President Donald Trump said House Republicans should vote to release the files in the Jeffrey Epstein case, a startling reversal after previously fighting the proposal as a growing number of those in his own party supported it.

We have nothing to hide, and its time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, Trump wrote on social media late Sunday after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a weekend in Florida.

Trump's statement followed a fierce fight within the GOP over the files, including an increasingly nasty split with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had long been one of his fiercest supporters.

The presidents shift is an implicit acknowledgement that supporters of the measure have enough votes to pass it in the House, although it has an unclear future in the Senate.

It is a rare example of Trump backtracking because of opposition within the GOP. In his return to office and in his second term as president, Trump has largely consolidated power in the Republican Party.

RELATED STORY | At Trump's urging, Bondi says US will investigate Epstein's ties to Clinton and other political foes

I DONT CARE! Trump wrote in his social media post. All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT.

Lawmakers who support the bill have been predicting a big win in the House this week with a deluge of Republicans voting for it, bucking the GOP leadership and the president.

In his opposition to the proposal, Trump even reached out to two of the Republican lawmakers who signed it. One, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, met last week with administration officials in the White House Situation Room to discuss it.

The bill would force the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison. Information about Epsteins victims or ongoing federal investigations would be allowed to be redacted.

There could be 100 or more votes from Republicans, said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., among the lawmakers discussing the legislation on Sunday news show appearances. I'm hoping to get a veto-proof majority on this legislation when it comes up for a vote.

Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a discharge petition in July to force a vote on their bill. That is a rarely successful tool that allows a majority of members to bypass House leadership and force a floor vote.

RELATED STORY | Victims urge lawmakers to support release of Epstein files

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had panned the discharge petition effort and sent members home early for their August recess when the GOP's legislative agenda was upended in the clamoring for an Epstein vote. Democrats also contend the seating of Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., was stalled to delay her becoming the 218th member to sign the petition and gain the threshold needed to force a vote. She became the 218th signature moments after taking the oath of office last week.

Massie said Johnson, Trump and others who have been critical of his efforts would be taking a big loss this week.

I'm not tired of winning yet, but we are winning, Massie said.

The view from GOP leadership

Johnson seems to expect the House will decisively back the Epstein bill.

Well just get this done and move it on. Theres nothing to hide, adding that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been releasing far more information than the discharge petition, their little gambit.

The vote comes at a time when new documents are raising fresh questions about Epstein and his associates, including a 2019 email that Epstein wrote to a journalist that said Trump knew about the girls. The White House has accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the Republican president.

Johnson said Trump has nothing to hide from this.

Theyre doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not, Johnson said.

Trump's association with Epstein is well-established and the president's name was included in records that his own Justice Department released in February as part of an effort to satisfy public interest in information from the sex-trafficking investigation.

Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and the mere inclusion of someones name in files from the investigation does not imply otherwise. Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, also had many prominent acquaintances in political and celebrity circles besides Trump.

Khanna voiced more modest expectations on the vote count than Massie. Still, Khanna said he was hoping for 40 or more Republicans to join the effort.

I don't even know how involved Trump was, Khanna said. There are a lot of other people involved who have to be held accountable.

Khanna also asked Trump to meet with those who were abused. Some will be at the Capitol on Tuesday for a news conference, he said.

Massie said Republican lawmakers who fear losing Trump's endorsement because of how they vote will have a mark on their record, if they vote no, that could hurt their political prospects in the long term.

The record of this vote will last longer than Donald Trump's presidency," Massie said.

A MAGA split

On the Republican side, three Republicans joined with Massie in signing the discharge petition: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Boebert.

Trump publicly called it quits with Greene last week and said he would endorse a challenger against her in 2026 if the right person runs.

Greene attributed the fallout with Trump as unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files. She said the country deserves transparency on the issue and that Trump's criticism of her is confusing because the women she has talked to say he did nothing wrong.

"I have no idea whats in the files. I cant even guess. But that is the questions everyone is asking, is, why fight this so hard? Greene said.

Trumps feud with Greene escalated over the weekend, with Trump sending out one last social media post about her while still sitting in his helicopter on the White House lawn when he arrived home late Sunday, writing The fact is, nobody cares about this Traitor to our Country!

Even if the bill passes the House, there is no guarantee that Senate Republicans will go along. Massie said he just hopes Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will do the right thing.

The pressure is going to be there if we get a big vote in the House," Massie said, who thinks we could have a deluge of Republicans.

Massie appeared on ABC's This Week, Johnson was on Fox News Sunday, Khanna spoke on NBC's Meet the Press and Greene was interviewed on CNN's State of the Union.

The nation's most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a display of U.S. military power, raising questions about what the new influx of troops and weaponry could signal for the Trump administration's intentions in South America as it conducts military strikes against vessels suspected of transporting drugs.

The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford and other warships, announced by the Navy in a statement, marks a major moment in what the administration insists is a counterdrug operation but has been seen as an escalating pressure tactic against Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. Since early September, U.S. strikes have killed at least 80 people in 20 attacks on small boats accused of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.

The Ford rounds off the largest buildup of U.S. firepower in the region in generations. With its arrival, the Operation Southern Spear" mission includes nearly a dozen Navy ships and about 12,000 sailors and Marines.

The carrier strike group, which includes squadrons of fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers, transited the Anegada Passage near the British Virgin Islands on Sunday morning, the Navy said.

RELATED STORY | Trump confirms the CIA is conducting covert operations inside Venezuela

Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the strike group, said it will bolster an already large force of American warships to "protect our nations security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.

Adm. Alvin Holsey, the commander who oversees the Caribbean and Latin America, said in a statement that the American forces stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region.

Holsey, who will retire next month after just a year on the job, said the strike group's deployment is "a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland.

