Category: Security

A historic 200-year-old painting of President George Washington stolen from a storage unit last year was recently recovered, according to the Englewood Police Department.

The early 1800s painting was reported stolen in January 2024 from a storage facility in the 3300 block of Santa Fe Drive.

It remained missing until investigators received an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip earlier this month that led them to a man who obtained the painting while staying at a Denver hotel, Englewood police said Monday.

The man told police a hotel clerk gave him the painting after finding it in a vacated room, but he hesitated to come forward because of the widespread publicity around the theft.

After two weeks of negotiations, the man gave the painting to the police on Friday. Other than minor cosmetic damage to the frame, the painting is undamaged and will be turned over to an insurance company, according to the department.

Englewood police do not believe the man who turned the painting in was involved in the original theft and he isn’t facing any charges. Investigators are still looking for suspects in the theft.

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© 2025 MediaNews Group, Inc.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

President Donald Trump will announce his reciprocal tariff push Wednesday during an event in the White House Rose Garden, his top spokeswoman said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday the announcement would feature “country-based” tariffs. She said the president is also “committed to implementing” sectoral duties but that they were not the focus of the April 2 event and deferred to Trump about the timing of those. Members of Trump’s Cabinet would attend the announcement, Leavitt said.

“The president will be announcing a tariff plan that will roll back the unfair trade practices that have been ripping off our country for decades,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House. “It’s time for reciprocity and it’s time for a president to take historic change to do what’s right for the American people.”

Leavitt declined to provide details when asked about the rate of the reciprocal tariffs and which countries would be hit. She said there are “no exemptions at this time” in response to a question about whether lower duties would be applied to products used by American farmers.

Trump told reporters Sunday that he plans to launch reciprocal tariffs with “all countries,” countering speculation he could limit the initial scope of his April 2 announcement.

The spokeswoman pointed to examples of tariff rates from the European Union, Japan, India and Canada while speaking to reporters, signaling those entities are likely among the targets of the president’s new levies.

“This makes it virtually impossible for American products to be imported into these markets, and it has put a lot of Americans out of business and out of work over the past several decades,” Leavitt said.

Trump has billed April 2 as the launch of sweeping duties that are the centerpiece of his plan to rebalance global trade, boost U.S. manufacturing and inject tariff revenue into government coffers to fund domestic priorities, including a major tax cut.

The president has preceded Wednesday’s tariff announcement with levies on Canada, Mexico and China — the United States’ three largest trading partners — as well as automobiles, steel and aluminum. Import taxes on copper could come within several weeks. Trump has also threatened tariffs on pharmaceutical, semiconductor and lumber imports.

Uncertainty surrounding his plans, which have often changed and been subject to last-minute carve-outs, have triggered fears they could blow up supply chains and raise prices for U.S. consumers. That angst has fueled a weekslong sell off on Wall Street that extended into Monday.

“Wall Street will work out just fine in this administration, just like they did in the first term,” Leavitt said.

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© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Gov. Gavin Newsom defended his newest podcasting venture as an attempt to rehabilitate the “toxic” Democratic Party as it struggles to find its way out of the political wilderness after losing both houses of Congress and the White House last November.

“The Democratic brand is toxic right now,” Newsom said during a Friday interview with news show host Bill Maher. “Democrats, we tend to be a little more judgmental than we should be. We talk down to people. We talk past people.”

The governor sparked controversy last month after he hosted MAGA strategist Steve Bannon on “This Is Gavin Newsom” and told far-right youth movement influencer Charlie Kirk it was “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to compete with their cisgender peers. LGBTQ allies denounced his remarks as “sickening” and right-wing pundits called it a “transactional” ploy to appeal to moderate voters as Newsom mulls his future after he terms out of office in 2026.

The Democratic Party has struggled to respond to constituents who are angry with its majority leaders and President Donald Trump’s proposed slashing of social welfare programs and mass firing of federal workers. Some electeds, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, have embarked on public speaking tours to harness that energy while others have hosted town halls, to middling success. Newsom noted a recent NBC poll put the party’s favorability rating at a historically low 27%.

The media-savvy governor has largely eschewed public press events in recent months and instead turned to the microphone. He spoke with Bannon, Kirk, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and, most recently, policy reporter Ezra Klein, whose book, “Abundance,” prominently features California as a prime example of liberal governance hamstrung by inefficient bureaucracy.

