STEPHEN MOORE: From Dow 800 to 50,000–Reagan, Trump and the supply-side miracle
When I first arrived in Washington in 1982, the Dow Jones hit a low of 800. You may not believe that, so feel free to look it up.
If anyone had predicted that in a little more than four decades the Dow would surpass 50,000, they might have been admitted into a mental institution. But U.S. stocks have grown 60-fold (not counting inflation). Even accounting for inflation, the Dow is up about 12-fold. We have lived through the greatest period of wealth creation in perhaps the history of the world.
No other nation has come even close in modern times. Consider that American publicly traded companies are now worth more than $70 trillion.
TRUMP PREDICTING 100K ON DOW BY TIME HE LEAVES OFFICE, CLAIMS HE WAS ‘RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING’
Is China catching up? Yes, but they’ve got a lot of work to do despite having four times more people than we do. The market cap of all Chinese companies is estimated at roughly $11 trillion. The market cap of all European Union countries is roughly $16 trillion. Japan’s companies are worth $7 trillion.
We are worth roughly as much as the rest of the world combined, even though we only have 5% of the world’s population. THAT should get you out of your chair shouting, “USA, USA, USA!”
We have lived through the greatest period of wealth creation in perhaps the history of the world.
This wealth spurt didn’t happen by accident. It’s the triumph of good economic policy — including the steep decline in tax rates and tame inflation bookended by two of our greatest pro-business presidents, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.
STEPHEN MOORE: ECONOMISTS KEEP MISSING THE TRUMP BOOM — AND THEY WON’T ADMIT IT
Rewind to 1981 when Reagan came into office: Inflation was running at about 12%, the top income tax rate was 70%, the corporate rate was 46%, the estate tax was 70%, and the capital gains rate was 28%. The economy was in a state of collapse.
Today, inflation is roughly 3%, the top income tax rate is 39.6%, the corporate rate is down to 21%, the estate tax is 40%, and capital gains taxes are taxed at 23.4%.
Supply-siders like Steve Forbes, Arthur Laffer and Larry Kudlow should take a bow. They were right about lowering tax rates and inflation, igniting growth and prosperity. The income redistributionists were wrong that the rich would pay much less taxes. They pay more. The top 1% now pay roughly 40% of the income tax.
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That’s the good news. The bad news is that so many Democrats haven’t learned the lesson that lower tax rates create more prosperity. By the way, the evidence also shows that even with these lower tax rates, the richest 1% pay a higher share of the tax burden than ever before.
The city in the U.S. with the highest combined federal/state/local income tax rate is New York City. The new mayor, Zohran Mamdani was elected promising that millionaires and billionaires would pay more taxes to close a $10 billion deficit.
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California is our most populous state. The liberal Democrats want to put a first-in-the-nation wealth tax on the ballot that has already created an exodus of millionaires and billionaires out of the state.
Meanwhile, back in Washington, D.C., Trump is predicting the Dow will reach 100,000 by the time he leaves office. That’s a bit of a moonshot, for sure, but the last four decades prove supply-side miracles can come true.
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15 arrested on suspicion of allegedly spreading ISIS propaganda on TikTok
Fifteen people were arrested in Europe on Tuesday for allegedly spreading Islamic State terrorist group propaganda over TikTok, a report said.
The suspects, whose ages ranged from 16 to 53, were taken into custody in raids across the Netherlands, according to Reuters.
The news agency cited Dutch prosecutors as saying the suspects were detained on suspicion of spreading propaganda from ISIS on TikTok and trying to persuade people to carry out terrorist attacks.
The arrests were sparked by a TikTok account that spread large amounts of ISIS propaganda with Dutch subtitles, the prosecutors reportedly added.
US MILITARY IN SYRIA CARRIES OUT 5 STRIKES AGAINST ‘MULTIPLE ISIS TARGETS’
Thirteen of those arrested were Syrian and four had Dutch nationality, suggesting that some of the suspects were dual nationals, Reuters reported.