In Trinidad and Tobago, which is only 7 miles from Venezuela at its closest point, government officials said troops have begun training exercises with the U.S. military that will run through much of the week.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Sean Sobers described the joint exercises as the second in less than a month and said they are aimed at tackling violent crime on the island nation, which has become a stopover point for drug shipments headed to Europe and North America. The prime minister has been a vocal supporter of the U.S. military strikes.

The exercises will include Marines from the 22nd Expeditionary Unit who have been stationed aboard the Navy ships that have been looming off Venezuela's coast for months.

Venezuelas government has described the training exercises as an act of aggression. It had no immediate comment Sunday on the arrival of the aircraft carrier.

Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said Sunday that U.S. troops have been training in Panama, underscoring the administrations increasing focus on Latin America.

Were reactivating our jungle school in Panama. We would be ready to act on whatever Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth needed, he told CBS Face the Nation."

The administration has insisted that the buildup of American forces in the region is focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S., but it has released no evidence to support its assertions that those killed in the boats were narcoterrorists. Trump has indicated military action would expand beyond strikes by sea, saying the U.S. would "stop the drugs coming in by land.

The U.S. has long used aircraft carriers to pressure and deter aggression by other nations because their warplanes can strike targets deep inside another country. Some experts say the Ford is ill-suited to fighting cartels, but it could be an effective instrument of intimidation for Maduro in a push to get him to step down.

RELATED STORY | Venezuela accuses US of 'illegally and hostilely' seizing a fishing boat in Caribbean waters

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the United States does not recognize Maduro, who was widely accused of stealing last years election, as Venezuelas legitimate leader. Rubio has called Venezuela's government a transshipment organization that openly cooperates with those trafficking drugs.

Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S., has said the U.S. government is fabricating a war against him. On his Facebook page, Maduro wrote on Sunday that the Venezuelan people are ready to defend their homeland against any criminal aggression.

Venezuelas government recently touted a massive mobilization of troops and civilians to defend against possible U.S. attacks. Maduro and other officials in Venezuelas socialist party also have been attending rallies this weekend to back the creation of neighborhood committees that will be in charge of increasing membership in Venezuelas socialist party, and promoting the partys policies.

Trump has justified the attacks on drug boats by saying the U.S. is in armed conflict with drug cartels while claiming the boats are operated by foreign terrorist organizations.

He has faced pushback from leaders in the region, the U.N. human rights chief and U.S. lawmakers, including Republicans, who have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the boat strikes.

Senate Republicans, however, recently voted to reject legislation that would have put a check on Trumps ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization.

Experts disagree on whether or not American warplanes may be used to strike land targets inside Venezuela. Either way, the 100,000-ton warship is sending a message.

This is the anchor of what it means to have U.S. military power once again in Latin America, said Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Groups senior analyst for the Andes region. And it has raised a lot of anxieties in Venezuela but also throughout the region. I think everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the U.S. is to really use military force.

President Donald Trump is warning Indiana Republicans that anyone who opposes a new redistricting push could face a primary challenge, escalating tensions inside the party.

Trumps comments on Sunday came after Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said Friday that there was not enough support in the chamber to move forward with redistricting.

Trump singled out Bray directly, accusing him of jeopardizing Republicans chances of controlling the U.S. House after the 2026 midterms.

"Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED," Trump said on Truth Social.

RELATED STORY | Indiana Republicans will not push forward with redistricting, Senate official says

He also took aim at Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, who called a special session to pursue redistricting after pressure from the Trump administration.

"Governor Mike Braun, perhaps, is not working the way he should to get the necessary Votes," Trump said. "Considering that Mike wouldnt be Governor without me (Not even close!), is disappointing!"

Redistricting battles are playing out across the country. Republican-led legislatures in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina have worked to craft maps favorable to the GOP.

Meanwhile, Democrats in California advanced their own strategy in response to Republicans: A ballot measure passed in November that gives the party a favorable map and could allow Democrats to pick up as many as five seats in 2026.

There are currently 219 Republicans and 214 Democrats in the House

Its no magic trick: The third installment in the thieving magician Now You See Me series beat the high-profile action pic The Running Man at the North American box office this weekend. Lionsgates Now You See Me: Now You Dont pulled in $21.3 million, while Paramounts The Running Man made $17 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Now You See Me: Now You Dont, which cost a reported $90 million to produce, comes almost 10 years after the second film. Including ticket sales from 64 international territories, its worldwide opening is estimated to be around $75.5 million. Going into the weekend, it was expected to be a closer race between the two newcomers.

The first two movies in the Now You See Me series, released in 2013 and 2016, earned over $686 million worldwide. This installment, directed by Ruben Fleischer, sees the return of the original Four Horsemen, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco, and introduces three younger magicians into the mix: Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt and Justice Smith. A fourth film is already in the works.

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Reviews were mixed on Rotten Tomatoes, coming in at 59%. According to PostTrak polling, audiences were a bit more positive, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend.

Audience scores were slightly less for The Running Man, which had a 58% definitely recommend. Both earned a B+ CinemaScore, but more people chose the franchise. One key difference is that women made up more of the Now You See Me audience (54%). They only accounted for 37% of The Running Man ticket buyers.

Edgar Wright directed and co-wrote The Running Man, the second adaptation of Stephen Kings novel, first published in 1982. The first film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and was released in 1987 to mixed reviews and a tepid box office, earning only $38 million against a $27 million budget. The new version stars Glen Powell, who has had a good track record starring in box office hits, from the romantic comedy Anyone But You to Twisters.

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Paramount Pictures released The Running Man in 3,400 domestic locations and 58 international markets. Worldwide, it earned $28.2 million against a reported $110 million budget.

The weekends other new opener, Keeper, the third feature from Longlegs filmmaker Oz Perkins, cratered with $2.6 million and a D+ CinemaScore. But as an acquisition title for Neon, its also not a disaster.