Newsom told Maher his podcast was a chance to “call balls and strikes” while exploring how Trump managed to recapture the White House and make historic inroads with traditionally reliable Democratic voting blocs, like Latinos and young men.

Maher, who hosts “Real Time,” has forged an image as a smug contrarian unafraid of antagonizing his fellow Democrats.

“We’re not winning right now. He (Trump) won by 2.3 million votes. We’ve lost the House and the Senate, and we’re in a panic,” Newsom told Maher. “I get it, for good reason. This guy is not screwing around, right? We need to own our mistakes, we need to own what’s wrong with our party.”

The governor did not address his eleventh-hour support for Joe Biden, and has largely been silent as Trump ramped up his attacks on Democratic governors, and in the last week, on California’s federal education funding, election integrity, and gun laws. And when Maher asked him about his remarks about transgender people, Newsom doubled down and said the LGBTQ community was trying to “cancel” a staunch political ally for siding with “80% of the country.”

“That’s the challenge we have,” Newsom said. “You want to cancel someone who’s been with you on almost you know, every critical issue, of every critical junket, for decades, or cancel you (Maher) because you have the audacity to go visit with Trump next week.”

Will party be ‘permanent minority’?

He joined other prominent Democrats like Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who told Politico the party was in danger of becoming a “permanent minority.” Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride, the first openly trans member of Congress, has quietly met with other Democrats to formulate a cohesive party message on transgender issues.

Both Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet and California Rep. Sam Liccardo took shots at Newsom after his interview with Maher.

“Newsom calling the Democratic brand ‘toxic’ resembles the defendant who pleads for a judge’s mercy as an ‘orphan’ after killing his parents,” Liccardo, who represents the South Bay, said on X. “I should know: ⁦Gavin Newsom and the California Democratic Party endorsed my opponent last year…and I won by double digits.”

Bennet told “Meet The Press” on Sunday that the Democratic Party was “problematic,” but said the party’s problems stemmed from its close association with wealthy, educated coastal officials like Newsom and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“I think that it is a brand that is, with all respect to my colleague from California, is associated with New York and with California, is associated with the educated elites in this country, and – and not anymore with working people in this country.”

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© 2025 The Sacramento Bee.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Law enforcement officials discovered three dead bodies in an expensive home in Greer, South Carolina, last Friday, leading to an investigation into the incident.

In a Friday press release, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that sheriff’s deputies responded at 11:30 a.m. on Friday to a home on Marilyn Perry Lane in Greer, South Carolina, after receiving an “unknown law call” from a neighbor.

“Upon arrival, there was an initial language barrier, but once that was addressed, deputies entered the residence and discovered three deceased individuals inside the home,” the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office stated. “At this initial stage, this agency doesn’t feel like there is any threat to the public.”

The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office explained that additional information regarding the discovery of the three dead bodies in the Marilyn Perry Lane home will be released “at the appropriate time” following an investigation by the sheriff’s office and the coroner’s office.

“There are other residents of the home that were in school when the incident occurred; so this agency would sincerely appreciate some compassion in media coverage and social media comments,” the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office added in Friday’s press release. “Rather than piece mill answers to follow-up questions from individual media outlets, more detail will be provided in a subsequent release.”

READ MORE: Man’s dead body mistaken as Halloween decoration

Fox Carolina reported that the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office identified the three deceased individuals found at the home on Marlyn Perry Lane as 54-year-old Richard Samarel, 45-year-old Lina Maria Samarel, and 9-year-old Samantha Samarel.

According to Richard Samarel’s Facebook page, the 54-year-old was originally from New Jersey. Samarel’s profile indicates that he was previously a manager at Bloomberg LP and that he studied business administration at Rider University.

According to Fox News, Lina Samarel previously lived in Columbia and was a therapist. A professional biography obtained by the outlet describes Lina Samarel as a “psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and a family nurse practitioner” who is “experienced in a variety of healthcare settings, including outpatient psychiatry for adults and adolescents with mental illness and health and wellness services.”

Lina Samarel’s Facebook page shows that the 45-year-old therapist previously worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs and studied at both the University of Southern Indiana and Florida Atlantic University.

Fox News reported that Richard and Lina Samarel had three children together. According to Zillow records reviewed by The New York Post, the Samarel family lived in a roughly $800,000 six-bedroom home.

Colorado lawmakers on Friday sent three gun-control measures regulating the sale of ammunition and firearms to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk for passage into law.

