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Trump caps week with bold military moves from Pentagon name change to cartel crackdown

Trump caps week with bold military moves from Pentagon name change to cartel crackdown

President Donald Trump wrapped up the week Friday signing an executive order to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War.  The executive order gives the green light to use the name “Department of War” as a secondary title for the Department of Defense, along with terms like “secretary of war” for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to a White House fact sheet. The order also calls for Hegseth to propose both legislative and executive actions to permanently cement the title as the U.S. Department of War. Additionally, a White House official told Fox News Digital that implementing the order would mean making alterations to public-facing websites and office signage at the Pentagon. For example, one change on the horizon is renaming the public affairs briefing room the “Pentagon War Annex,” the official said, noting other longer-term projects also will emerge.  TRUMP TO RENAME PENTAGON, RESTORING HISTORIC ‘DEPARTMENT OF WAR’ IN LATEST MILITARY MOVE The U.S. previously used the Department of War title for its military agency until 1949, but modified it to the Department of Defense to align with multiple reforms included in the National Security Act of 1947. Trump signaled in late August the change might happen.  “Everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War,” Trump told reporters Aug. 25. “Then we changed it to Department of Defense.” Here’s what also happened this week: Trump also announced that the U.S. military strike against an alleged drug-laden Venezuelan boat in the southern Caribbean killed 11 suspected Tren de Aragua narco-terrorists Tuesday.  Trump shared a video on social media Tuesday depicting the strike against the Venezuelan vessel, just days after he authorized sending three U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers to enhance the administration’s counternarcotics efforts in the region. “You had massive amounts of drugs,” Trump told reporters Wednesday about the recent strike. “We have tapes of them speaking. It was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people. And everybody fully understands that fact. You see it, you see the bags of drugs all over the boat and they were hit.” MADURO CLAIMS US SEEKS ‘REGIME CHANGE THROUGH MILITARY THREAT’ AMID CARIBBEAN BUILDUP “Obviously, they won’t be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, ‘Let’s not do this.’ We have to protect our country, and we’re going to. Venezuela has been a very bad actor.” After the deployment of the destroyers, Maduro said Venezuela was ready to respond to any attacks and said the ship’s presence in the region was “an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.” “In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defense of Venezuela,” Maduro said during a Monday press conference.  Meanwhile, the Pentagon confirmed Thursday that two Venezuelan aircraft buzzed a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters.  “This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations,” the Defense Department wrote in a statement posted to X. “The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the U.S. military.” Trump also unveiled plans Tuesday to move Space Command’s headquarters from Colorado to Alabama — putting an end to the controversy about where the command would be based.  Space Command has been operating out of Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but Trump long has backed moving the command’s headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama. But in 2023, former President Joe Biden announced that the command would remain based in Colorado.  TRUMP PLANS TO MOVE SPACE COMMAND TO ALABAMA, COUNTERING BIDEN ORDER TO KEEP IT IN COLORADO “The U.S. Space Command headquarters will move to the beautiful locale of a place called Huntsville, Alabama, forever to be known from this point forward as Rocket City,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.