Third place went to Predator: Badlands with $13 million in its second weekend, followed by Regretting You in fourth with $4 million. Black Phone 2 rounded out the top five with $2.7 million, bringing its domestic total to $74.7 million after five weeks in theaters.

In anticipation of the big budget musical Wicked: For Good, which opens next week, Universal Pictures put Wicked back in 2,195 theaters, where it made $1.2 million barely missing a spot in the top 10.

The box office should pick up considerably when Wicked 2 blows into theaters, followed by Zootopia 2 before the Thanksgiving holiday. Comscore's Paul Dergarabedian said it could be one of the highest grossing five-day Thanksgiving frames of all time.

Sen. John Fetterman is out of the hospital and recovering at home after what appears to have been a brutal fall on Thursday.

The Pennsylvania senator posted a smiling photo of himself on X with blood still visible on his face.

"20 stitches later and a full recovery, Im back home with @giselefetterman and the kids," he said. "Im overwhelmed + profoundly grateful for all the well-wishes."

RELATED STORY | Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized after fall, his office says

A spokesperson for Fetterman said he fell near his home in Braddock. The fall was apparently caused by a ventricular fibrillation flare-up, a condition he was diagnosed with in 2022 following his stroke.

According to the Mayo Clinic, ventricular fibrillation is an abnormal heart rhythm that prevents the heart from pumping blood to the rest of the body. Its the most frequent cause of sudden cardiac death, the Mayo Clinic states.

After the episode, Fetterman received care at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The feud between one-time allies President Donald Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is intensifying, and Greene says the clash is now putting her safety at risk.

"I am now being contacted by private security firms with warnings for my safety as a hot bed of threats against me are being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world," Greene said on X.

Early Saturday morning, Trump called Greene a traitor, adding that she is a disgrace to the Republican Party.

Tension between the two Republicans has been building for weeks, if not months. Trump suggested it stems from his refusal to support Greene in a potential run for senator or governor. Greene, however, says the fallout is tied to her backing a push to release the Epstein files.

RELATED STORY | Trump says he's cutting ties with 'Wacky' Marjorie Taylor Greene, once among his top MAGA defenders

On Friday, Greene posted screenshots appearing to show her texting Trump about why she supports making the files public. Another screenshot appears to show a Trump aide replying, The Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.

Trump has repeatedly railed against a discharge petition that would force a vote on a bill requiring the Department of Justice to publish all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials tied to Jeffrey Epstein. Greene was one of only a few Republicans to sign the petition.

On Sunday, she also shared a letter from Epsteins accusers praising her for defying the president. We stand united with you against any attempt to bully, rewrite history, or shut down accountability, the letter states.

The petition secured the required 218 signatures on Saturday, forcing a floor vote. The House is scheduled to vote on Tuesday.

RELATED STORY | Trump attacks Democrats over Epstein emails, calls it a hoax

A Texas trooper who had an altercation with South Carolina's Nyck Harbor after his touchdown on Saturday was sent home from the game, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

Harbor scored on an 80-yard reception in the second quarter of the game against Texas A&M and ran into the tunnel limping following the score. As he and three other players were walking back to the field, the trooper walked in between Harbor and another player and bumped into them as they passed each other.

The trooper and Harbor turned around and the trooper pointed at Harbor with both hands and said something to him. Harbor was quickly pushed away by his teammate and they continued to the field.

The public safety department issued a statement saying the trooper was sent home.

"Our Office of Inspector General (OIG) is also aware of the incident and will be further looking into the matter. No additional information will be released at this time," the statement reads.

The video was widely shared on social media with many commenting on it, including Lakers star LeBron James.

A Virginia woman says she walked into a local hospital for help with a collapsed breast implant, but ended up undergoing a surgery she claims was unnecessary and has been life-altering.

In her $25 million lawsuit, she also claims the surgeon who performed the operation should never have been allowed to perform breast reconstruction.

When Mandy Moore walked into the Richmond Breast Center on July 17, 2023, she says she only wanted one thing.

"I had told them I just wanted my implants removed, I wasn't 20 anymore, I had enough breast tissue," Moore said.

A mammogram showed one implant had collapsed, but Moore says when she arrived, she received shocking news from a nurse practitioner at the center.

According to her lawsuit, Moore alleges she was told that the breast surgeon in the practice, Dr. Sasa Grae Espino, had reviewed her records and that she was almost certain to develop breast cancer.

"It wasn't going to be a question of if but when, and I should really think about having a double mastectomy," Moore said they told her.

She previously underwent testing after her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, but those results were negative for gene mutations that increase breast cancer risk.

And yet she claims a nurse practitioner at the center and Espino encouraged her to undergo a preventative double mastectomy with implants.

"Did you feel like if I don't get this done, I will get breast cancer?" Investigative Reporter Melissa Hipolit asked Moore.

"Absolutely because that is what they told me, and I believed every word that they said," Moore replied.

So, Moore consented to the surgery.

On August 22, 2023, she met Espino for her pre-op appointment, but her lawsuit claims Espino never discussed alternative treatment options. Six days later, Espino performed the operation at CJW Hospitals.

By August of the following year, one of the new implants had flipped" and migrated," according to the lawsuit.

Moores operative note states this occurred "after being involved in a car crash."

So, Espino operated on Moore again, the lawsuit stated.

The wounds from this second surgery "did not heal and she developed more problems," the lawsuit claims.

Just two months later, Espino performed another revision surgery.

"I'm thinking what the hell is going on," Moore said.

At the end of 2024, Espino abruptly left Richmond Breast Center, according to the lawsuit, and moved to Alabama to take a part-time position at the University of Alabama at Birminghams Montgomery Breast Surgery Program.

A new breast surgeon at the Richmond Breast Center saw Moore and delivered news that she said left her devastated.

