San Diego, CA
San Diego Navy SEAL accused of extremism faces punishment over threats
The Navy investigation into a San Diego Navy SEAL accused of having ties to extremists concluded the sailor didn’t violate Pentagon rules against participation in extremist activity, according to a Navy official with knowledge of the investigation.
The official is not authorized to comment publicly on the case.
The Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado launched an investigation into Chief Special Warfare Operator Bryce Henson in November. The SEAL spent more than a year prior speaking at rallies, city councils and school boards — first against Critical Race Theory then against LGBTQ+ student rights.
Photos and videos from several events showed Henson in the company of alleged members of the Proud Boys, a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group.
Henson was also photographed alongside a man with a large Nazi eagle tattoo on his head and swastika tattoo on his arm during two separate Santee anti-LGBTQ+ rallies in January 2023.
He was featured in a Los Angeles Times investigation into the coordinated conservative actions at Southern California school boards in October.
The Navy’s investigation into Henson was finished in mid-January, the Navy official said. Although Henson was cleared of extremism allegations the investigator did find the SEAL engaged in threatening behavior, according to the official.
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice — military law — communicating threats is punishable under Article 115.
It’s not clear what threats the Navy’s investigation reviewed and the official did not say. But on Jan. 25 — after the investigation was complete — Henson took to Instagram to share a video of himself shooting guns.
“Since certain people leaked my work history to the press,” Henson wrote in the video’s caption, “I guess I’ll share my skill sets with my friends in hopes to spread awareness of exercising our 2nd Amendment rights safely and legally. …”
The video features Henson, in his Navy uniform, giving basic gun safety instructions and shooting.
Henson shared another video speculating on the identity of an anonymous Instagram user who runs an account called “TheChartyB.” The person running the account maintains a website that charts connections between several right-wing groups and figures prominently in the Southern California anti-LGBTQ+ school board movement.
Henson is featured in the chart.
In the second video, Henson incorrectly identified San Diego journalist Brooke Binkowski as the person behind TheChartyB.
Binkowski covers disinformation and previously worked for fact-checking news sites. She said people only threaten journalists when they’re doing a good job.
“Despite what far-right activists think, I am not the same person as the one running TheChartyB,” Binkowski wrote in a statement. “However, I do believe the threats … are an attempt to abrogate and interfere with my 1st Amendment rights and a threat to the public’s right to a free press.”
Henson also sent a direct message to TheChartyB on Instagram telling them to “show their face.”
Just past midnight on Jan. 26, Henson sent his shooting video to TheChartyB in an Instagram DM and wrote, “share with your friends.”
Screenshot courtesy of TheChartyB
The person behind the account told KPBS she feared for her safety.
“It felt very threatening,” she said. “To me, it’s clearly threatening. He said ‘share with your friends.’”
She describes herself as a “suburban housewife” who cares about LGBTQ+ rights. KPBS agreed not to publish her name over her safety concerns.
“It’s scary having somebody send you threatening messages when they’ve been trained by the U.S. military to be a killing machine,” she said.
She began tracking Henson last year when he started showing up in Temecula where a new conservative school board took over in late 2022.
Henson first appeared early in 2023 when the school board voted to ban critical race theory. He also spoke out when the board moved to reject the California state social studies curriculum over material covering the gay-rights movement.
In August, it voted to require teachers to tell parents when their child asks to use a different name, pronoun or identifies as transgender at school. The moves mobilized Temecula’s LGBTQ+ community.
Members of that community told KPBS, Henson began harassing and threatening them months before the Navy’s investigation began.
Judy Bailey Savage owns the Savage Ranch. Situated in the hills overlooking the Temecula wine country, the ranch serves as a refuge for the area’s queer community, Savage said.
Savage said, even though she didn’t attend Temecula Valley School Board meetings, Henson began leaving rude comments on her Instagram posts from anonymous accounts. Other community activists told her about him, so she responded the next time a troll commented on her account.
“I said, ‘oh, it’s you, Bryce,’” Savage said. “And he said: ‘Yes.’”
She said Henson once called her late at night and asked if she knew who it was. She said when she told him she didn’t know, the person on the phone said “I’m Bryce.”
“I asked him, ‘why are you stalking me, why are you calling me?’” Savage said. “And he goes, ‘well, I’ve already surveilled your property.’”
Temecula pastor Rachel Dennis, a parent of a trans child, said even if Henson himself isn’t dangerous, she isn’t sure about his nearly 7,000 Instagram followers.
“Because we see that extremism and the language on his Instagram … can then produce the violence in in some people,” Dennis said.
She said the experiences of the last year have the Temecula LGBTQ+ community on alert.
