Overview

• Fox News reported findings from a DHS and TSA internal review that a 2021 initiative called Operation Freedom to Breathe placed 19 people who resisted mask mandates or were tied to Jan. 6 on intensive watchlists, with more than half on the no-fly list and 11 remaining listed until April 2022.
• DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the actions abused agency authority and stated she is referring the matter to the Department of Justice and for congressional investigation.
• Racket News reported that former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard was placed in TSA’s Quiet Skies program and closely monitored across multiple flights by federal air marshals.
• Responding to inquiries about individual cases, TSA said it does not confirm or deny whether someone matched a risk-based rule and added that a match does not constitute derogatory information.
• Critics cited by Racket News say Quiet Skies cost about $200 million annually to track up to 50 people per day without yielding an arrest or thwarted attack, and the program has since been discontinued.