Bernie Sanders, Zohran Mamdani team up to ‘fight oligarchy’ in NYC

Bernie Sanders, Zohran Mamdani team up to ‘fight oligarchy’ in NYC

Democratic socialists Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani are joining forces on Saturday to fight oligarchy in the nation’s financial capital.  “It is an honor to welcome Senator Sanders to New York City as we fight against the corporate greed, billionaires, and corrupt politicians responsible for the affordability crisis,” Mamdani said in a statement ahead of the “Fighting Oligarchy” event in Brooklyn.  Mamdani’s June primary win shocked not only the political establishment, but the real estate and business leaders who drive New York City’s economy. With affordability central to Sanders’ and Mamdani’s platforms, both have railed against America’s wealth inequality.  “While oligarchs and Donald Trump try to place their thumb on the scale of this election, we’re laser-focused on the New Yorkers who built this city, call it home, and deserve a leader who will deliver dignity for all,” Mamdani said, referencing The New York Times reports alleging President Donald Trump has conspired against Mamdani’s campaign.  Trump has dubbed Mamdani a “100% Communist Lunatic.”  ZOHRAN MAMDANI SUPPORTERS UNFAZED BY TRUMP’S ‘COMMUNIST’ LABEL, DEFEND THE CANDIDATE’S AFFORDABILITY FIGHT The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry regarding the report that Trump discussed offering incumbent Mayor Eric Adams a position in the Trump administration so he would drop out of the race and hurt Mamdani’s election odds. Meanwhile, Trump and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo denied discussing how to defeat Mamdani this November.  CITY-RUN GROCERY STORES, DEFUNDING POLICE, SAFE INJECTION SITES: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NYC’S NEXT POTENTIAL MAYOR Ahead of the town hall in Brooklyn, the two progressive leaders plan to march alongside union members in Manhattan’s Labor Day parade on Saturday morning.  After headlining the New Hampshire AFL-CIO’s annual Labor Day breakfast on Monday, Sanders told Fox News Digital that Trump is “leading us toward authoritarianism, toward more income and wealth inequality and making the planet even more dangerous.” “No, billionaires should not be able to get away with not paying their fair share of taxes while working people are being, in many cases, overtaxed,” Sanders said, urging Americans to unite against Trump and deliver for more than just the top 1%.  Sanders and Mamdani met in July when the mayoral hopeful visited the nation’s capital for a digital campaign skill-sharing breakfast hosted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.  Mamdani called Sanders “Brooklyn through and through” and said it was an honor to meet “one of my heroes,” while Sanders said he is “deeply impressed by the grassroots campaign he is running.” Sanders, a two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up, was an early endorser of Mamdani’s primary campaign, alongside Ocasio-Cortez. Their endorsements helped Mamdani consolidate progressive support in the 11-candidate field during the final weeks of the primary campaign. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez sparked sizeable buzz on the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour earlier this year, firing up thousands of Democrats at rallies across the United States who have been left without a clear party leader since devastating losses up and down the ballot in 2024.  While Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour seemed for a time a glimmer of hope for a fractured party, Mamdani’s surprising primary win this summer seems to have reignited that Democratic base in a new, albeit more progressive, direction.  Mamdani’s campaign platform promises progressive ideas like rent freezes, city-run grocery stores, free buses and raising the minimum wage – all of which he plans to pay for by raising taxes on corporations and the 1%. Many of those ideas are in line with the Democratic socialist agenda that Sanders has been pushing for years.  “At a time of massive and growing income and wealth inequality, we are building a strong grassroots movement to take on the billionaire class and corporate greed,” Sanders said in a statement ahead of the Brooklyn town hall.  Sanders said the “oligarchs” – or wealthy business leaders with political influence – will “undermine democracy” and won’t hesitate to “buy elections.”  “But candidates who stand boldly with the working class can — and will — beat them. When we stand together we can defeat authoritarianism and create an economy that works for all our people, not just the privileged few,” the Vermont senator and former presidential candidate said.  Sanders’ campaign has touted turning out more than 300,000 people across 34 rallies in 20 states since kicking off his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour this year.  Fox News Digital reached out to Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, Cuomo and Adams for comment regarding Mamdani’s event with Sanders but did not immediately receive responses.  Fox News Digital’s Diana Stacy contributed to this report. 

Trump calls Florida’s move to eliminate vaccine mandates a ‘tough stance’: ‘You have vaccines that work’

Trump calls Florida’s move to eliminate vaccine mandates a ‘tough stance’: ‘You have vaccines that work’

President Donald Trump said on Friday that Florida officials are taking a “tough stance” by moving to eliminate all vaccine mandates for students, as he stated that some “vaccines should be used.” “I think we have to be very careful. You have some vaccines that are so amazing. The polio vaccine, I happen to think, is amazing,” Trump told reporters, adding that he believes the COVID-19 vaccine developed during his first term is also “amazing.” He continued: “You have some vaccines that are so incredible, and I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don’t have to be vaccinated. It’s a very tough position … it’s a tough stance.” The president added that there are “vaccines that work, they just pure and simple work.” SCHOOL VACCINE MANDATES MAY GO AWAY IN SOUTHERN STATE, SURGEON GENERAL ANNOUNCES “They’re not controversial at all,” Trump said. “And I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people. And when you don’t have controversy at all, I think people should take them.” On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced the move to eliminate all vaccine mandates. Ladapo even went as far as to compare vaccine requirements to slavery. “All of them,” Ladapo said during a news conference. “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.” He also said vaccine mandates are “wrong” and “immoral.” REPUBLICAN DOCTORS CLASH WITH RFK JR OVER VACCINES IN TENSE SENATE SHOWDOWN Ladapo said the Florida Department of Health would repeal mandates under his authority, while the state legislature would need to address the others. Florida has required students going to school to receive vaccinations for polio, diphtheria, measles, rubella, pertussis, mumps, tetanus and other communicable diseases, although parents could still request exemptions on religious grounds. Every U.S. state and Washington, D.C., currently requires vaccines for children to attend school. Across the country, there has been a decline in vaccinations among children. The COVID-19 vaccine, which Ladapo referred to as “poison,” was removed from the recommended list for healthy children by the federal government under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Who am I as a government or anyone else, who am I as a man standing here now, to tell you what you should put in your body?” Lapado said. “Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body? I don’t have that right.” “You want to put whatever different vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision,” he added. “You don’t want to put whatever vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision. That’s how it should be.”