The bills now waiting to be signed include Senate Bill 3, which would limit the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms to only people who’ve passed a background check and training course; House Bill 1133, which requires retailers to keep ammunition locked; and House Bill 1238, which requires additional security at gun shows.

The three bills received final procedural votes in the House and Senate on Friday. Polis is expected to sign all three. He has 30 days to do so — or to veto them — before the bills pass automatically into law.

Gun-control advocates celebrated the bills’ passage — and what they described as Colorado’s role as a “national leader” on gun violence prevention — in a statement Friday afternoon.

“As the federal landscape has made it significantly more challenging to combat gun violence in our communities, and we are seeing state legislatures across the nation cower at the will of the extremist gun lobby, today, I am proud to be a Coloradan,” Julie Ort, a gun violence survivor who now volunteers with the Colorado chapter of Moms Demand Action, said in the statement.

Elsewhere Friday, the House also advanced — but has not fully passed — two other gun-related measures. One would define “mass shootings” in state law for the purposes of pursuing federal funding to respond to the events. The other would further limit the use of guns — or toy guns — to intimidate election workers and others involved in election processes.

Those proposals require an additional vote in the House before moving to the Senate, where they will restart the process.

The ammunition bill effectively bans ammunition vending machines. It somewhat limits the sale of ammunition to people under the age of 21, though the bill was amended to allow for a slew of exemptions, including people currently older than 18 but under 21 and anyone in the future who passes a hunter’s safety course. The bill would take effect on July 1, 2026.

The gun show measure requires organizers of the events to have security and liability insurance, and it also places limitations on minors attending the shows without a guardian or adult present. If it becomes law, the bill would take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Senate Bill 3 would effectively ban gas-operated, semiautomatic firearms — a definition that includes most guns known as assault weapons. Those weapons could still be sold, though, to people who pass a background check and a training course.

Otherwise, gun shops could continue selling the covered firearms to the general public — so long as the weapons were modified to have a fixed magazine, which takes longer to reload. The bill would go into effect on Aug. 1, 2026.

That bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Democrat whose son, Alex, was killed in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting. At the end of each week during the legislative session, Sullivan gives a brief comment about his son’s death from the floor of the Senate.

On Friday — the day that Senate Bill 3 passed — Sullivan said it was the 662nd Friday since Alex’s death.

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© 2025 MediaNews Group, Inc.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Chinese officials confirmed that its military held major military drills around Taiwan on Tuesday as a “severe warning” to Taiwan and a signal of “forceful containment against Taiwan independence.”

In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed that 19 Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ships had been detected “operating around Taiwan” from 6 a.m. Monday until early Tuesday morning.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense tweeted, “PRC continues to escalate military activities in the #Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region, intensifying military threats, challenging the international order and regional stability, thereby becoming the greatest ‘troublemaker’ in the eyes of the international community.”

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense explained that the People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels detected around Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday were led by China’s Shandong aircraft carrier. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense added that aircraft and ships were dispatched and coastal missile systems were activated as Taiwan monitored China’s military drills.

A spokesperson for Taiwan’s Presidential Office also released a statement on Tuesday, saying, “China’s blatant military provocations not only threaten peace in the Taiwan Strait but also undermine security in the entire region, as evidenced by drills near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and the South China Sea.” The spokesperson added that Taiwan’s Presidential Office condemned the “escalatory behavior” displayed by the Chinese military.

READ MORE: Taiwan warns US support is needed to deter China: Report

The Chinese Xinhua News Agency confirmed on Tuesday that the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command executed “multi-subject drills in waters to the north, south and east of Taiwan Island.” 

Citing the Chinese military, the Chinese news outlet reported that the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Command “organized its vessel and aircraft formations, in coordination with conventional missile troops and long-range rocket launching systems, to conduct drills of air interception, assault on maritime targets, strikes on ground objects, and joint blockade and control.”

The Xinhua News Agency added that the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Command said the latest military drills around Taiwan were “aimed at testing the troops’ capabilities of carrying out integrated operations, seizure of operational control and multi-directional precision strikes.”

In a statement obtained by Fox News, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office noted that the latest military drills around Taiwan were in response to the pro-independence views of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.

“Lai Ching-te stubbornly insists on a ‘Taiwan independence’ stance, brazenly labeling the mainland as a ‘foreign hostile force,’ and has put forward a so-called 17-point strategy … stirring up anti-China sentiments,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office stated. “We will not tolerate or condone this in any way and must resolutely counter and severely punish these actions.” 