“Sometimes, you know, we’re sitting out here scared, honestly,” she said. “Navy SEAL, I mean, you’re talking about somebody who’s been trained in special operations, in weapons — so, yeah, that makes it a little bit more scary, right?”
In an emailed statement, Henson didn’t comment on the allegations of sending threats. Instead, he writes that he’s a father who’s been smeared by people.
Bishop Garrison, a senior fellow with the National Security Institute at George Mason Law School, who helped craft new Pentagon rules on extremism among service members, said there’s real danger when members of the military become radicalized.
“It is a very small, minute group of actors that have engaged this type of activity, but our major concerns is that this activity has a direct outsized impact,” Garrison said. “Not only can you can you deteriorate unit cohesion, not only can you disrupt the good order and discipline of units — people get hurt.”
He says the Pentagon’s policy on extremist behavior is written broadly so that any allegations need to be considered in context, but it’s not perfect. Further action is needed to address the problem.
“What we need is for … Congress to stand up and make some very specific laws and rules around what our expectations of this type of behavior, really, truly should be,” Garrison said.
The Navy classifies Henson’s investigation as administrative and a Naval Special Warfare spokesperson said he won’t comment on any administrative actions.
“When there are allegations of misconduct, we investigate and take appropriate action based on the facts,” said Cmdr. William Tisdale. “We expect our sailors who choose to engage in public discourse to do so peacefully and in a lawful manner. As a matter of policy, we will not release specific details about administrative matters regarding our sailors.”
A Navy official with knowledge of the case Henson could either receive minor punishment or more serious repercussions, such as being kicked out of the SEALs or the Navy altogether.
San Diego, CA
Sir Mohamed Mansour brought a global movement to San Diego, and nearly won MLS Cup in Year 1
As Sir Mohamed Mansour was finalizing a deal with the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation to invest in San Diego FC in 2022, he reflected on their combined history. The Sycuan said they’d lived in the San Diego region for 12,000 years. Mansour looked to his own Egyptian culture’s 7,000-year existence.
“If we have 19,000 years of history we can’t lose,” said the 78-year-old.
When San Diego FC finally lost in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs, it was in the Western Conference finals, capping the best debut season in the league’s history. Mansour spoke about the experience Thursday morning during the Business of Soccer conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“The first game, to me, meant everything. That night was a sleepless night because I’m very passionate about soccer,” he said.
Mansour would have settled for a respectable loss; they were playing defending MLS Cup champs L.A. Galaxy. But San Diego FC scored twice unanswered, winning the opener. And another sleepless night ensued.
Mansour discussed early life health issues, including being hit by a car when he was 10 years old, which left him bed-ridden for three years. He read American comic books and studied. His family’s wealth was confiscated by the Egyptian government during a 1965 revolution, and he later beat cancer as a 20-year-old while studying in the U.S.
Now the billionaire chairman of Mansour Group, an Egyptian conglomerate owned by his family, Mansour is also chairman of the Right To Dream Academy, which has made San Diego its fifth outpost. San Diego FC’s $150M Sharp HealthCare Performance Center includes residences and a school for Right To Dream participants in the club’s academy system. Mansour mentioned his plans to construct 100 pitches for underprivileged kids in San Diego.
“We are more than a football academy. We’re a global movement, built upon the belief that everyone has the right to dream,” said Mansour. “We’ve been rewriting the rules of talent development for over 20 years, guided by our core belief that excellence can be found anywhere.”
While creating hundreds of opportunities for children in underdeveloped countries, Right to Dream has generated tens of millions of euros in transfer fees for clubs within the network.
Mansour, who graduated from N.C. State in 1968 with an engineering degree and then earned a Masters’ from Auburn, differs from many MLS owners because he is a native soccer fan, he had extensive soccer business experience, and even an idea of how he’d like his team to play (possession-based).
Asked which he’d prefer — for Egypt to win the World Cup or San Diego FC to win MLS Cup — Mansour answered the United States (to win the World Cup) and San Diego FC to win MLS Cup.
“I tell you why. I’m a businessman too,” he said, grinning. “And if the US does well in this World Cup, soccer is going to grow.”
Rapid fire with Sir Mohamed Mansour
Comic book hero: Superman
Kryptonite: Worrying
Favorite athlete: Michael Jordan
Favorite soccer player: Mohamed Salah
Childhood hero: His father
The San Diego State Aztecs are bracing for some possible serious turnover this offseason and it’s not all going to be via the transfer portal.
Leading scorer Reese Dixon-Waters is out of eligibility, as are Jeremiah Oden and Sean Newman Jr. Newman can petition for another season based on his junior college years, but it’s anyone’s guess if he’d get it.
Obviously, San Diego State’s roster movement is far from complete and the transfer portal doesn’t even open until April 7, the day after the national championship game.
