Top Threats

Every week, you’ll receive an expanded Top Threats feature that highlights the most important and impactful threats to our freedoms. If you want a deeper dive into some of the issues that influence American freedoms today, these articles are for you.

In Top Threats, we’ll tackle ongoing threats to personal freedoms. We will also share information about regulations that tie our hands and prevent us from living and working freely. Together, we’ll defend and preserve the American rights we hold dear.

Hand Soaps Recalled After Potential Bacteria Contamination Found

Certain lots of six hand soaps distributed across 15 states may contain Pseudomonas, Serratia or other bacterial contamination. WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified a recall involving six hand soap products distributed across 15 states as Class II after the products were linked to possible bacterial contamination, including several species of Pseudomonas and Serratia. St. Louis-based Intercon Chemical Co. initiated the voluntary recall June 29. The FDA classified the action as …

Massive FDA Recall Notice Warns of Plastic Risk in Fruit Pouches

The affected Peter Rabbit Organics products were sold nationwide at Kroger, Meijer and Target stores. LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — PT Organics Limited is recalling select Pumpkin Tree Peter Rabbit Organics Banana & Strawberry fruit puree pouches because a packaging defect may leave strands of soft plastic inside the product, according to a company announcement posted by the Food and Drug Administration. The voluntary recall covers certain 4-ounce pouches sold nationwide through Kroger, Meijer and Target …

Teen Suffers Severe Burns After Routine Shower

A family in Trinidad says a 16-year-old girl was hospitalized after doctors linked her injuries to possible chemical exposure in the town’s water supply. TRINIDAD, Texas — A 16-year-old girl was hospitalized after suffering what doctors described as severe chemical burns or dermatitis following multiple showers at her family’s home in Trinidad, Texas, prompting renewed scrutiny of the small city’s troubled water system. The incident has intensified concerns about water quality in the Henderson County …

Powerful Quake Kills Dozens, Triggers Tsunami

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off Mindanao, damaging buildings, disrupting travel and prompting tsunami warnings across the region. DAVAO, Philippines — A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on Monday morning, killing at least 35 people, injuring more than 200 and sending tsunami waves onto nearby coastlines as rescue crews searched damaged buildings across Mindanao. The earthquake hit near Sarangani province at the start of the workday and on the first day of classes …

Ivanka Trump Allegedly Targeted in Revenge Plot

Authorities say the accused Iraqi operative linked the threat to retaliation for the 2020 killing of Qasem Soleimani. NEW YORK, N.Y. — Federal prosecutors and media reports this week described an alleged assassination plot targeting Ivanka Trump that investigators say was connected to an Iraqi man accused of organizing attacks for Iran-backed militant groups across Europe and North America. The allegations surfaced after the arrest and extradition of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a 32-year-old …

Iran Drone Strike on California Possible, Emerges in FBI Alert

Federal authorities warned California law enforcement in late February that Iran had allegedly considered a surprise drone attack against unspecified targets in the state if the United States struck Iran, according to a bulletin reviewed by multiple news organizations. The warning drew wide attention on March 11 because it surfaced publicly as the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran entered its 12th day. But the newly public bulletin came with major limits. It …

Highly Contagious Virus Outbreak, 130 Children Exposed

California health officials said as many as 130 children may have been exposed to measles at a Sacramento County educational enrichment program, adding fresh urgency to a six-case regional cluster that has drawn in county agencies, hospitals and contact tracers across two counties. The exposure matters now because it pushed what had been a small chain of linked cases into a wider community response involving children outside the original households. State and county officials say …

Travelers Sprint for Cover as Cartel Violence Sparks Panic at Airport

Videos of passengers sprinting through Guadalajara’s international airport spread across social media after Mexican authorities reported the killing of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, the longtime head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, setting off a wave of gunfire, road blockades and torched vehicles that rattled several states. Mexico’s security officials said the cartel’s response to the operation turned major highways into choke points, shut down schools in parts of Jalisco and forced businesses to lock …

Tourist Dies After Shark Attack off Beach

A 56-year-old American woman died Thursday after a shark attacked her while she swam near the marked buoys at Dorsch Beach on St. Croix’s west end, authorities said. Bystanders helped pull her to shore as emergency crews arrived around 4:30 p.m., and she was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police identified the victim as Arlene Lillis of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. The incident, described by territorial officials as rare, set off a …

Disaster at Resort Kills 40 During New Year Celebration

Swiss authorities are investigating a predawn blaze that swept through a basement bar in this Alpine resort around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, killing about 40 people and injuring at least 115 more during New Year festivities. Police said the fire broke out at Le Constellation, a popular late-night spot in the town center, as hundreds celebrated the turn of the year. The scale of the tragedy and the setting magnified the shock at one of Europe’s …