Three U.S. Army soldiers were declared dead on Monday after search and recovery crews retrieved the M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle that was found submerged in swamp water near Pabradė, Lithuania, last week.

In a Monday press release, U.S. Army Europe and Africa announced, “Three U.S. Army soldiers assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division were found deceased in Lithuania today, March 31.”

U.S. Army Europe and Africa explained that the names of the soldiers were being “withheld pending notification of next of kin” and noted that the soldiers “went missing in the early morning hours of March 25 in their M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle.”

Monday’s press release confirmed that the M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle was “removed from the peat bog” early in the morning following a six-day recovery effort that involved hundreds of members of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces, and Polish Armed Forces, in addition to other Lithuanian government officials and civilian agencies.

U.S. Army officials noted that the recovery effort was very difficult due to the “engineering challenge of recovering the 63-ton-vehicle from an area surrounded by unstable ground conditions.”

READ MORE: Video/Pics: Search for missing soldiers continues after vehicle found ‘submerged’ in water

Addressing the loss of the three U.S. soldiers, Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, said, “The soldiers we have lost in this tragedy were not just soldiers — they were a part of our family. Our hearts are heavy with a sorrow that echoes across the whole Marne Division, both forward and at home. We stand in grief with the families and loved ones of these extraordinary ‘Dogface Soldiers’ during this unimaginable time.”

In Monday’s press release, U.S. Army Europe and Africa confirmed that recovery efforts remain ongoing for the fourth missing soldier in Lithuania.

“The search isn’t finished until everyone is home,” Norrie said. “Words cannot express our gratitude to those still working around the clock during these extensive search and recovery efforts and your unwavering commitment not to rest until all are found.”

Prior to the confirmation of the three deceased U.S. soldiers, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė issued a statement obtained by The Associated Press, saying, “The armored vehicle was pulled ashore at 4:40 a.m., the towing operation is complete, Lithuanian Military Police and US investigators continue their work.”

Following the confirmation of the three deceased soldiers, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda released a statement expressing “deep sadness and sorrow” over the loss of the soldiers in last week’s training exercise.

Tagging President Donald Trump in his post, the Lithuanian president added, “Lithuania mourns together with the American nation. Please accept my heartfelt condolences, as well as those of the Lithuanian people, to you, the loved ones of those who lost their lives, and all the people of the United States of America.”

President Donald Trump’s administration announced on Monday that an additional 17 “foreign gang terrorists” who belonged to the Tren De Aragua and MS-13 gangs were deported on Sunday to the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador.

In a Monday statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Last night, in a successful counter-terrorism operation with our allies in El Salvador, the United States military transferred a group of 17 violent criminals from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 organizations, including murderers and rapists.”

In his statement, Rubio said the president designated both MS-13 and Tren de Aragua as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” to help protect the American people. The secretary of state added, “These criminals will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens.”

Rubio thanked El Salvador President Nayib Bukele for the “unparalleled partnership” between his administration and the Trump administration to take steps to protect both the U.S. and El Salvador from “transnational crime and terrorism.”

READ MORE: Video: 250+ gang member ‘monsters’ deported by Trump admin to El Salvador

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Bukele shared a video of Sunday’s joint military operation. The video shows the 17 “foreign gang terrorists” being escorted by law enforcement officials off a U.S. Air Force airplane before being transported to the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador. The video also shows the illegal immigrant gang members having their heads shaved and being placed in prison cells.

“Last night, in a joint military operation with our allies from the United States, we transferred 17 extremely dangerous criminals linked to Tren de Aragua and MS-13,” Bukele wrote. “All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists. This operation is another step in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.”

Last night, in a joint military operation with our allies from the United States, we transferred 17 extremely dangerous criminals linked to Tren de Aragua and MS-13.

All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists.

This operation… pic.twitter.com/Tk1Xq7vnuB

— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 31, 2025

According to The Daily Wire, the Trump administration’s deportation of 17 additional “foreign gang terrorists” comes as the administration continues to spar with a federal judge over the president’s authority to deport individuals believed to be members of the terrorist gangs identified by the administration.

The Daily Wire noted that Judge James Boasberg issued a temporary order prohibiting the Trump administration from deporting illegal immigrants under the “Alien Enemies Act of 1798” earlier this month following the administration’s deportation of over 250 illegal immigrant gang members to El Salvador.