"She said to me she read all my medical, and she would never have done a double mastectomy," Moore said.

According to medical records quoted in the lawsuit, the new surgeon wrote that Moore's mammogram "did not show any concerning abnormalities" and that she "would not have recommended risk-reducing mastectomies."

She also noted Espino "is not a board-certified plastic surgeon.

"From the very beginning to the very end, this was mismanaged," Dr. Lewis Ladocsi, a board-certified plastic surgeon with Richmond Plastic Surgeons, said.

Ladocsi performs breast reconstruction surgeries and works with a lot of patients who have breast cancer or genetic mutations. The Scripps News Group station in Richmond, Virginia, showed him Moore's medical records.

"Although her breast cancer risk was high, about twice what is the normal breast cancer risk, the appropriate management for that situation was closer observation, it was not surgical intervention," Ladocsi said.

Moore has now filed a medical malpractice lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court.

"You can never go back after a woman has a mastectomy," Moore's attorney, Rand Robins with LANTZ & ROBINS, P.C., said. "To take that away from her when it never needed to happen is unforgivable."

Robins argues that Espino acted "in violation of the standard of care" and was "highly motivated by the money she earned for performing these procedures.

He also claims CJW Hospitals and HCA negligently credentialed Espino to perform reconstructive surgeries, alleging in the lawsuit that she was not professionally qualified to perform reconstructive and plastic surgery."

Espino completed a general surgery residency at VCU in 2016 and a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Northwestern in 2017, according to the Virginia Board of Medicines practitioner information.

Two years later, she talked about breast cancer screening and prevention on CBS 6's Virginia This Morning program.

"I want patients to look in the mirror and be happy with who they are and happy with what they look like in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years," Espino said on the show at the time.

According to the lawsuit, plastic surgeons generally perform breast reconstruction, and "it is very unusual for a breast surgeon to perform breast reconstruction procedures."

"Do breast surgeons [typically] do breast reconstruction like the implants?" Hipolit asked Dr. Ladocsi.

"Typically they do not," he replied. "The patients have to look for plastic surgeons when they have reconstruction of any sort, and they have to look for the interlocking arcs of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons on the doctor's business cards or logo or websites."

Moore has also filed a complaint with the Virginia Board of Medicine, and hopes to get strong enough for one more surgery to repair the damage.

But she says the emotional harm she's suffered is irreparable.

"Shame on you, shame on you, I can't even cry anymore because I am just so mad," she said.

CBS 6 tried to contact Dr. Espino.

Attorney Elizabeth Papoulakos, a partner with Harman Claytor Corrigan and Wellman, responded with the following statement:

"Dr. Espino is a board-certified general surgeon, currently licensed in Virginia and Alabama to practice medicine and surgery. Her practice is focused on the comprehensive breast care for women, including but not limited to mastectomies, breast reconstruction and breast conserving surgery. She also treats benign disease and performs surgical breast biopsy and reduction mammoplasty. Dr. Espino attended medical school at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, completed a general surgery residency at VCU Health in Richmond, Virginia, and completed a breast surgery fellowship at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. During this specialized fellowship, Dr. Espino was trained by surgical oncologists and plastic surgeons to perform breast oncologic and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Espino received certification in oncoplastic breast surgery in 2023 from the National Consortium of Breast Surgery. Dr. Espino was previously employed as a breast surgeon with Richmond Breast Center in Richmond, Colonial Heights and Spotsylvania, Virginia. Dr. Espino was credentialed and had privileges at multiple Richmond area hospitals to practice oncoplastic breast surgery."

Chippenham and Johnston Willis Hospital, HCA, and another defendant in the lawsuit have filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing in part that she filed her lawsuit too late.

In its response, CJW denies it made the decision to permit Espino to perform complex breast reconstruction surgeries for patients and denies it was highly profitable for CJW when Espino performed mastectomies and breast reconstruction surgeries together.

When we asked HCA Healthcares Capital Division about Moores claims, spokesperson Wes Hester sent us the following statement:

"Dr. Sasa Espino was previously credentialed by Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals to perform breast reconstruction surgeries. Dr. Espinos request for privileges was carefully reviewed by a Credentials Committee and Medical Executive Committee. These committees evaluate many factors including the providers formal training, certifications, licenses, and past surgical experienceincluding procedures performed during residency, fellowship, and at other facilities. The committees also review case logs and other documentation to ensure the provider has demonstrated competency in the requested procedure. Our hospital providers are continuously evaluated through an ongoing professional practice review to maintain high standards of care."

In the days ahead, we'll introduce you to another former patient who has filed a lawsuit alleging Espino botched her breast surgery.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.This story was originally published by Melissa Hipolit with the Scripps News Group station in Richmond, Virginia.

Federal officials confirmed that a surge of immigration enforcement in North Carolina's largest city had begun as agents were seen making arrests in multiple locations Saturday.

"We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed," Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Local officials, including Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, criticized such actions, saying in a statement they "are causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty."

"We want people in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to know we stand with all residents who simply want to go about their lives," said the statement, which was also signed by County Commissioner Mark Jerrell and Stephanie Sneed of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg education board.

RELATED STORY | US Border Patrol agents will be sent to Charlotte, local sheriff says

The federal government hadn't previously announced the push. But Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden confirmed earlier this week that two federal officials had told him that Customs agents would be arriving soon.

Paola Garcia, a spokesperson with Camino a bilingual nonprofit serving families in Charlotte said she and her colleagues have observed an increase in Border Patrol and ICE agents pulling people over since Friday.

"Basically what we're seeing is that there have been lots of people being pulled over," Garcia said. "I even saw a few people being pulled over on the way to work yesterday, and then just from community members seeing an increase in ICE and border patrol agents in the city of Charlotte."

