEMA has issues. TSA agents aren’t getting paid. You name it.

SENATE DEMOCRATS THREATEN SHUTDOWN BY BLOCKING DHS FUNDING AFTER MINNESOTA ICE SHOOTING

It’s hard to address issues with ICE in such a tight timeframe.

"Republicans need to take a good look at what's happening around the country and realize too that it's time to rein in ICE's abuses," said Schumer.

Some Republicans agree.

"We should have been focusing on criminals and gang members and people with active deportation orders. I don't think we should have been focusing on people that have been here for a long time, grandmothers, et cetera, that happen to be in a neighborhood when you're doing an enforcement action," said Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) on Fox Business. "I think that that was a mistake and I think it's coming back to haunt us right now."

So there’s bipartisan agreement on addressing ICE. But those reforms must make it through both the House and Senate by Friday the 13th.

Only Congress could create a nightmare like this.

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Authorities in Arizona confirmed late Sunday that they are searching for the mother of NBC "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen Saturday evening at her residence near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue, north of Tucson, around 9:30 p.m., according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

A relative of Guthrie’s contacted authorities around noon Sunday to report her missing, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.

NBC'S SAVANNAH GUTHRIE SHRUGS OFF BIAS ACCUSATIONS AGAINST JOURNALISTS IN CONVERSATION WITH MONICA LEWINSKY

"We’re pretty much just throwing everything at this that we can. Guthrie is 84 years old and is not of good physical health, and so naturally that’s a great concern," Nanos told reporters later Sunday, adding that the scene at the house raised "some concerns for us as well."

"This is very concerning to us. We don’t typically get the sheriff out at a scene like this. But it’s very concerning what we’re learning from the house," Nanos said. "And so we’ll just continue. The detective’s homicide team is out right now looking at the scene as well."

Nanos confirmed the woman is Savannah Guthrie’s mother. He said she is of "good sound mind" but has physical ailments that limit her mobility.

The sheriff said investigators are not ruling out foul play and noted that the circumstances were serious enough to involve the department’s criminal investigation unit.

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A Georgia man shot a pair of police officers who were questioning him at a hotel after he invited them into his room on Sunday, killing one and seriously wounding the other, according to officials.

The shooting suspect, identified as 35-year-old Kevin Andrews of Decatur, was also shot by one of the officers during the incident, Gwinnett County Police Chief J.D. McClure said during a news conference.

Andrews was transported to a hospital for medical treatment and is expected to survive. He will be transferred to the county jail once he is released from the hospital.

The shootout happened on Sunday morning near Stone Mountain, located about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta.

GEORGIA TEEN ARRESTED AFTER FATHER TURNS HIM IN FOLLOWING PAIR OF SHOOTINGS, POLICE SAY

The two officers responded to a Holiday Inn Express after a person in South Carolina reported that someone had fraudulently used their credit card at the hotel, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. The agency said the officers spoke with the front desk clerk, who informed them that the room was being rented by Andrews.

After learning that Andrews had an active warrant out of DeKalb County for failure to appear, the officers went to the hotel room to arrest him, according to the agency.

McClure said the suspect greeted the officers at the door to his room and invited them inside.

"They began discussing the scenario or the incident with him," McClure said. "And at some point the suspect produced a handgun and, in an unprovoked attack, fired at our Gwinnett County police officers."

OFFICER CLINGS TO LIFE AFTER HOMICIDE SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY UNLOADS GUN ON POLICE DURING HIGH-RISK ARREST

The chief identified the officers as Pradeep Tamang and David Reed.

Tamang, 25, died from his injuries at a hospital. He joined the police department in 2024.

Reed was hospitalized in serious but stable condition on Sunday afternoon. He joined the department in 2015.

Gov. Brian Kemp said he was "mourning the loss of a brave officer" and "praying for the swift recovery of another."

"This is the latest reminder of the dangers law enforcement face on a daily basis, and we are grateful for every one that puts themselves in harm’s way to protect their fellow Georgians," Kemp said on X.

Andrews has been charged with one count of malice murder, one count of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault upon a public safety officer and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which customarily handles shootings involving officers in the Peach State, is handling the investigation, which remains ongoing.

The agency said the case will be handed over to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office for review once the probe is complete.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The mayor of Portland, Oregon, is calling on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave his city after federal agents deployed tear gas at a crowd of demonstrators, including young children, outside an ICE facility over the weekend.

Mayor Keith Wilson characterized the protests on Saturday as peaceful, as federal agents reportedly used tear gas, pepper balls, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets against the anti-ICE demonstrators.

Wilson urged ICE agents to resign and for the agency to leave Portland, denouncing their "use of violence" and the "trampling of the Constitution."

"Today, federal forces deployed heavy waves of chemical munitions, impacting a peaceful daytime protest where the vast majority of those present violated no laws, made no threat, and posed no danger to federal forces," he said in a statement on Saturday.

