The Wire - November 20, 2025

//The Wire//2300Z November 20, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: ARSON ATTACK OCCURS ON BLUE LINE TRAIN IN CHICAGO. MASS GANG SHOOTING WOUNDS 5X BYSTANDERS IN NEWARK. SUSPECT AT LARGE FOLLOWING SUBWAY STABBING IN NEW YORK. ICE OPERATIONS CONTINUE AMID LOCAL RESISTANCE.//

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-HomeFront-

Florida: Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has been indicted by a grand jury for embezzling $5 million of FEMA funding that was distributed due to the Hurricane Milton disaster response.

Analyst Comment: As a reminder, Rep. Cherfilus was in office during the infamous Hurricane Milton scandal, which saw FEMA officials ordering their employees to not provide aid to residences that had Trump signs in their front yard. FEMA supervisor Marn'i Washington was fired by FEMA, but was not prosecuted for her crime of violating the Hatch Act.

Illinois: Yesterday an arson attack was reported on a Blue Line train, which involved an assailant dousing a woman with a flammable liquid before setting her on fire. The attacker has been identified as Lawrence Reed and was arrested shortly after the attempted murder.

Analyst Comment: Reed has a criminal record spanning nearly four decades, which have involved him being arrested and released 72 times, including around a dozen times for felony crimes. Several of these crimes involved arson, but each time he was arrested he was released. In at least one case the judge released him from a psych ward...because he was deemed too dangerous to remain in custody as he would repeatedly and violently assault staff members at the ward. He was released into the general public with an ankle monitor instead. After his arrest for setting this woman on fire, he was brought before Magistrate Judge Laura McNally, with court reporters documenting what happened. Judge McNally told Reed that "When you walked in here, I presumed you to be innocent of these charges". Reed then replied "I'm guilty" before continuing his belligerent behavior in the courtroom.

New Jersey: Surveillance footage has come to light pertaining to a mass shooting that was reported in Newark two days ago. Rival gangs conducted a skirmish in the street, and due to the "spray and pray" manner of the engagement, 5x bystanders where shot as well. Two people were killed during the engagement, including a 10-year-old boy.

New York: Another subway stabbing took place a few days ago, with the NYPD releasing the photo of the suspect this morning. An unidentified black male slashed a passenger with a sharp object while transiting on the E train. No other details were provided regarding the attack.

Kentucky: This afternoon the NTSB released the highly-anticipated preliminary report regarding the fatal crash of UPS Flight 2976 that occurred one month ago. The photos provided in the accident report shed light on what happened; the port-side engine completely ripped away from the wing due to a failure of the pylons holding it to the aircraft. In short, the engine flew itself off the wing due to fatigue and degradation of the mechanisms attaching the engine to the wing.

Analyst Comment: Now, we know why the FAA grounded all MD-11 and DC-10 aircraft in the United States immediately after the crash. In just six images, the NTSB told the whole story, strongly indicating that the crash of Flight 2976 bears striking resemblance to the deadliest aviation accident in US history...the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 which crashed in a nearly identical manner while departing Chicago back in 1979. That aircraft was a DC-10, and 273 people were killed during that incident.

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Analyst Comments: Counter illegal immigration operations continue around the country, as resistance to deportations continues to escalate. In North Carolina, the city of Charlotte has experienced a halt of nearly all construction projects due to illegal wor