The Secret Service disrupted a sprawling telecommunications network in the New York Tri-State Area that investigators say posed a serious potential disruption to New York's telecom systems and a possible threat to the United Nations General Assembly meetings this week.

New York

The U.S. Secret Service has disrupted a significant telecommunications threat in New York, close to the United Nations General Assembly. Investigators discovered a SIM farm hidden in abandoned apartments across five sites, containing around 300 servers and over 100,000 SIM cards. The operation had the capacity to send messages to 30 million people in a minute and could have launched a distributed denial of service attack, potentially shutting down the city's cellular network.

Authorities found computers, phones, illegal firearms, and drugs at the sites. The investigation began after White House officials received anonymous threats traced back to New York. While no arrests have been made, officials report that multiple foreign governments and transnational criminal organizations used the network. The Secret Service is continuing to analyze the seized SIM cards for further information.

U.S. Secret Service disrupts telecom threat ahead of U.N. meeting

Good evening. We begin tonight in New York as world leaders converge at the United Nations General Assembly. The U.S. Secret Service says it disrupted a massive telecommunications threat which could have disrupted officials' cell phone service. Homeland Security correspondent Nicole Skanga joins me now to explain. Nicole, what exactly was this and what was it intended to do? John, the U.S. Secret Service discovering a SIM farm, a telecommunications network so powerful it could text 30 million people in one minute. It was hidden in abandoned apartments across five different sites, roughly 300 servers and more than 100,000 SIM cards. Investigators tell us the operation had enough computing power on all of them to launch what's known as a distributed denial of services attack. In other words, potentially overwhelming and shutting down New York City's entire cellular network. Investigators also found computers, phones, illegal guns, even 80 grams of cocaine. By the way, all of this was found within 35 miles of the U.N. General Assembly. Wow, that is just a lot of just stuff. Tell me what their theory is about who could accumulate all of that stuff and coordinate all of that. Yeah, it all started back in the spring when White House officials, including Secret Service protectees, were targeted with these anonymous threats over the phone. And the agency actually tracked those telephone threats back to New York. Now, no arrests have been made so far, but the investigation is still ongoing, and law enforcement officials briefed on it tell us multiple foreign governments were using these networks to communicate with known members of organized crime gangs, drug cartel members, members of human trafficking rings. They're yet to reveal which countries directed this, but the Secret Service is now combing through these SIM cards, extracting data from them, learning more about their contacts and other potential targets, John. So super quickly, does that mean it's a coordinated effort by multiple countries? A coordinated effort, it appears to be at this point, John, not only by multiple countries, but also multiple organized criminals, transnational criminal organizations. Now, in terms of criminal charges, Homeland Security Investigations has taken over that part, and we should expect to see more in the coming months. Nicole Skanga, thank you.

After meeting for about an hour with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Trump said he believes Ukraine can win back all of its territory from Russia "in its original form."

In major shift, Trump says Ukraine can win back territory lost in war

A jury has convicted Ryan Routh of attempting to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump on his Florida golf course last year. He was found guilty of all five charges, which included attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer.

West Palm Beach

Ryan Routh found guilty of trying to assassinate Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday (September 23) spoke with reporters while meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

Trump takes questions during meeting with Zelenskyy

Chipmaker Nvidia said it would invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, as part of a strategic partnership. CBS MoneyWatch correspondent Kelly O'Grady has more details.

Santa Clara

Rise of AI

Nvidia to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI

For the first time in more than half a century, astronauts will soon be heading back to the moon. CBC's Nicole Mortillaro breaks down the preparations for the mission, Artemis II, which will send astronauts on a historic loop around the moon.

Houston

NASA prepares to send astronauts around the moon

U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, where he pushed back on countries that have formally recognized a Palestinian state. Trump also touted U.S. immigration policy.

Trump delivers address at U.N. General Assembly

Southern China and Hong Kong are bracing for Super Typhoon Ragasa as authorities evacuate hundreds of thousands of people. CBS News' Anna Coren has more details.

Hong Kong Island

Super Typhoon Ragasa targets Southern China, Hong Kong

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to voluntarily maintain the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons set in the 2010 New START accord after it expires in February if the U.S. agreed to do the same.

Moscow

Putin offers Trump one-year extension to nuclear weapons treaty

President Trump announced Monday the FDA believes pregnant women should not take acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, claiming there could be a link between the medication and autism, despite objections from medical experts.