TikTok did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The arrests come as the U.S. military remains active in Syria against ISIS.
RISING ISIS THREATS TO US HOMELAND DRIVE AFRICOM AIRSTRIKES AGAINST TERRORISTS IN SOMALIA
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced last Wednesday that it carried out five strikes against “multiple” Islamic State targets in recent days as part of a joint military effort to “ensure the enduring defeat of the terrorist network.”
CENTCOM said, from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, its forces “located and destroyed an ISIS communication site, critical logistics node, and weapons storage facilities with 50 precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft.”
“Striking these targets demonstrates our continued focus and resolve for preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria,” Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement.
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CENTCOM said it launched the Operation Hawkeye Strike mission in response to a Dec. 13, 2025, ISIS “ambush” attack against U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria.
That attack left two U.S. service members and an American interpreter dead.
Trump says he will block US-Canada Bridge unless Canada negotiates on trade
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to prevent the opening of a bridge that will connect Michigan and Canada unless Ottawa negotiates with Washington on tariffs and the exclusion of American products.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of the United States with unfair trade practices and cozying up to China.
In an effort to bring Canada to the negotiating table, Trump said he would not allow the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is named after the legendary Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings. The bridge, which is currently under construction, will connect Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” Trump wrote.
CANADIAN PM CARNEY FIRES BACK AT TRUMP OVER CLAIM THAT ‘CANADA LIVES BECAUSE OF THE UNITED STATES’
“We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset,” he added.
He cited the removal of U.S. alcohol products from Canadian liquor store shelves in Ontario.
Trump has previously accused Canada of taking advantage of U.S. trade policies. In his post, Trump said Canada has moved forward with building the bridge with “virtually no U.S. content.”
TRUMP CHALLENGES CARNEY AT DAVOS, ASSERTS CANADA SHOULD BE ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR GOLDEN DOME MISSILE DEFENSE
He blamed former President Barack Obama for “stupidly” giving Canada a waiver so they could get around the Buy American Act, which mandates federal agencies purchase materials that are manufactured in the U.S. and made mostly from U.S.-produced components.
Trump accused Canada of not using American products, including steel.
“Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!’ What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING!” he wrote. “Ontario won’t even put U.S. spirits, beverages, and other alcoholic products, on their shelves, they are absolutely prohibited from doing so and now, on top of everything else, Prime Minister Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive. We’ll just get the leftovers! I don’t think so.”
By cozying up to China, Canada would be risking its national sport: ice hockey, Trump said.
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“The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup,” he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Alleged Sinaloa cartel fentanyl producer charged in newly unsealed US federal indictment
An alleged top Sinaloa cartel fentanyl producer accused of supplying millions of deadly pills to the Chapitos was charged in a newly unsealed U.S. indictment after Mexican authorities arrested Ivan Valerio Sainz Salazar in Sinaloa, federal prosecutors said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday that Sainz Salazar, also known as “Mantecas,” is charged with fentanyl trafficking and weapons offenses tied to an alleged conspiracy to manufacture the drug for the Sinaloa cartel and smuggle it into the U.S.
Mexican authorities arrested Sainz Salazar and several alleged associates in Badiraguato, Sinaloa, on Jan. 19, 2026, according to Mexico Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection Omar H. Garcia Harfuch.
“In an operation carried out by the National Guard, the Mexican Army and Air Force, authorities detained Iván Valerio ‘N,’ alias ‘Mantecas,’ leader of a faction linked to the Beltrán Leyva organization,” Garcia Harfuch wrote on X. “He was arrested along with 7 members of his group, as well as firearms, vehicles and a synthetic drug production center. The investigation is ongoing.”
TRUMP ADMIN DEBUTS ‘FENTANYL FREE AMERICA’ PLAN AS DEA TOUTS IMPACT OF CARIBBEAN BOAT STRIKES
According to the indictment, federal prosecutors claim the Sinaloa cartel remains one of the primary drivers of fentanyl flowing into the U.S., fueling record overdose deaths nationwide. The synthetic opioid is far more potent than heroin and has devastated communities across the country.