‘They’re embarrassing us’: National Guard presence in DC sparks fiery Capitol clash

‘They’re embarrassing us’: National Guard presence in DC sparks fiery Capitol clash

Congressional Democrats are blasting President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C., as local officials fight in court to send the troops home. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., called the deployment of service members as part of Trump’s crackdown on crime in the District “horrible.” “It is absolutely one of the most ridiculous things, and they’re embarrassing us on the world stage,” Cleaver said. “Because here we are, the citadel of democracy, and very clearly erasing a little bit of that ‘D’ every day when we send in troops to Washington, D.C., when Mayor Bowser did not request them.” TRUMP ACTIVATES NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO ADDRESS ‘TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL’ CRIME IN WASHINGTON Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., argued that troops patrolling the streets has made the city safer. “It’s a new day,” he said. “As for the Democrats, look, I don’t know why they don’t believe in safety and security.” Trump’s deployment of the National Guard within Washington comes after his move to federalize the local police force through the Home Rule Act last month, and it’s part of a surge of federal law enforcement officers who have been patrolling the streets ever since. District Mayor Muriel Bowser has acknowledged that Trump’s takeover helped reduce crime in Washington, D.C., going so far as to sign an executive order encouraging further cooperation with federal officials when it comes to crime. NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS FROM SIX RED STATES HEAD TO DC TO HELP TACKLE CRIME But D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the administration earlier this week in an effort to remove the National Guard from the District. “We shouldn’t be using the Guard for that, but we should be coordinating with our federal partners locally,” Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said, “Our FBI is very helpful. DEA is very helpful. So there’s a lot of room for cooperation to try to address the crime issues in all of our cities.” His lawsuit came on the heels of a judge ruling that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles earlier this year was illegal. Schwalb contended in his suit that a law from the 1870s prevents troops from domestic policing. “It’s just a commonsense issue,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said. “And I think that Democrats should be reaching out saying, ‘Great, how do we work together to make sure that the District is as safe as possible for the benefit of everybody?” CONGRESSMAN WHOSE DC APARTMENT COMPLEX WAS ROBBED BLASTS DEMOCRATS FOR CRITICIZING TRUMP CRIME CRACKDOWN Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., argued that troops in D.C. was “simple.”  “Crime was pretty high in Washington, D.C., right? And then Trump acted, and now crime is down 97%,” she said. “What’s wrong with that?” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., noted that the National Guard’s deployment in his home state has aided policing. Earlier this year, New Mexico’s Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called in the state’s guard to aid local police to combat fentanyl and juvenile crime. But Heinrich countered that Trump’s usage of troops wasn’t really about backing up the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). “I worry that what we’re seeing in D.C. is not really supporting police activities, and is more of a distraction from the Epstein situation,” he said. 

Lebanon’s cabinet welcomes army plan to disarm Hezbollah, gives no timeline

Lebanon’s cabinet welcomes army plan to disarm Hezbollah, gives no timeline

Five Shia ministers walk out of cabinet debate as Hezbollah remains adamant it will hold onto its weapons. Published On 5 Sep 20255 Sep 2025 Lebanon’s army has presented a plan to the government’s cabinet to disarm Hezbollah, saying the military will begin executing it, as some ministers staged a walkout before the session began. On Friday, Lebanon’s cabinet met for three hours, which included the plan’s presentation by army commander Rodolphe Haykal. The plan did not set a timeframe for implementation and cautioned that the army had limited capabilities. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos told reporters after the session that the government welcomed the plan, but stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally passed it. He said the army would begin implementing the plan according to its logistical, material and personnel capabilities, which might require “additional time [and] additional effort”. Morcos said the plan’s details would remain secret. A national divide over Hezbollah’s disarmament has taken centre stage in Lebanon since last year’s devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by Hezbollah. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (centre), Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and members of the cabinet stand as they attend a cabinet session to discuss the army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon [Mohamed Azakir/Reuters] Five Shia ministers, including those from Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement, walked out of the cabinet meeting, with the Lebanese armed group adamant it will hold onto its weapons. The walkout happened as Lebanon’s army chief Haykal entered the meeting to present a plan for disarming the group, local media reported. Advertisement Hezbollah and Amal ministers have now walked out of cabinet meetings three times over the disarmament issue. Hezbollah-aligned Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar told local media before the cabinet’s session had concluded that any decision taken in the absence of Shia ministers would be null and void, as it would be considered in contravention of Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem last month raised the spectre of civil war, warning the government against trying to confront the group and saying street protests were possible. Military and political analyst Elijah Magnier says it is not possible for the Lebanese army to confront Hezbollah, adding that it did not “have the appetite to start a civil war”. “It [also] doesn’t want a partition in the army, because the Shia members within the army would not side by the Lebanese army if it attacks Shia strongholds,” he told Al Jazeera. Calls grow to disarm The United States and Saudi Arabia, along with Hezbollah’s primarily Christian and Sunni opponents in Lebanon, have ramped up calls for the group to give up arms. US Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen, members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a joint statement in support of Hezbollah’s disarmament on Friday. “Lebanon deserves a free, prosperous, and secure future. That will only be possible if Lebanon is freed from the influence of Hezbollah and the Iranian regime,” the senators said. “We recognize that Lebanon’s government has made important progress in the past year, and we applaud the recent decision by Lebanon’s Council of Ministers to approve disarming militias in Lebanon. This commitment must be carried out to its full conclusion, including approving the Lebanese Armed Forces’ disarmament plan for Hezbollah.” The bipartisan statement underscores growing pressure from Washington on Beirut to curb Hezbollah’s influence, a longstanding demand of both the US and international partners. However, Hezbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south. Four people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday. Israeli forces have continued to carry out air attacks across Lebanon in near-daily violations of the November truce, causing deaths and injuries among civilians, including Syrian refugees, and destruction of properties and infrastructure. Adblock test (Why?)

