![Justice Department rolls out 5 firearms trafficking strike forces to tackle gun violence](https://cbsnews3.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2021/07/22/29baa8c9-845a-4bca-8b23-1eecb78f31fa/thumbnail/1200x630/6114af3d9c3698c9a6672985cda337ab/gettyimages-1233650037.jpg)
Justice Department rolls out 5 firearms trafficking strike forces to tackle gun violence
CBSN
Washington — The Justice Department on Thursday is launching five gun trafficking strike forces to tackle gun violence and curb the supply of firearms being illegally trafficked into key regions nationwide, the latest in a series of steps taken by the Biden administration to confront a surge in violent crime.
Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco will unveil the five cross-jurisdictional strike forces during a visit to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Later on Thursday, Garland will travel to Chicago, one of the strike force cities. The five key regions are: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area and Sacramento Region, and Washington, D.C. Led by U.S. attorneys in each of the areas, the prosecutors will work with ATF and state and local law enforcement to identify patterns, leads and possible suspects in violent gun crimes.![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250214202746.jpg)
Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a high-stakes meeting at this year's Munich Security conference to discuss the Trump administration's efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Vance said the U.S. seeks a "durable" peace, while Zelenskyy expressed the desire for extensive discussions to prepare for any end to the conflict.
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Washington — The Trump administration on Thursday intensified its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the nation's largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who hadn't yet gained civil service protection - potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of workers.
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It was Labor Day weekend 2003 when Matt Scribner, a local horse farrier and trainer who also competes in long-distance horse races, was on his usual ride in a remote part of the Sierra Nevada foothills — just a few miles northeast of Auburn, California —when he noticed a freshly dug hole along the trail that piqued his curiosity.