Investigators allege the cartel faction known as the Chapitos – led by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán – oversaw much of that operation, relying on armed enforcers to protect drug labs, trafficking routes and leadership, often using military-grade weapons.
Prosecutors claim Sainz Salazar served as a key fentanyl producer for the Chapitos from about 2022 through 2025, helping manufacture millions of pills, arranging drug transactions under armed protection and operating labs that later became central to the group’s fentanyl production.
TRUMP UNLEASHES ‘TOUGHEST FENTANYL CRACKDOWN IN HISTORY’ AS GOP VOWS ‘CONSEQUENCES’ FOR CHINESE PRODUCERS
Sainz Salazar, a 40-year-old Mexican citizen, has been charged with conspiring to import fentanyl into the U.S. and conspiring to distribute it domestically – counts that each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
He is also charged with using and possessing machine guns and destructive devices in connection with the alleged drug conspiracy. One weapons count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and a maximum of life, while another related conspiracy charge also carries a maximum sentence of life.
“As alleged, Sainz Salazar served as a major producer of the Sinaloa Cartel’s fentanyl shipments bound for the United States,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said. “Fentanyl kills, and violent dealers in fentanyl must be taken off our streets. Today’s charges target a major producer behind the Chapitos’ supply chain and underscore the commitment of the women and men of our Office to holding traffickers at all levels of the production and distribution chain accountable.”
TRUMP SIGNS ORDER DECLARING ILLICIT FENTANYL A ‘WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION,’ CITING NATIONAL-SECURITY RISKS
Joaquín Guzmán López, son of cartel boss “El Chapo,” pleaded guilty in a Chicago federal courtroom in December to drug-trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise charges.
Guzmán López, 39, is among the so-called Chapitos, the group of brothers who took over a major faction of the Sinaloa cartel after drug kingpin El Chapo’s 2019 conviction and life sentence.
Prosecutors say the brothers increased the production and distribution of narcotics, including fentanyl, and created a massive pipeline that funneled tens of thousands of kilograms of drugs into the U.S. each year, per reports.
FBI ARRESTS 55 IN MASSIVE DRUG RING WITH ALLEGED CHINA SUPPLIER FLOODING US STREETS WITH FENTANYL
Guzmán López pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise after acknowledging his role in overseeing the transporting of drugs to the U.S., mostly through underground tunnels.
Guzmán López’s attorney said the plea deal allows his client to avoid an automatic life sentence, according to The Associated Press.
Guzmán López was arrested in July 2024 alongside longtime cartel figure Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada after landing on a private jet in Texas.
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The plea followed a similar agreement reached months earlier by his brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, on trafficking and money-laundering charges.
El Chapo himself remains in a maximum-security U.S. prison serving life without parole for running a multibillion-dollar trafficking empire. Prosecutors say his son stepped into his role.
Notre Dame hire of abortion advocate to lead center causes staff to cut ties with university
A University of Notre Dame law professor as well as a research professor emeritus told Fox News Digital they are cutting ties with the university’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies in protest over the institute’s appointment of a professor who has publicly supported abortion.
“I confirm that I submitted my resignation to the University President, Provost, Keough School Dean, and the current Liu Institute Director, giving up my appointments as a Faculty Fellow and member of the Faculty Executive Committee of the Liu Institute yesterday,” Diane A. Desierto, professor of law and global affairs, told Fox News Digital in a statement Wednesday.
Additionally, in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Robert M. Gimello, research professor emeritus of theology, informed Michel Hockx, director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies at Notre Dame, that he does not want to be affiliated with the institute following the appointment of Susan Ostermann.
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY IN CHICAGO COVERS ‘ABORTION CARE SERVICES’ THROUGH STUDENT HEALTH PLAN
Notre Dame announced Jan. 8 that Ostermann, who joined the university in 2017 as a global affairs professor, will assume her role as director of the Asian studies center in July.