Willy Aceituno, a Honduran-born U.S. citizen, was on his way to work when he saw Border Patrol agents chasing people.

"I saw a lot of Latinos running. I wondered why they were running. The thing is, there were a lot of Border Patrol agents chasing them," he said.

Aceituno, a 46-year-old Charlotte resident, said he himself was stopped twice by Border Patrol agents. On the second encounter, they forced him out of his vehicle after breaking the car window and threw him to the ground.

"I told them, 'I'm an American citizen," he told The Associated Press. "They wanted to know where I was born, or they didn't believe I was an American citizen."

Finally, he was allowed to go free after showing documents that proved his citizenship.

Charlotte is a racially diverse city of more than 900,000 residents, including more than 150,000 who are foreign-born, according to local officials.

Local organizations responded by having trainings, trying to inform immigrants of their rights, and considering peaceful protests. President Donald Trump's administration has defended federal enforcement operations in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago as necessary for fighting crime and enforcing immigration laws.

But Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat with a Republican-majority legislature, said Friday that the "vast majority" of those detained in these operations have no criminal convictions, and some are American citizens."

He urged people to record any "inappropriate behavior" they see and notify local law enforcement about it.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department had emphasized ahead of time that it isn't involved in federal immigration enforcement.

Acceding to President Donald Trump's demands, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that she has ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's ties to Trump political foes, including former President Bill Clinton.

Bondi posted on X that she was assigning Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the probe, capping an eventful week in which congressional Republicans released nearly 23,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate and House Democrats seized on emails mentioning Trump.

Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years, didn't explain what supposed crimes he wanted the Justice Department to investigate. None of the men he mentioned in a social media post demanding the probe has been accused of sexual misconduct by any of Epstein's victims.

Hours before Bondi's announcement, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he would ask her, the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate Epstein's "involvement and relationship" with Clinton and others, including former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn founder and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman.

RELATED STORY | Victims urge lawmakers to support release of Epstein files

Trump, calling the matter "the Epstein Hoax, involving Democrats, not Republicans," said the investigation should also include financial giant JPMorgan Chase, which provided banking services to Epstein, and "many other people and institutions."

"This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats," the Republican president wrote, referring to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of alleged Russian interference in Trump's 2016 election victory over Bill Clinton's wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Asked later Friday whether he should be ordering up such investigations, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: "I'm the chief law enforcement officer of the country. I'm allowed to do it."

In a July memo regarding the Epstein investigation, the FBI said, "We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties."

The president's demand for an investigation and Bondi's quick acquiescence is the latest example of the erosion of the Justice Department's traditional independence from the White House since Trump took office.

It is also an extraordinary attempt at deflection. For decades, Trump himself has been scrutinized for his closeness to Epstein though like the people he now wants investigated, he has not been accused of sexual misconduct by Epstein's victims.

RELATED STORY | Trump blasts release of Epstein emails as political 'trap'

None of Trump's proposed targets were accused of sex crimes

A JPMorgan Chase spokesperson, Patricia Wexler, said the company regretted associating with Epstein "but did not help him commit his heinous acts."

"The government had damning information about his crimes and failed to share it with us or other banks," she said. The company agreed previously to pay millions of dollars to Epstein's victims, who had sued arguing that the bank ignored red flags about criminal activity.

Clinton has acknowledged traveling on Epstein's private jet but has said through a spokesperson that he had no knowledge of the late financier's crimes. He also has never been accused of misconduct by Epstein's known victims.

Clinton's deputy chief of staff Angel Urea posted on X Friday: "These emails prove Bill Clinton did nothing and knew nothing. The rest is noise meant to distract from election losses, backfiring shutdowns, and who knows what else."

Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, but was spared a long jail term when the U.S. attorney in Florida agreed not to prosecute him over allegations that he had paid many other children for sexual acts. After serving about a year in jail and a work release program, Epstein resumed his business and social life until federal prosecutors in New York revived the case in 2019. Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Summers and Hoffman had nothing to do with either case, but both were friendly with Epstein and exchanged emails with him. Those messages were among the documents released this week, along with other correspondence Epstein had with friends and business associates in the years before his death.

Nothing in the messages suggested any wrongdoing on the men's part, other than associating with someone who had been accused of sex crimes against children.

Summers, who served in Clinton's cabinet and is a former Harvard University president, previously said in a statement that he has "great regrets in my life" and that "my association with Jeffrey Epstein was a major error of judgement."

On social media Friday night, Hoffman called for Trump to release all the Epstein files, saying they will show that "the calls for baseless investigations of me are nothing more than political persecution and slander." He added, "I was never a client of Epstein's and never had any engagement with him other than fundraising for MIT." Hoffman bankrolled writer E. Jean Carroll's sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit against Trump.

After Epstein's sex trafficking arrest in 2019, Hoffman said he'd only had a few interactions with Epstein, all related to his fundraising for MIT's Media Lab. He nevertheless apologized, saying that "by agreeing to participate in any fundraising activity where Epstein was present, I helped to repair his reputation and perpetuate injustice."

Bondi, in her post, praised Clayton as "one of the most capable and trusted prosecutors in the country" and said the Justice Department "will pursue this with urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people."

Trump called Clayton "a great man, a great attorney," though he said Bondi chose him for the job.

Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term, took over in April as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York the same office that indicted Epstein and won a sex trafficking conviction against Epstein's longtime confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2021.

RELATED STORY | Trump attacks Democrats over Epstein emails, calls it a hoax

Trump changes course on Epstein files

Trump suggested while campaigning last year that he'd seek to open up the government's case files on Epstein, but changed course in recent months, blaming Democrats and painting the matter as a "hoax" amid questions about what knowledge he may have had about Epstein's yearslong exploitation of underage girls.