Fox News reported that the Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to review Boasberg’s restraining order against the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport illegal immigrant gang members.

In Friday’s filing, U.S. Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris claimed that the “flawed” order against the administration threatens “the government’s sensitive negotiations with foreign powers” and could cause “serious and perhaps irreparable harm if not immediately reviewed” by the Supreme Court.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum on Sunday requiring the U.S. military to establish universal standards for both men and women serving in combat roles.

In a Sunday video recorded on his way back to the United States following his trip to Japan, Hegseth said, “It’s Sunday, but of course, we’re still working. I want to show you one thing. It’s a new memorandum that’s coming out today on combat arms standards. You see, for far too long, we allowed standards to slip and different standards for men and women in combat arms MOS’s and jobs. That’s not acceptable.”

Hegseth added, “We need to have the same standard, male or female, in our combat roles to ensure our men and women who are under our leaders or in those formations have the best possible leaders and the highest possible standards that are not based at all on your sex if you’re a man or a woman.”

Hegseth explained that he would be signing the memorandum, which would be reviewed by the various U.S. military service branches, and that the United States would “soon” have “nothing but the highest and equal standards for men and women in combat.”

For far too long, we have allowed standards to slip. We’ve had different standards for men/women serving in combat arms MOS’s and jobs….

That’s not acceptable, and it changes right now! pic.twitter.com/Zn9OyBew6G

— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) March 31, 2025

In the memorandum, which was released on Monday by the Pentagon, Hegseth explained that the U.S. military has become the “most formidable” fighting force in the world by demonstrating a commitment to ” high standards that foster discipline, unity, and purpose.” The defense secretary noted that as warfare continues to evolve, it is “imperative” that the Pentagon “assess and refine the physical fitness standards” that promote the lethality and readiness of the U.S. military.

“I am directing the Secretaries of the Military Departments to develop comprehensive plans to distinguish combat arms occupations from non-combat arms occupations,” Hegseth stated. “This effort will ensure that our standards are clear, mission-focused, and reflective of the unique physical demands placed on our Service members in various roles.”

READ MORE: Video: Pentagon cuts $580 million in ‘wasteful spending’

“All entry-level and sustained physical fitness requirements within combat arms positions must be sex-neutral, based solely on the operational demands of the occupation and the readiness needed to confront any adversary,” Hegseth added. ‘In establishing those standards, the Secretaries of the Military Departments may not establish standards that would result in any existing Service member being held to a lower standard.”

Hegseth’s memorandum noted that the secretaries of the military departments will be required to submit their standard proposals to the undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness within 60 days and that the secretaries will provide an update on the proposals within 30 days. Hegseth added that the “full implementation” of new universal standards for men and women in combat roles “must occur within six months of submission.”

President Donald Trump issued a major warning to Iran on Sunday, threatening that the United States will bomb the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism “the likes of which they have never seen before” if Iran does not “make a deal” regarding its nuclear weapons program.

According to Fox News, the 47th president’s letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei attempting to start direct negotiations with Iran over its nuclear weapons program was rejected by Iran’s government on Sunday.

In a Sunday interview with NBC News, Trump threatened, “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”

Trump also told NBC News, “There’s a chance that if they don’t make a deal, that I will do secondary tariffs on them like I did four years ago.”

The Times of Israel previously reported that Trump issued another strong statement against the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism on Friday, saying, “I sent them a letter just recently, and I said: you have to make a decision, one way or the other, and we either have to talk and talk it out or very bad things are going to happen to Iran.”

READ MORE: Video: Trump warns Iran to accept nuclear deal or face US military

Fox News reported that Iranian President Masoud confirmed on Sunday that the Islamic Republic of Iran had rejected direct negotiations with the United States regarding its nuclear weapons program.

In a statement obtained by Fox News, Pezeshkian said, “Direct negotiations [with the US] have been rejected, but Iran has always been involved in indirect negotiations, and now too, the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] has emphasized that indirect negotiations can still continue.”

Following Trump’s threat that the United States could bomb Iran if the country does not accept a nuclear deal, Esmaeil Baghaei, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, issued a statement on X condemning the president’s threat as a violation of the United Nations Charter and the safeguards outlined by the International Atomic Energy Agency

Baghaei wrote, “An open threat of ‘bombing’ by a head of state against Iran is a shocking affront to the very essence of international peace and security.”

“Violence breeds violence, peace begets peace,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson added. “The U.S. can choose the course and concede to consequences.”