Air Canada flight attendants reject wage offer

Air Canada flight attendants reject wage offer

Canada’s biggest air carrier offered a 12 percent wage hike for those with five years on the job or less, and 8 percent for those with more than six. Published On 5 Sep 20255 Sep 2025 Air Canada’s flight attendants and its regional unit have voted against ratifying the carrier’s wage offer. The union announced the decision on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Many of the flight attendants at Canada’s largest carrier were dissatisfied with wage increases in a tentative agreement that they had arrived at last month and that had helped end a crippling strike at the time. Air Canada had proposed a 12 percent first-year wage hike for Rouge flight attendants and mainline staff with five years of service or less, and an 8 percent increase for those with six years or more, the union said. The tension between the Montreal-based carrier and its flight attendants’ union comes only weeks after its roughly 10,500 flight attendants hit the picket line for three days. Disruptions led to cancellations impacting nearly half a million customers flying on Air Canada. It was the first time any union had defied a long-obscure “industrial peace” clause in Canada’s 40-year-old labour code — one that has been used to end strikes a half dozen times in just the past year and force workers back to their jobs. Several flight attendants had been unhappy both with the content of the offer and the way it was achieved under “duress”, Al Jazeera reported previously. Adblock test (Why?)

Belgium asks US not to destroy millions in contraceptives bound for Africa

Belgium asks US not to destroy millions in contraceptives bound for Africa

The Trump administration has confirmed it plans to destroy the already purchased supplies, preventing their distribution. Published On 5 Sep 20255 Sep 2025 Belgium has called on the administration of United States President Donald Trump to abandon a plan to destroy a massive stockpile of contraceptives for women as part of its rollback on foreign aid. In an interview on Friday, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said the stockpile was mostly bound for sub-Saharan Africa. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The Trump administration confirmed last month that it planned to destroy the supplies, which are unexpired and had been purchased by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under former President Joe Biden. “We continue through diplomatic channels to vigorously advocate against such waste,” Prevot told the Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency. The stockpile is estimated to be worth about $10m. It includes implants and intrauterine devices, long cornerstones for the humanitarian community’s birth control drives. Prevot said a portion of the supplies had already been moved from their original warehouse and were being kept in poor storage conditions. The Belgian diplomat also doused reports that suggested the contraceptives had been sent to France for incineration. “Whether here at the US Embassy or directly in Washington, we have intervened to say, ‘OK, you are changing your policy. We regret it, but please at least allow what has already been purchased to reach the appropriate recipients,’” he said. For its part, Flanders, the self-governing, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium, told the Reuters news agency that the contraceptives are currently being stored in a warehouse in Geel, a municipality in the province of Antwerp. Advertisement Even if the supplies were sent to another country, they could not be incinerated without a “formal derogation” from the region’s ban on destroying medical waste, the Flemish spokesperson explained. “To date, we have not received any such request,” the spokesperson said, adding the Flemish government was open to engaging with US authorities on the matter. The Trump administration has overseen a massive overhaul of US foreign aid since taking office in January. That has included dismantling USAID and cleaving billions of dollars in humanitarian funding. As a result of the US aid cuts, humanitarian organisations and United Nations officials have warned of shortages in critical supplies used to address hunger, staunch disease and prevent unwanted pregnancies. Earlier this week, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from allowing $4.9bn in congressionally approved aid funding to expire without being spent. Adblock test (Why?)