On Wednesday, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three Epstein email exchanges that referenced Trump, including one from 2019 in which Epstein said the president "knew about the girls" and asked Maxwell to stop.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt accused Democrats of having "selectively leaked emails" to smear Trump.

Soon after, Republicans on the committee disclosed a far bigger trove of Epstein's email correspondence, including messages he sent to longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon and to Britain's former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Andrew settled a lawsuit out of court with one of Epstein's victims, who said she had been paid to have sex with the prince.

The House is speeding toward a vote next week to force the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein.

"I don't care about it, release or not," Trump said Friday. "If you're going to do it, then you have to go into Epstein's friends," he added, naming Clinton and Hoffman.

Still, he said: "This is a Democrat hoax. And a couple, a few Republicans have gone along with it because they're weak and ineffective." __

Bedayn reported from Denver. Associated Press writer Chris Megerian aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.

A man has been arrested after federal officials alleged that he destroyed property while trying to confront New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, Alina Habba.

Keith Michael Lisa, 51, has been arrested, FBI spokesperson Emily Molinari confirmed Saturday.

Molinari did not say when or where Lisa was arrested, what charges he might face, whether he was in jail, or when he might go before a judge. It's unclear whether Lisa is represented by a lawyer. The federal public defender in Newark didn't immediately respond to an electronic message Saturday asking whether it was representing Lisa.

The FBI on Friday had offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information about Lisa, saying he was wanted on charges of destroying government property and possession of a dangerous weapon inside a U.S. court facility. That bulletin said Lisa tried to enter a federal office building in downtown Newark on Wednesday with a bat and was turned away. Lisa returned without the bat, the bulletin said, and was admitted. He then went to the U.S. Attorney's office, where Habba works, and destroyed property, the bulletin said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on X on Saturday that the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations had worked together to arrest Lisa.

"No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great U.S. attorneys or the destruction of their offices," Bondi wrote.

Habba was previously President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, representing him in various cases and acting as his spokesperson on legal matters. She served as a White House adviser briefly before Trump named her as interim U.S. attorney in March.

"We got him," Habba wrote on X on Saturday. "This Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi and our federal partners will not tolerate any acts of intimidation or violence toward law enforcement. So grateful to the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations for their tireless work to capture him. Now justice will handle him."

Bondi had vowed that federal officials would find and prosecute the person, writing earlier that "Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period."

Trump formally nominated Habba as New Jersey's permanent U.S. attorney on July 1, but the state's two Democratic U.S. senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim opposed it, stalling the confirmation process.

A few weeks later, as Habba's 120-day interim appointment was expiring, New Jersey federal judges moved to replace her with her second-in-command. Bondi then fired that prosecutor and renamed Habba as acting U.S. attorney.

Last month, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a case challenging her appointment. It hasn't ruled.

A Mega Millions player in Georgia won the $980 million jackpot on Friday, overcoming abysmal odds to win the huge prize.

The numbers selected were 1, 8, 11, 12 and 57 with the gold Mega Ball 7.

The winner overcame Mega Millions' astronomical odds of 1 in 290.5 million by matching all six numbers. The next drawing will be on Tuesday.

A winner can choose an annuity or the cash option a one-time, lump-sum payment of $452.2 million before taxes. If there are multiple jackpot winners, the prize is shared.

There were four Mega Millions jackpot wins earlier this year, but Friday's drawing was the 40th since the last win on June 27, a game record, officials said.

In September, two Powerball players in Missouri and Texas won a nearly $1.8 billion jackpot, one of the largest in the U.S. The current Mega Millions jackpot isn't among the top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots but would be the eighth-largest for Mega Millions since the game began in 2002.

Other prizes

Mega Millions offers lesser prizes in addition to the jackpot. The odds of winning any of these is 1 in 23.

There were more than 800,000 winners of non-jackpot prizes from the Nov. 11 drawing.

Tickets are $5 each and are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Half the proceeds from each Mega Millions ticket remains in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Local lottery agencies run the game in each jurisdiction and how profits are spent is dictated by law.

Gambling addictions

Sometimes, gambling can become addictive.

The National Council on Problem Gambling defines problem gambling as "gambling behavior that is damaging to a person or their family, often disrupting their daily life and career."

It is sometimes called gambling addiction or gambling disorder, a recognized mental health diagnosis. The group says anyone who gambles can be at risk.

It's National Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-522-4700, connects anyone seeking assistance with a gambling problem to local resources.

President Donald Trump has publicly called it quits with one of his most stalwart MAGA-world supporters, calling Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene "'Wacky' Marjorie" and saying he would endorse a challenger against her in next year's midterms "if the right person runs."

The dismissal of Greene once the epitome of "Make America Great Again," sporting the signature red cap for President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union address and acting as a go-between for Trump and other Capitol Hill Republicans appeared to be the final break in a dispute simmering for months, as Greene has seemingly moderated her political profile. The three-term U.S. House member has increasingly dissented from Republican leaders, attacking them during the just-ended federal government shutdown and saying they need a plan to help people who are losing subsidies to afford health insurance policies.

Accusing the Georgia Republican of going "Far Left," Trump wrote that all he had witnessed from Greene in recent months is "COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!" adding, of Greene's purported irritation that he doesn't return her phone calls, "I can't take a ranting Lunatic's call every day."

In a response on X, Greene wrote Friday that Trump had "attacked me and lied about me." She added a screenshot of a text she said she had sent the president earlier in the day about releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, which she said "is what sent him over the edge."

Greene called it "astonishing really how hard he's fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out that he actually goes to this level," referencing next week's U.S. House vote over releasing the Epstein files.

Writing that she had supported Trump "with too much of my precious time, too much of my own money, and fought harder for him even when almost all other Republicans turned their back and denounced him," Greene added, "I don't worship or serve Donald Trump."