CHICAGO MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON PUTS ICE ‘ON NOTICE’ WITH EXECUTIVE ORDER SEEKING PROSECUTION OF AGENTS

"To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave. Through your use of violence and the trampling of the Constitution, you have lost all legitimacy and replaced it with shame. To those who continue to make these sickening decisions, go home, look in a mirror, and ask yourselves why you have gassed children. Ask yourselves why you continue to work for an agency responsible for murders on American streets. No one is forcing you to lie to yourself, even as your bosses continue to lie to the American people," the mayor continued.

The mayor added that this nation "will never accept a federal presence where agents wield deadly force against the very people they are sworn to serve."

"I share the impatience with those who demand we use every legal tool at our disposal to push back against this inexcusable, unconscionable, and unacceptable violence against our community," Wilson said. "I share the need to act. Actions that can withstand the scrutiny of the justice system take time – and we cannot afford to lose this fight."

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Portland officials are working to operationalize an ordinance, which went into effect last month, that imposes a fee on detention facilities that use chemical agents, the mayor said.

"As we prepare to put that law into action, we are also documenting today's events and preserving evidence. The federal government must, and will, be held accountable," he wrote.

"Portland will continue to stand firmly with our immigrant neighbors, who deserve safety, dignity, and the full protection of the communities they help build," he continued. "We are also proud of the Portlanders who showed up today in peaceful solidarity, demonstrating the strength and clarity of those shared values in the face of federal overreach."

This comes amid national unrest and bipartisan scrutiny of immigration enforcement tactics following two killings of U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents last month in Minneapolis.

Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis, and Alex Pretti was fatally shot on Jan. 24 by Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez while he was recording immigration enforcement operations in the same city.

Pretti, an ICU nurse, appeared to be attempting to assist a woman agents had knocked down when he was sprayed with an irritant, pushed to the ground and beaten, according to video and witness accounts. An agent was later seen pulling Pretti’s lawfully owned firearm from his waistband before other agents fired several shots, killing him.

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Two teenage girls say a former teacher linked to a $63,000-a-year Brooklyn private school threatened them with a "revenge porn blast," exposing nude images after allegedly coercing them for explicit photos, according to a newly filed federal lawsuit.

The lawsuit accuses Winston Nguyen, a former teacher at Saint Ann’s School, of soliciting nude photos and videos from the girls when they were just 13 years old and later sharing the material with students. 

Nguyen pleaded guilty last year to a felony charge and multiple misdemeanors and is now serving a seven-year prison sentence, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office. 

The civil complaint, filed Thursday in federal court, names Saint Ann’s School, several administrators and Nguyen as defendants. The girls, who were not students at Saint Ann’s, allege school leaders were negligent and failed to act despite repeated warning signs about Nguyen’s behavior.

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Nguyen, 39, was arrested in June 2024 outside the Brooklyn Heights campus. He pleaded guilty to using a child in a sexual performance and five misdemeanor counts.

Saint Ann’s, an elite private school that charges roughly $60,000 a year in tuition and is known for high Ivy League acceptance rates and attendees that include celebrities, artists and Wall Street executives, has been surrounded by scandal for nearly two years. 

The lawsuit marks the first time some of Nguyen’s victims have publicly shared their accounts.

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Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Nguyen betrayed his position of trust by targeting teenage victims from multiple elite independent schools.

According to prosecutors, Nguyen used the messaging app Snapchat to pose as a teenage boy and engage minors in sexually explicit conversations, persuading them to send nude images and videos. The victims were between 13 and 15 years old, and the crimes occurred between October 2022 and May 2024, the DA’s office said.

According to the complaint, obtained by the New York Times, the girls say they felt pressured to comply because they believed Nguyen was a peer with social influence connected to Saint Ann’s students.

"This was a sickening betrayal of trust by a schoolteacher who solicited students into sending him graphic and nude photos," Gonzalez said at sentencing. "Today’s sentencing holds him accountable for his actions while sparing the young and vulnerable victims from having to relive this emotional abuse in court."

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After the girls cut off contact, Nguyen allegedly shared their nude images with other students.

The lawsuit claims Saint Ann’s leadership was alerted twice in early 2024 that explicit images of young girls were circulating among students on Snapchat but failed to notify police or intervene beyond internal meetings.

"Only the school knew about both the revenge porn circulating and Nguyen’s history of misconduct," the complaint states.

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Saint Ann’s administrators knew when Nguyen was hired in 2020 that he had previously served time in prison, according to the complaint. The New York Times reported in December 2024 that at least one staff member warned against hiring Nguyen, citing his criminal history involving financial exploitation of an elderly couple.

Nguyen was initially hired as a clerk before becoming a middle school math teacher. School officials allegedly knew he slept on campus, gave students gifts and snacks, and searched for students on social media.