“Dear Michel: In dismay, and with regret, I write to tell you that the recently announced appointment of your successor as Director of the Liu Center compels my resignation from my position as Emeritus Fellow of the Center,” Gimello wrote in the letter emailed to Hockx on Monday.
“Please remove my name and photograph from the Liu Institute’s roster,” Gimello added. “I can only hope —and I will pray — for a future in which the Institute fulfills its proper role as a faithful instrument of our University’s Catholic mission.”
Gimello is not listed as a Liu Institute emeritus fellow on his university biography page, but other profiles of Gimello list him as having been a fellow.
In 2022, Ostermann co-authored an article titled, “Lies about abortion have dictated our health policy,” with former Notre Dame professor Tamara Kay.
In the article, Ostermann and Kay argued, “Almost 90% of abortions occur during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy when there are no babies or fetuses. There are only blastocysts or embryos so tiny they are too small to be seen on an abdominal ultrasound.”
They also called it a “lie” that abortion is dangerous, writing, “This could not be further from the truth. Research shows abortion is safe and does not have long-term effects on physical or mental health.”
STUDENTS FOR LIFE REPORT FINDS MASSIVE UPTICK IN CHRISTIAN COLLEGES’ SUPPORT FOR ABORTION, PLANNED PARENTHOOD
The authors further wrote that abortion “doesn’t cause cancer, it doesn’t affect future fertility, and most people feel relief after an abortion and do not regret their decision. Up to 11 weeks, medication abortions are generally performed using mifepristone and misoprostol, which are safer than taking Tylenol.”
In another 2022 article published by Salon, titled “Forced pregnancy and childbirth are violence against women — and also terrible health policy,” Ostermann and Kay wrote, “Criminalizing abortion results in irreparable harm. In fact, it actually has the opposite policy effect that anti-abortion advocates say they want: It can increase abortion rates, unintended pregnancies and infant mortality.”
Additionally, they wrote, “Abortion access is freedom-enhancing, in the truest sense of the word. Consistent with integral human development that emphasizes social justice and human dignity, abortion access respects the inherent dignity of women, their freedom to make choices and to evaluate medical and other risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth.”
Gimello told Fox News Digital in a statement that his resignation was driven by Ostermann’s public advocacy for abortion.
NOTRE DAME’S NEW ‘ND VALUES’ LIST REMOVES EXPLICIT CALL FOR STAFF TO SUPPORT SCHOOL’S CATHOLIC MISSION
“You would be correct to assume that the principal reason for my resignation is the sad fact that administrators of the world’s preeminent Catholic university have chosen to appoint, as director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, a scholar who has repeatedly, publicly, and adamantly proclaimed her opposition to (verging at times, it seems to me, on contempt for) the Catholic Church’s firm teaching that protection and nourishment of human life, from the moment of conception until natural death, is a sacred duty incumbent upon the whole human community,” Gimello said.
He added, “Continued formal association with a unit of the University led by such a person is, for me, simply unconscionable — this regardless of whatever considerable talents and accomplishments the appointee might otherwise bring to the job.”
Gimello also expressed concern that Ostermann’s appointment would confuse those outside of Notre Dame about the university’s adherence to Catholic identity.
“Moreover, I am myself a scholar whose work focuses chiefly on Asia, particularly Asia’s religious and intellectual traditions, both in themselves and in comparison with Christianity,” he said. “The Liu Institute, for its part, is not only Notre Dame’s principal organ for the study of Asia; it is also its chief conduit for institutional relations with Asia. It is, as it were, Notre Dame’s ‘Asian face.’”
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“Questions and controversies regarding the nature and value of human life (not least questions concerning abortion, population control, euthanasia, etc.) are, of course, central to the intellectual, religious and ethical traditions of all Asian countries, all the more so in these troubled and contentious times,” Gimello said.