Trump's post seemingly tied a bow of finality to fissures that widened following this month's off-cycle elections, in which voters in the New Jersey and Virginia governor races flocked to Democrats in large part over concerns about the cost of living.

Last week, Greene told NBC News that "watching the foreign leaders come to the White House through a revolving door is not helping Americans," saying that Trump needs to focus on high prices at home rather than his recent emphasis on foreign affairs. Trump responded by saying that Greene had "lost her way."

Asked about Greene's comments earlier Friday as he flew from Washington to Florida, Trump reiterated that he felt "something happened to her over the last month or two," saying that, if he hadn't gone to China to meet leader Xi Jinping, there would have been negative ramifications for jobs in Georgia and elsewhere because China would have kept its curbs on magnet exports.

Saying that people have been calling him, wanting to challenge Greene, Trump added, "She's lost a wonderful conservative reputation."

Greene's discontent dates back at least to May, when she announced she wouldn't run for the Senate against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff, while attacking GOP donors and consultants who feared she couldn't win. In June, she publicly sided with Tucker Carlson after Trump called the commentator "kooky" in a schism that emerged between MAGA and national security hardliners over possible U.S. efforts at regime change in Iran.

That only intensified in July, when Greene said she wouldn't run for governor. Then, she attacked a political "good ole boy" system, alleging it was endangering Republican control of the state. Greene embarked on a charm offensive in recent weeks, with interviews and appearances in media aimed at people who aren't hardcore Trump supporters. Asked on comedian Tim Dillon's podcast if she wanted to run for president in 2028, Greene said in October, "I hate politics so much" and just wanted "to fix problems" but didn't give a definitive answer.

That climaxed with an appearance on Bill Maher's HBO show "Real Time," followed days later by a Nov. 4 appearance on ABC's "The View." Some observers began pronouncing Greene as reasonable as she trashed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana for not calling Republicans back to Washington and coming up with a health care plan.

"I feel like I'm sitting next to a completely different Marjorie Taylor Greene," said "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin.

"Maybe you should become a Democrat, Marjorie," said co-host Joy Behar.

"I'm not a Democrat," Greene replied. "I think both parties have failed."

Disney reached a new agreement with YouTube Friday to return content from major networks like ESPN and ABC to YouTube TV's subscription service.

"Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN, and FX returning to their service over the course of the day," YouTube said in a social media message Friday.

Disney channels became inaccessible on YouTube TV at the end of October due to unresolved contract disputes. Channels offering content from ESPN, ABC, National Geographic and some college sports went dark on YouTube's platform.

RELATED STORY | ESPN launches new streaming service

YouTube TV originally said Disney's terms for the deal were too expensive and limiting for its users, and accused Disney of using its content as leverage in negotiations.

Disney countered that it wasn't getting fair rates from YouTube. It said YouTube, which is owned by Google, was using its market dominance to eliminate competition and undercut the industry-standard terms weve successfully negotiated with every other distributor.

The blackout ran for about two weeks.

The companies say their new agreement will extend for multiple years.

This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch," the companies said in a joint statement.

We are pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it plans to roll back some of the restrictions on commercial flights it implemented at 40 major U.S. airports during the shutdown.

The agency says the current mandatory 6% flight cuts are being downgraded to 3% beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday, even though the record 43-day shutdown ended Nov. 12. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly said restrictions would remain until staffing at air traffic control facilities stabilizes and safety metrics improve.

The rollback comes amid continued improvements in staffing levels, the FAA and Department of Transportation said Friday, adding that they will continue to monitor the situation throughout the weekend and evaluate whether normal operations can resume.

By Friday afternoon, the flight tracking website FlightAware showed just 159 cancellations for Saturday in the U.S.

RELATED STORY | Domestic flights still curtailed as FAA cautions on shutdown recovery

The unprecedented order, in place since Nov. 7, has affected thousands of flights. The head of the FAA said troubling data showed the measure was needed to ease pressure on the aviation system as the shutdown entered its second month and controller absences rose. Unpaid for more than a month, many controllers cited financial strain and the need to take on side jobs.

The flight cuts started at 4% and later grew to 6%. The FAA originally had a 10% target, but officials held off on further rate increases because they said more controllers were coming to work amid news that Congress was close to reaching a deal to end the shutdown.

Air traffic controllers missed two paychecks during the impasse.

Duffy hasnt shared the specific safety data that prompted the cuts, but he cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air, more runway incursions and pilot concerns about controllers responses.

How long it will take for the aviation system to stabilize is unclear. The flight restrictions upended airline operations in just a matter of days. Many planes were rerouted and arent where theyre supposed to be. Airlines for America, the trade group of U.S. airlines, warned there could be residual effects for days.

Some experts predicted the problems could linger longer but airline executives were optimistic that flying could quickly return to normal ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel week.

The nationwide shortage of controllers isnt new, but the shutdown put a spotlight on the problem and likely made it worse. Duffy said that by the end of the shutdown, 15-20 controllers were retiring daily and some younger controllers were leaving the profession.

Health officials in Washington state say they have identified the nation's first human case of bird flu since February, pending confirmatory testing.

A Grays Harbor County, Washington, resident preliminarily tested positive for the infection, the Washington State Department of Health said Thursday. Health officials say they're still investigating the source of the infection, including contact with wild or domestic birds.

The patient is an older adult with underlying health conditions, state health officials said. They developed a high fever, confusion, and respiratory distress and were hospitalized in early November. The person's treatment is ongoing.

There have been 26 human infections of bird flu confirmed so far this year around the world through Aug. 4, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of them, 23, were found outside the U.S., and 11 people died. The nine-month gap in new cases in the U.S. has stumped health experts tracking the virus' spread.

In 2024 and early 2025, infections were reported in 70 people in the U.S. most of them workers on dairy and poultry farms. One person died, but most of the infected people had mild illnesses.