Washington

Trump, FDA tell pregnant women not to take Tylenol

ABC announced Monday that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will return to the air Tuesday night (September 23). The network pulled the show last week following a remark from Kimmel about the death of Charlie Kirk.

Los Angeles

Jimmy Kimmel returning to air

As leaders from around the globe come together at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine continue to rage.

World leaders come together at UNGA as global tensions rise

Monday marks the second day of strike action after a similar walk-off was called on Sunday by the southern European country's largest trade union, the Italian Confederation of Labour (CGIL).

Rome

Middle East Conflict

Thousands strike across Italy in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza

The Trump administration is adding $100,000 to the existing fee for H-1B visa applications, taking aim at a program that is used to attract highly skilled workers to the U.S.

Trump administration to add $100,000 fee for H-1B visas

President Donald Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi in a social media post to move forward with cases against several people connected to the U.S. government. CBS News justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane has more.

Trump urges Pam Bondi to go after his political foes

Russia is denying that its planes entered Estonian airspace on Saturday, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, but Estonia's foreign minister is saying the government has "irrefutable evidence" of the incursion.

Ukraine Invasion

Russia denies violating Estonian airspace

U.S. President Donald Trump was the final speaker at a politically charged memorial service for conservative activist and MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk that also included words of forgiveness from Kirk’s widow as well as remarks from the vice-president and one of Trump’s sons.

Glendale

Trump closes out Charlie Kirk memorial

Media mogul Lachlan Murdoch and business leaders Larry Ellison and Michael Dell would be involved as U.S. investors in a proposed deal to keep TikTok operating in the United States, according to President Donald Trump speaking to Fox News channel.

Trump says Murdochs would be involved in TikTok deal

Portugal, the UK, Australia and Canada joined over 150 countries that now recognise a Palestinian state. The announcements come ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in the week ahead.

Lisbon

Portugal formally recognises Palestinian state

Police say a 23-year-old was arrested and charged Sunday night with second-degree murder after one person was killed and several others were injured in a shooting at a New Hampshire country club. Witnesses say the shooter said “free Palestine” and before opening fire.

Nashua

Suspect yelled 'free Palestine' before country club shooting

President Trump is demanding that the Justice Department go after his political rivals following a shakeup in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Eastern Virginia. Willie James Inman reports.

Trump pressuring Justice Department to pursue his political foes

President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several others remembered Charlie Kirk at a memorial service in Arizona that was attended by thousands.

Phoenix

Trump, others remember Charlie Kirk at memorial service

The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia officially recognized Palestine as a state Sunday, a move that has long been opposed by the U.S. and Israel. More countries are expected to do the same this week as world leaders gather in New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel continuing assault on Gaza after countries recognize Palestinian statehood

A group of US Republicans has sent a letter to France, Canada, the UK and Australia, urging them to re-consider their decision to recognise a Palestinian state.  It's warning there may be consequences if the countries move ahead with plan at the upcoming UN General Assembly.

US Republicans warn allies over decision to recognise Palestinian state

Britain, Canada and Australia all recognized a Palestinian state on Sunday (September 21) in a move borne out of frustration over the Gaza war and intended to promote a two-state solution, but which is also bound to anger Israel and its main ally, the U.S.

Britain, Canada and Australia all recognize Palestinian state

The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will address the UN on Monday, after the General Assembly voted to allow him to join remotely. The U.S. has refused to issue him a visa to attend in person.

UN approves video address by Palestine’s Abbas after U.S. visa refusal

Sixty nations have agreed to a new treaty aimed at protecting marine biodiversity in international waters. But the strength of the deal governing the high seas is uncertain as some of the world’s biggest players - including China, the U.S., Russia and Japan - have yet to ratify.

Nations ratify world's first treaty to protect international waters

A cyberattack on a provider of check-in and boarding systems has disrupted operations at several major European airports including London's Heathrow, the continent's busiest, causing flight delays and cancellations on Saturday (September 20).

London

Travelers stranded as cyberattack disrupts major European airports

The high seas will soon have their own Conference of the Parties (COP). This new body will oversee the implementation of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, which is scheduled to enter into force in early 2026 after the legally required 120-day period.

Manhattan

Optus, Australia's second-largest telecom carrier, promised on Saturday "full cooperation" with official investigators, after an outage disrupted emergency call services for 13 hours. Four people died amid the technical failure, including an eight-week-old boy.

Melbourne

Telco vows to cooperate after deadly outage

Dozens more Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive. Amid mounting international criticism of Israel, there has been a renewed push for a two-state solution, with Portugal being the latest advocate.

Breakdown