The Aztecs’ once-promising season ended when they were left out of the NCAA Tournament following their loss to Utah State in the Mountain West Tournament championship game.
There are some players we know will not be on the squad next season, which will be the Aztecs’ first in the new-look Pac-12:
Guard Reese Dixon-Waters
After missing all of the 2024-25 season with a broken foot, Dixon-Waters returned for his final season of eligibility and led the Aztecs in scoring at 13.1 points per game. He was a second-team All-Mountain West pick. He scored his 1,000th career point at UNLV on Jan. 24 and finished his career with 1,220 points.
Dixon-Waters played his first three seasons at USC before transferring to SDSU, where he started 23 of 37 games in 2023-24. He was a preseason All-Mountain West pick the next season before breaking a foot. He was so highly regarded that, despite missing all of last season, he was named to the preseason All-MW team in October.
One of his notable accomplishments was attempting more free throws (43) without a miss to start the 2023-24 season than any player in the country.
Forward Jeremiah Oden
Oden started 15 games and played in 30 of 33 games in his final season of eligibility after transferring from Charlotte, where he redshirted in 2024-25. He averaged 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 13.8 minutes.
Oden scored his 1,000th career point on Feb. 3 against Wyoming, where he played his first three college seasons. He finished his career with 1,024 points and 495 rebounds.
Oden didn’t play at all in a blowout home win against Utah State on Feb. 25, when Dutcher shortened his rotation from 11 to nine players. He had started the previous nine games.
Oden also played one season at DePaul.
Guard Sean Newman Jr.
The transfer from Louisiana Tech played in all 33 games and made four starts, including Senior Night in the regular-season finale against UNLV and all three games in the MW tournament, when freshman Elzie Harrington was out with an injury.
Newman averaged 3.3 points, 2.4 assists and 15.4 minutes.
Here is what you need to know in the March 25, 2026, Streamline newsletter:
This morning, we’re tracking San Diego Unified School District’s decision to rename Cesar Chavez Elementary School in the wake of serious allegations against the civil rights icon.
We’re also following the City of San Diego’s search for a new operator to reopen Tecolote Canyon Golf Course — and the neighbors pushing to safeguard and restore the surrounding natural space.
Plus, consumer reporter Marie Coronel shows why brand loyalty might be costing you more on your cell phone bill.
THE STREAMLINE
WATCH — ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Wednesday, March 25 — everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:
The Streamline: Wednesday, March 25
TOP STORY
The San Diego Unified School District board voted Tuesday night to begin renaming Cesar Chavez Elementary School following allegations of sexual abuse against the labor leader.
The process will start with school leaders meeting with parents, teachers, students, and community members to select a new name.
While renaming a school typically takes several months, district officials said the timeline could be expedited in this case.
San Diego Unified usually limits itself to one school name change per year — in February, Clairemont High School’s mascot was changed from the Chieftains to the Captains.
However, board members said they would make an exception for this situation.
San Diego Unified initiates renaming process for Cesar Chavez Elementary over abuse allegations
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MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS
Coasts
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Mountains
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BREAKING OVERNIGHT
(AP) — Iran received a 15-point proposal from the U.S. to reach a ceasefire in the war, two Pakistani officials said Wednesday.
The Pakistani officials described the proposal broadly as touching on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, missile limits and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
The Trump administration reportedly offered the plan to Iran as the U.S. appears to seek an end to the war even while more troops head to the Middle East.
The plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from the government of Pakistan, which has offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran, a person briefed on the plan’s contours but who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The U.S. military is preparing to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in the coming days, according to three people with knowledge of the move who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
Any talks between the U.S. and Iran would face monumental challenges. Many of Washington’s shifting objectives, particularly over Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, remain difficult to achieve, and it is not clear who in Iran’s government has the authority or would be willing to negotiate.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s office said he has been discussing the war this week with several counterparts, but Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, denied Trump’s claim of direct talks and an Iranian military spokesperson declared that the fighting would go on.
Alluding to progress in talks, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Iran shared an oil- and gas-related “present,” a day after telling reporters that the Middle Eastern nation is eager for a deal to end the war.
Story by The Associated Press
CONSUMER
While loyalty is usually a good thing, it’s possible it could be costing you money when it comes to your cell phone bill.
WATCH — Consumer reporter Marie Coronel goes over the simple checks you can do right now to make sure you’re not overpaying:
Comparing cell phone plans to save money on your bill
WE FOLLOW THROUGH
The City of San Diego is seeking proposals from companies to lease and reopen the Tecolote Canyon Golf Course. While golfers welcome the move, some nearby residents argue it could harm the environment.
WATCH — Reporter Dani Miskell spoke to some neighbors about their expectations for whoever comes in to run the golf course:
Concerns grow over future of Tecolote Canyon Golf Course
RELATED COVERAGE:
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