DOJ launching effort to combat threats of violence against school officials across US

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DOJ launching effort to combat threats of violence against school officials
The Department of Justice is launching an effort to combat what it says is an "increase" in "threats of violence" against school officials and teachers across the country.

"Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values," Attorney General Garland said of the effort in a statement Monday. "Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety."

Garland directed the FBI and U.S. attorney's offices to hold meetings with federal, state, and local law enforcement leaders in the next 30 days, during which they will discuss ways to combat what the DOJ called a "disturbing trend" of harassment and threats against school officials.

Critics say the move amounts to an attempt by the Biden administration to bully parents from exercising their First Amendment rights. 

The DOJ will also be launching a task force aimed at addressing the issue while attempting to determine how the federal government could use its powers to prosecute crimes and to assist local law enforcement in incidents that are not federal crimes.

Specialized training will also be made available for local school boards and administrators to assist them in recognizing behaviors that constitute a threat, as well as helping them report the incidents to appropriate law enforcement agencies while preserving evidence to assist in the prosecution of crimes. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.

In other developments:
- Garland ‘deeply saddened’ by 2 recent deaths of federal agents while on duty
- Calif. judge denies restraining order request against school mask mandate
- Sinema fires back after far-left activists record her in ASU bathroom: 'Unacceptable behavior'
- Former education secretary Bill Bennett launches program to counter 'politicized' content in schools
- Activist who recorded Sinema in ASU bathroom defends actions, accuses critics of being 'tone police'

Brian Laundrie manhunt: Cassie Laundrie unleashes after Gabby Petito homicide
Florida fugitive Brian Laundrie’s sister told protesters outside her Lakewood Ranch home Monday that her family has been ignoring her following the disappearance of her brother and the death of his fiancée.

When asked if her parents were helping Brian Laundrie evade authorities, she said, "I don't know" and that she hadn't been able to speak with them.

"I'm in the boat where I'm getting ignored by my family and thrown under the bus by my family's attorney," Cassie Laundrie said to a group of protesters Monday in video shared by TikTok user @chroniclesofolivia.

The lawyer Laundrie seemed to be referencing, Steve Bertolino, blamed the media. 

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"I do not represent Cassie Laundrie," he told Fox News Digital in a text message Monday night. "Cassie’s comments can only be attributed to the press twisting my words and hers, which were only given to clarify prior mischaracterizations by the press, with the hopes of further sensationalizing this tragic story."

Laundrie made her first public remarks since an ABC News interview last month to a group of protesters at her home while a manhunt is underway for her brother – the subject of a federal warrant for alleged debit card fraud. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
- Gabby Petito: Brian Laundrie's sister says her family has been ignoring her: LIVE UPDATES
- Possible Brian Laundrie sighting: Hear 911 call from Appalachian Trail hiker
- Hiker describes 'weird' encounter with man he believes was Brian Laundrie on 'Fox & Friends First'
- Philadelphia nurse fatally shoots co-worker at hospital, wounds 2 officers in gunfight
- Moab murders: Kylen Schulte's father appeals for help solving newlyweds' slaying

Facebook and Instagram back after longest worldwide outage ever; company details root cause
Facebook announced in a statement late Monday that its platforms are "back up and running" after a massive global outage plunged its main site, Instagram, and WhatsApp platforms into the dark earlier in the day.

The company said in a blog post that its engineering teams found that "configuration changes on the backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between our data centers caused issues that interrupted this communication. This disruption to network traffic had a cascading effect on the way our data centers communicate, bringing our services to a halt."

While these platforms are running again, "we’re actively working to fully return them to regular operations."

"We want to make clear at this time we believe the root cause of this outage was a faulty configuration change. We also have no evidence that user data was compromised as a result of this downtime," the statement read.

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In addition to Facebook, DownDetector had reported that T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Google, Twitter, TikTok, Zoom, and Amazon Web Services users were experiencing outages. 

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen is set to testify on Tuesday morning against the social media giant. 

On Sunday, Haugen was revealed on CBS' "60 Minutes" as the woman who anonymously filed complaints with federal law enforcement that Facebook's own research shows how it magnifies hate and misinformation, leads to increased polarization, and that Instagram, specifically, can harm teenage girls' mental health. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
- GOP Senate candidate Sam Brown fires back at Twitter as tech giant admits his account was banned by 'mistake'
- Facebook whistleblower reveals identity, set to appear before Senate subcommittee
- Varney: The Facebook whistleblower is Big Tech’s ‘biggest threat’

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SOME PARTING WORDS

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Sean Hannity clapped back at Joe Biden Monday after the president told reporters that the harassment faced by Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema over their lack of support for critical items in his domestic agenda is just "part of the process."

"You won’t stick up for your fellow senators. I guess it’s all part of the process," the host said on "Hannity". "Getting videotaped in a bathroom stall. Is that part of the process you support? What happened to standing up for a woman’s right to privacy? What about showing up at someone’s house and shouting them down where they live? That’s part of the process? What if someone came to your basement during your mid-day nap? It’s not appropriate. It’s wrong. It’s unethical."

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Fox News First was compiled by Fox News' David Aaro. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We’ll see you in your inbox first thing Wednesday.