Parents, teachers and students who raised concerns were allegedly dismissed or "shamed" for being "racist or not progressive," according to a 2024 law firm report commissioned by the school. Nguyen is the son of Vietnamese immigrants.

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After the lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of New York, Saint Ann’s leaders sent a letter to the school community disputing the allegations.

"The complaint includes several misrepresentations of Saint Ann’s role, and we will address and dispute this delicate matter through the appropriate legal channels," Head of School Kenyatte Reid and Board of Trustees President Mary Watson wrote, adding they were "concern[ed] for all victims impacted by Nguyen’s actions."

The girls’ attorney, Joshua Perry, said the evidence will show Saint Ann’s leadership repeatedly ignored warning signs about Nguyen’s behavior.

"The school ignored every warning sign and coddled a known predator," Perry told Fox News Digital.

Perry said Saint Ann’s knew Nguyen had a prior conviction involving vulnerable victims, knew he was grooming students with gifts, interacting with them on social media, violating boundaries by visiting their homes and hosting unauthorized sessions with students on campus.

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"These aren’t just my guesses," Perry said. "The school’s own internal investigator, the law firm Debevoise and Plimpton, found all these facts. But the school still refuses to accept any responsibility."

Perry also pushed back on suggestions that the harm to his clients is merely alleged, noting Nguyen’s guilty plea.

"It’s not just alleged. Nguyen pled guilty, and Jane and Joan’s impact statements were read at his sentencing," he said.

Perry said the girls, identified in court filings as Jane and Joan, were deeply traumatized.

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"They were devastated. Depressed. Anxious. Terrified. Ashamed," Perry said. "But they’re incredibly brave young women, and they’re fighting back."

Nguyen’s attorney, Frank Rothman, told The New York Times that his client is penniless and incarcerated but acknowledged potential liability for the school.

"At a minimum, they should have stopped to think, ‘Is this the man for the job?’" Rothman said.

Saint Ann’s has faced previous sexual misconduct allegations. In 2019, the school acknowledged that 19 former staff members may have engaged in inappropriate behavior with students.

Statements from the girls were read at Nguyen’s sentencing hearing last year.

"Photos of me as a naked preteen will forever be on the internet," one wrote. "You ruined my life, broke my ability to trust, and hurt any chance at loving myself."

Perry said he hopes additional victims will come forward but accused Saint Ann’s of discouraging them.

"Saint Ann’s has a track record of bullying and intimidating victims," he said. "But Jane and Joan are fighting back and other young women can, too."

Perry said he is seeking accountability from Saint Ann’s leadership, accusing school officials of minimizing responsibility.

"Saint Ann’s turned a predator loose on Brooklyn’s children," he said. "They don’t get to hide in their ivory tower."

Fox News Digital reached out to Saint Ann’s School and Nguyen’s lawyer for comment.

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Scientists have traced a 3,000-light-year-long cosmic jet streaming out from the first black hole ever imaged to its likely source point with the help of "significantly enhanced coverage" from the global Event Horizon Telescope, a new study published this week revealed.

The findings, published in the journal "Astronomy & Astrophysics" on Wednesday, could help pinpoint exactly from where and how black holes launch vast cosmic jets that travel at nearly the speed of light.

M87 is a supermassive black hole located in the Messier 87 Galaxy around 55 light years from Earth, and is 6.5 billion times larger than the sun.

The first image of M87 was released to the public in 2019, after the data was collected by the Event Horizon Telescope in 2017.

DISCOVER THE UNIVERSE'S OLDEST BLACK HOLES, DEFYING THE MYSTERIES OF SPACE

Not only is the black hole supermassive, "it's also active," Dr. Padi Boyd of NASA explained in a video about the discovery of the black hole. "Just a few percent are active at any given time. Are they turning on and then turning off? That's an idea … We know there's very high magnetic fields that you launch a jet. And so this image is observational evidence that what we've been seeing for a while is actually being launched by a jet connected to that supermassive black hole at the center of M87." 

M87 both sucks in surrounding gas and dust and spews out powerful jets of charged particles from its poles that form the jet stream, according to Scientific American and Space.com.

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"This study represents an early step toward connecting theoretical ideas about jet launching with direct observations," Saurabh, team leader of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, said in a statement, according to Space.com.

He added, "Identifying where the jet may originate and how it connects to the black hole's shadow adds a key piece to the puzzle and points toward a better understanding of how the central engine operates."

The Event Horizon Telescope involves a global network of eight radio observatories that can detect radio waves from astronomical objects like galaxies and black holes that converge to create an Earth-sized telescope. 

Event Horizon refers to the boundary of a black hole beyond which light can’t escape, according to the National Science Foundation.

The findings came after studying data from the Event Horizon Telescope from 2021, but the authors of the study added, "Although this result is robust under the assumptions and tests performed, definitive confirmation and more precise constraints will require future EHT observations with higher sensitivity and improved intermediate-baseline coverage via additional stations and expanded frequency range."

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