Authorities in Austin discovered incendiary devices at a Tesla dealership Monday morning, police said, marking the latest in a series of attacks targeting the electric carmaker amid protests against CEO Elon Musk’s political role.

The Austin Police Department responded to a report of suspicious devices at the dealership on U.S. Highway 183 just after 8 a.m. The bomb squad confirmed the devices were incendiary and removed them without incident, according to a police statement, “This is an open and ongoing investigation.”

The incident follows nationwide vandalism targeting Tesla properties, linked to Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump. The initiative, aimed at cutting federal spending, has sparked backlash, including Molotov cocktail attacks on Tesla sites, with suspects facing up to 20 years in prison.

Tesla security has been thrust into the spotlight as dealerships, storage lots, and charging stations face escalating threats. The FBI has launched a task force to address the violence, with ATF personnel embedded in field offices, including San Antonio, where similar attacks occurred.

Photos from the scene showed law enforcement securing the Austin dealership on March 24, 2025. Musk has publicly addressed the protests, while Trump has vowed to crack down on what he calls assaults on a “great American company.”

Violent Mexican Cartel using TIKTOK to recruit new members

A commander from one of Mexico’s most violent cartels used TikTok to recruit gunmen, luring them with false job offers, Mexican authorities announced Tuesday. The arrest of Jose Gregorio “Comandante Lastra” Lastra Hermida on March 20 revealed the Cartel Jalisco New Generation’s (CJNG) exploitation of social media to bolster its ranks.

Mexico’s Public Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch said Lastra, operating under regional CJNG leader Gonzalo “El 90” Mendoza Gaytan, managed over 39 TikTok accounts to attract recruits. Promising 4,000 to 12,000 pesos weekly, the cartel enticed individuals to bus stations, where gunmen transported them to Rancho Izaguirre for training. “They were given tactical gear and clothing for a month-long session,” Harfuch noted, adding that trainees were then deployed across Mexico.

The investigation into Rancho Izaguirre, a reported cartel killing field, uncovered mass graves and personal items, sparking outrage. Authorities arrested Lastra and 48 others linked to CJNG’s recruitment operations, which Harfuch said ran from May 2024 until this month. Lastra allegedly oversaw both recruitment and training.

The CJNG, notorious for its brutality, has increasingly turned to digital platforms to expand. The TikTok scheme highlights the cartel’s adaptability amid Mexico’s ongoing security challenges.

Bondi’s stark message for those exposed by the DOGE audit "We're coming after you."

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a stern warning Monday, promising to prosecute individuals implicated in widespread government fraud uncovered by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying, "We're coming after you."

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump present, Bondi praised Tesla CEO Elon Musk for DOGE's efforts in exposing "fraud, waste and abuse." She highlighted "a tremendous amount of fraud," thanking Musk and his team for their partnership. "We have an internal task force now working with every agency sitting here at this table," Bondi said, signaling a coordinated crackdown.

Musk cited a striking example, claiming DOGE discovered $330 million in Small Business Administration loans improperly awarded to children under 11, including a supposed 9-month-old who received $100,000. Trump echoed the sentiment, noting, "The fraud, not just waste and abuse, the fraud has been incredible."

Bondi also tied the initiative to broader enforcement goals, announcing plans to seek the death penalty for violent federal offenders and drug traffickers. "Everyone will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," she said, emphasizing the role of 94 U.S. attorneys nationwide.

The meeting underscored the administration's focus on rooting out corruption, with DOGE's findings fueling Bondi's aggressive stance. Neither Bondi nor Musk provided immediate specifics on pending cases, but the task force’s work signals imminent legal action against alleged fraudsters.

Columbia Activist agitator hid connections to UN group on his Green Card application

Federal prosecutors allege that Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist, concealed his past work with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) on his green card application, escalating their case against the detained anti-Israel agitator.

The Department of Justice claims Khalil, arrested March 8 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, omitted his UNRWA affiliation and work with the British Embassy in Beirut when applying for permanent U.S. residency in 2023. Prosecutors assert these omissions justify deportation, citing Khalil’s role in Columbia’s Gaza war protests last spring. “Khalil’s misrepresentations on his application are material and render him inadmissible,” the DOJ stated in a Monday filing.

Khalil, a Palestinian refugee raised in Syria, has called himself a “political prisoner,” arguing his detention stems from his activism. His lawyers and free speech advocates, including the New York Civil Liberties Union, decry the arrest as retaliation for his views. “This is targeted retaliation and an extreme attack on the First Amendment,” said NYCLU President Donna Lieberman.

The Trump administration, seeking to deport Khalil, alleges his presence poses “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” UNRWA, criticized by Israel for alleged Hamas ties, said Khalil was an unpaid intern in 2023, not a staffer. Now held in Louisiana, Khalil awaits a federal judge’s ruling on his detention challenge as protests mount in his support.