FROM JULY | CDC ends its emergency response to bird flu as cases decline

While the U.S. hadnt seen a human infection in months, bird flu cases have been happening recently in poultry flocks and livestock.

In the past month, nearly 70 U.S. poultry flocks either commercial or backyard were found to have bird flu infections, with more than 1.7 million birds affected, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. The last confirmed livestock detection was about a month ago in Idaho dairy cows, according to USDA.

The CDC characterizes the risk to the general public as low, although it is higher for people who work with cattle and poultry or who are in contact with wild birds.

Lawmakers in Indiana say an effort to redraw congressional districts in the sate will not move forward.

In a Friday statement, Indiana state Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said there was not enough support in the chamber for a redistricting push.

"Over the last several months, Senate Republicans have given very serious and thoughtful consideration to the concept of redrawing our state's congressional maps," the statement read. "Today, I'm announcing there are not enough votes to move that idea forward, and the Senate will not reconvene in December."

Indiana's Senate will next reconvene on January 5.

RELATED STORY | Indiana's governor calls special session to redraw congressional boundaries

Late in October, Indiana's Republican Governor Mike Braun called a special session to pursue redistricting, following pressure from President Donald Trump on multiple states to secure more seats in the U.S. house.

On Friday Gov. Braun criticized lawmakers' decision not to pursue the redistricting.

""I called for our legislators to convene to ensure Hoosiers voices in Washington, DC are not diluted by the democrats gerrymandering," the governor's statement read. "Our state senators need to do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps. Hoosiers deserve to know where their elected officials stand on important issues."

Republican-led legislatures in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina have undertaken their own redistricting efforts.

Democrats in California responded with a ballot measure this November to pursue their own favorable changes. Voters approved the proposal, which could give Democrats a new five-seat edge in the House of Representatives.

Eamonn Carr has a warning for job-seekers.

He received a job offer after he listed his contact information in the Maryland Film Office directory.

"Put in their name, info and resume and you're just in a directory that assistant directors or producers can kind of go to if they need extra hands on a project, so that they contact you," Carr said.

As a recent college graduate, Carr was looking for production work. So when someone claiming to be film producer Jamie Buckner offered him a job, he listened.

"They said they wanted to take me on as a production assistant and that they were willing to pay $1,500, which is way more than I think anyone is ever paid to be a production assistant," Carr said.

But he wanted to know more about the opportunity and sent his name, address, and phone number as requested.

"They sent, like it was a whole list of like lighting equipment, and they said they were going to pay me up front and that they would walk me through purchasing the equipment and everything, and that's when it really clicked for me that it was like definitely not legitimate," Carr said.

The scammer even asked to meet at a local restaurant. Instead, Carr reached out to someone he trusted his mother, Nancy, who works with AARP to warn others about scams.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | AI scammers flood holiday shoppers with ads for items that aren't real

"So I just sent her screenshots of some of the emails I received, and I was like, 'Hey, does this look like a scam?' And she said yes," Carr said.

"Anyone in my circle, I want them to have good things and so I didn't want to automatically, you know, be the negative person saying this isn't real, but it only took me a few seconds to really get out of the ether and say no, this really isn't real," Carr's mother said.

Job scams are on the rise, with 75,364 reports in the first half of the year and a median loss of $2,100, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

"We've got people who've been furloughed. The job market here is really tight, and so there are a lot of people, especially with the holidays coming, there are a lot of people who are looking, if not for a permanent job, they're looking for at least a gig to get them through," Nancy Carr said.

Her advice for anyone who thinks they may be targeted by a scam is to pause, reflect and protect: Dont act too quickly, and take a moment to consider whether the offer and pay make sense.

She advises to also search the name of the company or hiring manager plus the words "scam" or "complaint." That's how Eamonn found a warning about this job scam online.

A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Commerce, which is connected to the Maryland Film Office, said: "We are aware of this scam which apparently has been going on for quite a while. It has been reported to the state police for their follow up. Also we do not believe the Maryland Crew and Resource Directory is where they are getting names from."

The Scripps News Group also reached out to the talent agency representing the real Jamie Buckner, but has not yet heard back.

"You want it to work. You want it to be the job. But you just have to really reflect, talk to other people about it. Have you had experience with this company? Have you had experience with this kind of work?" Nancy Carr recommended.

No legitimate employer will send you a check, ask you to deposit it, and then buy equipment or send money back. When that check bounces, you're left owing the bank.

Click here for additional information from the FTC on how to spot and avoid job scams.

This story was originally published by Mallory Sofastaii with the 

Scripps News Group in Baltimore.

The Trump administration will deploy federal Border Patrol agents to Charlotte, North Carolina, for its ongoing immigration crackdown as early as this weekend, according to Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden.

The sheriff said he was contacted by two federal officials and was told U.S. Border Patrol agents could arrive Saturday or the beginning of next week. However, details plans were not disclosed.

Some local officials said they've already received unconfirmed reports of plainclothes officers in various neighborhoods.

RELATED STORY | Judge orders daily meetings with official running Chicago immigration crackdown

The deployment to the Queen City comes after border patrol agents spent about a month in Chicago, prompting protests and demonstrations.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein have not said if they received the same intel.

In a presser expressing opposition to the deployment, Charlotte City Council Member-Elect JD Mazuera Arias said, "This is not about public safety. It is not about finding criminals. It is about fear. It is by quotas, and it's about control."

Other state and local officials released a statement earlier this week in solidarity with their immigrant communities.

"More than 150,000 foreign-born residents live in our city, contributing billions to our economy and enriching every neighborhood with culture, hard work, and hope," it stated. "Our message is simple: Mecklenburg County and Charlotte are communities of belonging. We will stand together, look out for one another, and ensure that fear never divides the city we all call home."