“I believe, therefore, that it is essential to Notre Dame’s Asian outreach that it faithfully represent to its Asian and Asian Studies interlocutors the Catholic Church’s views on these most fundamental matters,” he added. “I doubt that anyone so hostile to, or dismissive of, those views — as this newly appointed person seems clearly to be — even if she were to try to muffle her hostility, could do justice to Notre Dame’s properly Catholic endeavors in and about Asia. I fear now that this appointment will suggest to our Asian associates, and to scholars of Asia at other institutions here and abroad, that Notre Dame is deeply at odds with the Church that it claims to represent in the realms of higher education.”
Notre Dame told Fox News Digital that it stands by their previous statement about Ostermann’s appointment.
A representative affiliated with the university said, “Gimello retired from the Department of Theology in 2017 and has not been an active member of either the Theology Department or Liu Institute since then. Until recently, he was listed as an emeritus fellow with the Liu Institute as a professional courtesy.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Ostermann for comment.
‘Can you shut him up?’: Waters and Treasury’s Bessent clash over Trump’s economic agenda
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent clashed on Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s economic agenda, with the irate congresswoman asking at one point if someone could “shut him up.”
The fiery exchange occurred during Bessent’s testimony before the House Financial Services Committee. Waters, the committee ranking member, posed a series of questions about the inflationary impact of Trump’s tariffs on American consumers — and demanded a yes-or-no answer.
TRUMP’S ECONOMIC WINS ARE REAL — NOW HE NEEDS TO CONVINCE THE COUNTRY
Waters: So I ask you, Secretary Bessent, will you be the voice of reason in this administration and urge President Trump to stop waging a war on American consumers, harming housing affordability, and putting the economy at risk? Yes or no. You don’t have to explain.
Bessent: Representative—
Waters: Will you be the voice of reason? Will you be the voice of reason?
Bessent: A study from Wharton University has shown—
Waters: Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time. Mr. Chair, will you let him know when I ask to reclaim my time—
Rep. French Hill, R-Ariz., House Financial Services Committee chairman: The time does belong to the gentlewoman from California.
A COMPLETE TIMELINE OF TRUMP’S TARIFF IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY ACROSS THE GLOBE
Bessent: Ten to twenty million immigrants—
Waters: Can you shut him up?
Bessent: What about the housing stock for working Americans? And can you maintain some level of dignity?
Hill: The gentlewoman’s time has expired.
Waters: No, my time has not expired.
Hill: Your time has expired. The gentleman—
Waters: The gentleman took up my time. I think you should recognize that, Mr. Chair.
Hill: The gentlewoman’s time has expired.
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Bessent’s testimony comes as the Trump administration awaits a Supreme Court ruling on whether some of the trade duties imposed in 2025 exceeded presidential authority, a decision that could have broad implications for current tariff actions.
Tariffs are taxes levied on imported goods. Although they are paid by companies at the border, the costs are often passed along through higher prices, leaving consumers to bear much of the burden.
Son of former Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi killed by masked men, reps say
Seif al-Islam al-Qaddafi, the son of the late Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi, was reportedly killed by “four masked men,” according to his team.
The 53-year-old was killed in the town of Zintan, which is located southwest of the country’s capital, Tripoli, according to The Associated Press, which cited Libya’s chief prosecutor’s office. The office said he was shot to death, but did not provide other details, according to the AP. Additionally, the outlet said that Khaled al-Zaidi, a lawyer for Seif al-Islam, confirmed his death on Facebook.
The “masked men” allegedly stormed Seif al-Islam’s home and killed him in a “cowardly and treacherous assassination,” the AP reported, citing Seif al-Islam’s team. The team also claimed in its statement that the assailants closed the CCTV cameras at the house “in a desperate attempt to conceal traces of their heinous crimes,” according to the AP.
JET CRASH CARRYING LIBYA’S TOP GENERAL TRIGGERS AIRSPACE SHUTDOWN OVER NATO CAPITAL
Born in 1972, Seif al-Islam was the second-born son of longtime dictator al-Qaddafi. He was educated at the London School of Economics, where he studied for a Ph.D.
