MxM News

Quick Hit:

The Trump administration has launched a sweeping national security investigation into foreign scientists working in U.S. research institutions, targeting those from adversarial countries like China amid fears of espionage and biological threats.

Key Details:

• The probe targets as many as 1,000 foreign scientists inside the NIH alone, focusing heavily on Chinese nationals.
• Intelligence agencies are involved following multiple arrests of Chinese researchers attempting to smuggle dangerous pathogens into the U.S.
• The effort comes after repeated GAO warnings and revelations from a Chinese defector who says Beijing embeds agents in American labs.

Diving Deeper:

The Trump Administration has launched an intensive, behind-the-scenes investigation into hundreds of foreign scientists working in American research institutions—many of them tied to China’s communist regime. According to officials, the review began weeks ago and involves coordination with intelligence and security agencies.

The sweeping audit—prompted by longstanding concerns of foreign influence, espionage, and theft of intellectual property—has zeroed in on nearly 1,000 researchers within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) alone. Most are believed to have gained entry to the U.S. with help from federal research agencies during prior administrations, often without proper vetting.

“The Trump administration is committed to safeguarding America’s national and economic security,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Just the News. “Taxpayer dollars should not and cannot fund foreign espionage against America’s industrial base and research apparatus.”

That warning is no longer hypothetical. In just the last month, federal officials say three Chinese scientists were arrested attempting to smuggle deadly pathogens into the U.S., including toxic fungi and crop-destroying roundworms—raising fresh fears of agroterrorism.

According to Dr. Li-Meng Yan, a Chinese virologist who defected to the U.S. in 2020, many scientists entering the U.S. from China are effectively agents of the Chinese Communist Party. “They have signed the contract with Chinese government to go back to China, serve for China with whatever they can get from the U.S.,” Yan said. “They become the CCPs’ kind of agents… like the parasites that go into your body.”

Years of inaction from federal agencies are partly to blame. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued more than a half-dozen scathing reports warning that the NIH and partnering universities lack the safeguards to prevent foreign theft of research and influence over scientific projects funded by U.S. taxpayers.

In one 2021 report, GAO bluntly stated that “U.S. research may be subject to undue foreign influence” and cited the NIH’s failure to enforce conflict-of-interest policies, particularly with scientists tied to China.

The crackdown now underway comes amid a surge of related criminal activity. In one case, Chinese scientist Hao Zhang was convicted in 2020 for a scheme dating back to 2006 to steal proprietary semiconductor technology and launch a competing business in China. In another, a cybersecurity professor at Indiana University, Xiaofeng Wang, had his home raided by the FBI earlier this year and was quietly fired, though he has not been charged with any crime.

As part of the broader clampdown, the NIH recently issued new guidance barring researchers from funneling U.S. tax dollars to foreign partners through sub-grants. And the FDA has now halted all trials that export Americans’ cells to labs in hostile nations for genetic engineering—an issue of growing concern.

Congressional allies are backing the administration’s effort, with Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) calling for sweeping reforms. “We’ve got to strengthen our own systems from within,” Moran said, “and we’ve got to push back in the trade world, in the tariff world and in the business practices world against China.”

With growing evidence of coordinated foreign espionage and exploitation of U.S. research systems, the administration’s covert operation marks a critical step in defending national security—and could reshape how America handles scientific collaboration for years to come.

MxM News

Quick Hit:

Florida authorities have recovered 60 “critically missing” children in a two-week operation across the Tampa Bay area. The joint state and federal effort, dubbed Operation Dragon Eye, led to eight arrests and uncovered new human trafficking investigations.

Key Details:

• The children, aged 9 to 17, were found across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties. The operation was carried out with help from the U.S. Marshals, state prosecutors, and local police departments.

• Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier confirmed eight individuals were arrested on charges including human trafficking, child endangerment, and drug-related offenses. Additional investigations are underway.

• The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) hailed the operation as the most successful child recovery effort in U.S. history, declaring, “Florida doesn’t look the other way — we hunt predators and bring kids home.”

🚨 MAJOR BREAKING: U.S. Marshals and Florida officials announce LARGEST single child rescue operation in American history.

Over 2 weeks, 60 KIDS are safe, in custody.

This involved over 20 agencies and 100+ people. 8 people were arrested, charged with human trafficking, child… pic.twitter.com/trkcFMhtmX

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 23, 2025

Diving Deeper:

Over a two-week span, law enforcement agencies across Florida joined forces for what’s being called a historic child recovery mission. Dubbed Operation Dragon Eye, the coordinated effort led to the rescue of 60 critically missing children—some as young as 9 years old—in the Tampa Bay region, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties.

According to Fox 13, federal and state agencies worked alongside local law enforcement, with direct involvement from the U.S. Marshals Service and Florida prosecutors. The term “critically missing,” as defined by the Marshals Service, applies to minors facing heightened threats such as exposure to violent crime, sexual exploitation, substance abuse, or domestic violence.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier praised the operation’s success in a statement posted to social media Monday. “We will keep fighting evil head-on and bringing accountability to those who harm children,” he said, confirming eight suspects had been taken into custody, with additional investigations now underway related to human trafficking networks.

Charges filed against the arrested individuals include human trafficking, child endangerment, custodial interference, and drug possession.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement described the effort as “the most successful missing child recovery operation in American history.” In a statement, the agency said its analysts and field agents “were proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. Marshals” and emphasized that “Florida doesn’t look the other way.”

Several nonprofits and local support groups played a vital role in caring for the recovered children, including More Too Life, the Children’s Home Network, Bridging Freedom, Bridges of Hope, Family Support Services of Pasco and Pinellas, and Redefining Refuge.

Dr. Katherine Gomez of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice said many of these children had felt hopeless and alone. “Oftentimes these young people have felt like there’s no one in their corner. They feel abandoned… like they have to look out for themselves because no one else will,” she told WFLA.

FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass acknowledged the emotional toll such operations take on officers, who are exposed to the trauma these children endure. “They have to see everything that happens to these children, and we need to pray for them because they had to take that burden home,” he said.

Glass added that while the operation struck a major blow to human trafficking in the region, the threat remains. “The fight isn’t over.”

U.S. Marshal Bill Berger of the Middle District of Florida warned that traffickers often return to their victims if not apprehended. “If the offenders are not apprehended, they will reconnect with these children. They are, in my opinion, leeches,” Berger stated.

Officials vowed continued vigilance to keep predators behind bars and ensure every vulnerable child is found and protected.