*By Carlo Versano*
Federal authorities have arrested Cesar Sayoc, Jr., a 56-year-old Florida resident, in connection with a dozen packages containing likely explosives sent to prominent figures and institutions around the U.S. over the past week.
Sayoc lives in Aventura and has a criminal record, according to the Broward County Sheriff.
President Trump, speaking at a summit for young black Republicans, commended law enforcement for the arrest and called the mail bombing attempts "terrorizing acts."
"We must never allow political violence to take root in America," Trump said. "I'm committed to doing everything in my power as president to stop it and stop it now."
Chopper video from Miami local news stations showed police outside an auto-parts store in Plantation, Fla. FBI agents covered a white van with a tarp before loading it onto a flatbed truck.
Two additional suspicious packages sent to prominent Democrats were intercepted earlier Friday, only hours before the manhunt appeared to close in on a suspect for the attempted mail bombings now being described as a domestic terrorism.
Reporting from the distribution center where investigators are focused in Opa-Locka, Fla., Cheddar's J.D. Durkin said the escalation of political violence is expected to play a role in key midterm races such as in Florida's 26th district, where Democratic challenger Debbie Mucarsel-Powell urged Republican leaders to denounce what she called "acts of terrorism."
The FBI confirmed Friday morning that authorities intercepted a package addressed to Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) that was similar in appearance to the pipe-bomb parcels sent this week to other prominent Democrats. Moments later, CNN reported a package addressed to James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence under President Obama, was found at a postal facility in Manhattan, N.Y. That package was addressed to Clapper care of CNN's New York office ー much like the device sent to CNN's mailroom was addressed to John Brennan, a former director of the CIA.
Speaking to Durkin from Miami-Dade County, Mucarsel-Powell, who is running neck-and-neck with incumbent Rep. Carlos Curbelo, said, "This is a very important time for us to unite regardless of party."
On Thursday night, Homeland Security Sec. Kristjen Nielsen said in an interview that authorities had zeroed in on Florida as a region of interest in the manhunt. At least some of the packages were reportedly processed at the sprawling mail sorting facility in Opa-Locka, about 10 miles north of Miami.
While all the packages sent this week were intended for people or entities that are high-profile critics of President Trump, authorities have not yet said definitively that they have determined a motive.
Earlier Friday, Trump continued to attack CNN in tweets and lamented that the "'Bomb' stuff" ー an attempted domestic terror attack on his political critics ー has slowed the momentum of Republicans going into the election.
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern, as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
The Supreme Court is allowing Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.
Rep. John Moolenaar has requested an urgent briefing from the White House after Trump supported a deal giving Americans a majority stake in TikTok.
A new report finds the Department of Government Efficiency’s remaking of the federal workforce has battered the Washington job market and put more households in the metropolitan area in financial distress.
A new poll finds U.S. adults are more likely than they were a year ago to think immigrants in the country legally benefit the economy. That comes as President Donald Trump's administration imposes new restrictions targeting legal pathways into the country. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey finds Americans are more likely than they were in March 2024 to say it’s a “major benefit” that people who come to the U.S. legally contribute to the economy and help American companies get the expertise of skilled workers. At the same time, perceptions of illegal immigration haven’t shifted meaningfully. Americans still see fewer benefits from people who come to the U.S. illegally.
Shares of Tylenol maker Kenvue are bouncing back sharply before the opening bell a day after President Donald Trump promoted unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism. Trump told pregnant women not to use the painkiller around a dozen times during the White House news conference Monday. The drugmaker tumbled 7.5%. Shares have regained most of those losses early Tuesday in premarket trading.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday signaled a cautious approach to future interest rate cuts, in sharp contrast with other Fed officials who have called for a more urgent approach. In remarks in Providence, Rhode Island, Powell noted that there are risks to both of the Fed’s goals of seeking maximum employment and stable prices. His approach is in sharp contrast to some members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee who are pushing for faster cuts.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the American media landscape have led to the suspension of late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
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