US AMBASSADOR TO NATO WARNS THE ‘BALL’ IS IN IRAN’S ‘COURT’ AS TRUMP CONFIRMS NEGOTIATIONS TAKING PLACE
Seif al-Islam, who was seen by many as Libya’s face to the West, has been described as the most influential man in the country, despite the fact that he did not hold an official position. He led the talks on Libya abandoning weapons of mass destruction and negotiated compensation for the loved ones of those killed in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, Reuters reported.
Muammar al-Qaddafi, who ruled Libya since 1969, was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed popular uprising in 2011. The uprising led to a civil war, and the country has since become divided between rival armed groups and militias, the AP noted. In late 2011, Seif al-Islam was captured by fighters while trying to flee to Niger and was later released in June 2017 when one of Libya’s rival governments granted him amnesty, according to the AP.
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In November 2021, Seif al-Islam announced his candidacy in the country’s presidential election, but was eventually disqualified by Libya’s High National Elections Committee, the AP reported.
Two convicted of terrorism in Denmark for grenade attack near Israeli Embassy
Two Swedes were convicted in a Danish court of terrorism and attempted murder for detonating two hand grenades near the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen in October 2024.
The younger of the two men, who is 18 years old, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while his older accomplice, aged 21, was sentenced to 14 years, according to The Associated Press, which cited Swedish news agency TT. The two men, who have not been identified, were said to be acting on behalf of a criminal gang, the AP reported.
The attack occurred on Oct. 2, 2024, when the two threw hand grenades towards the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen. The grenades detonated on the terrace of a residential building, which was inhabited by a family with children, according to the AP. No one was injured in the blasts. The nearby Jewish school, Carolineskolen, was closed when the attack took place.
AMERICANS WARNED BY US EMBASSY IN ISRAEL TO PREPARE FOR ‘CRISES’ AMID IRAN TENSIONS
The two men admitted to throwing the grenades, but denied being ideologically motivated, saying they did it for money, the AP reported.
IRAN-DIRECTED PLOT TO ASSASSINATE ISRAEL’S AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO THWARTED, OFFICIALS REVEAL
The Danish court was reportedly split on whether the two should be convicted of terrorism. Two judges and four jurors concluded that they were guilty, while one judge and two jurors disagreed, according to the AP, which cited TT.
At the time of the attack, Israel’s war in Gaza had been ongoing for nearly a year following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre that left 1,200 dead and resulted in the taking of 251 hostages. Throughout the war, Jerusalem faced international scrutiny as world leaders debated whether the Israel Defense Forces’ actions in Gaza were excessive.
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The war ended in October 2025 with a peace deal brokered under the Trump administration.
State Department issues security alert amid ‘heavy gunfire’ near US Embassy in Haiti
The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Saturday alerted U.S. citizens of ongoing security operations north and south of the embassy and in Croix-de-Bouquets.
Heavy gunfire was reported in the Haitian capital, prompting U.S. government personnel to halt all movements, according to an alert from the Department of State.
The embassy remains open for emergency services.
Officials urged nearby U.S. citizens to avoid the area and monitor local media for updates.
UN STAFF IN HAITI TOLD TO STAY OFF STREETS AFTER GANG COALITION FLEXES MUSCLE, US MARINES FACE GUNFIRE
Armed gangs control large portions of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, according to the U.S. State Department and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).
Croix-de-Bouquets, one of the areas referenced in Saturday’s security alert, has long been considered a “400 Mawozo” gang stronghold.
“400 Mawozo” gang leader Joly Germine, 34, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, was sentenced to life in prison in December for his role in the 2021 abduction of 16 American citizens, including five children, Fox News Digital previously reported.
US MARINES EXCHANGED GUNFIRE WITH SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS IN HAITI, OFFICIAL SAYS
The victims, with Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, were on their way back from an orphanage when they were taken hostage, according to the Justice Department.
The State Department currently maintains a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for Haiti, citing kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest and limited healthcare.
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The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.