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Former defense secretaries condemn Trump’s firing of senior military officials in scathing letter

Former defense secretaries condemn Trump’s firing of senior military officials in scathing letter

Five former defense secretaries issued a scathing letter on Thursday assailing President Donald Trump for firing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior officers.  In an open letter published Thursday, former Defense Secretaries James Mattis, Leon Panetta, Lloyd Austin, Chuck Hagel, and William Perry urged Congress to hold immediate hearings on Trump’s recent firings of Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown and several other senior military leaders.  They said senators should “refuse to confirm” any new DOD nominations in response to the firings. TRUMP ACCEPTS SECOND STATE VISIT TO UK, REVEALS LETTER FROM KING CHARLES In the letter, they alleged that Trump’s actions undermined “our all-volunteer force and weaken our national security” and they accused the president of trying to turn the apolitical U.S. military into an instrument of partisan politics and using firings, which extend to the top Army, Navy and Air Force lawyers, to do so. All defense secretaries but one, James Mattis, served under Democratic administrations.  TRUMP SAYS ‘I CAN’T BELIEVE I SAID THAT’ WHEN ASKED IF HE STILL THINKS ZELENSKYY IS A DICTATOR Trump announced the firings late on Friday, but his administration has yet to clarify in any detail what caused the unprecedented shakeup, which also included the dismissal of the head of the Navy, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first female officer to lead a military service. Air Force General C.Q. Brown was only the second Black officer to become Joint Chiefs chairman and he was less than halfway through his four-year term when he was let go. “Mr. Trump’s dismissals raise troubling questions about the administration’s desire to politicize the military,” they wrote. “We, like many Americans – including many troops – are therefore left to conclude that these leaders are being fired for purely partisan reasons.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment on the letter.  The former defense secretaries called on Congress to hold hearings to “assess the national security implications” of Trump’s dismissals. Republicans hold a majority in both chambers. The letter cautioned that the actions at the Pentagon could deter Americans from choosing a life in the military, should their careers be judged through the lens of partisan politics. It could also have a chilling effect on speaking “truth to power,” they cautioned. “We write to urge the U.S. Congress to hold Mr. Trump to account for these reckless actions and to exercise fully its Constitutional oversight responsibilities,” they wrote. Fox News’ Liz Friden and Reuters contributed to this report.

GOP Rep. Joe Wilson trumpets ‘Make Iraq Great Again!’ message

GOP Rep. Joe Wilson trumpets ‘Make Iraq Great Again!’ message

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, shared a message on X in which he declared, “Make Iraq Great Again!” His post included a graphic featuring the Iraqi flag along with the letters “MIGA,” and the phrase “MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN.”  An X user wrote in response to Wilson’s post, “American first huh?” “Forget Iraq and worry about Americans,” another account wrote when replying to the congressman. Wilson has been speaking out on social media about various foreign countries, including Iraq and Iran. REPUBLICAN REP. JOE WILSON ANNOUNCES PLAN TO PROPOSE $250 BILL FEATURING TRUMP Wilson asserts that Iran controls Iraq. He has been using the phrase “Free Iraq from Iran.” “Iran runs Iraq’s government,” as well as its “military,”  “judiciary,” “police,” and “banks,” the U.S. lawmaker declared in a post.  OVER 150 LAWMAKERS LEND SUPPORT TO RESISTANCE MOVEMENT INSIDE IRAN AS REGIME’S PROXIES FALL “The great people of Iraq of all religions and ethnicities are the inheritors of an amazing civilization,” he said in another post. “They deserve more than to be ruled by the terrorist regime in Iran. Biden abandoned the nonsectarian protest movement in Iraq. We must empower the Iraqi people to Make Iraq Great Again and Free Iraq from Iran.” “Defund Iraq,” he declared in another post. In another post Wilson advocated several policies, one of which is to “Cut all aid to Iraq as long as Iran runs Iraq.” IRAN CAN MANUFACTURE 6 NUCLEAR WEAPONS WITH NEWLY ENRICHED URANIUM, UN ATOMIC AGENCY REPORT SAYS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Wilson and some other GOP lawmakers are pushing a proposal for the creation of a $250 bill featuring President Donald Trump.

Why Zelenskyy keeps pushing for Ukraine NATO membership even though Trump says it’s not happening

Why Zelenskyy keeps pushing for Ukraine NATO membership even though Trump says it’s not happening

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy isn’t backing down from seeking NATO membership for Ukraine despite the fact that President Donald Trump has said the Ukrainian leader “could forget about” joining the military alliance.  Still, Zelenskyy is all in on securing NATO membership for his country, and he said Sunday he would step down as president if it meant NATO adopted Ukraine. Zelenskyy reiterated his position Wednesday and told the BBC, “I want to find a NATO path or something similar.”  “If we don’t get security guarantees, we won’t have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing,” Zelenskyy said.  Zelenskyy is slated to visit the White House on Friday, and Trump told reporters on Thursday that a peace negotiation to end the war between Ukraine and Russia is in the final stages. Even so, no deal is secured, and Trump hesitated to discuss plans regarding a peacekeeping force in the region until one was signed. TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE RARE EARTH MINERALS DEAL WILL LEAD TO ‘SUSTAINABLE’ FUTURE BETWEEN US, UKRAINE Although Trump said on Thursday he believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin will uphold his end of a peace deal, several experts claim Zelenskyy remains adamant about pushing for Ukraine to become a NATO member because it reduces the likelihood that Putin could resume hostilities, and it means that other security guarantees are more likely.  Article 5 of the NATO treaty stipulates that if a member country is attacked, it will be considered an attack against all NATO members and requires other NATO countries to take action, including the use of armed forces.  Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute think tank, said that with backing from the West, Ukraine becomes bigger than Russia.  “Putin would have to think twice about restarting a war if he thinks the major Western powers are obligated to defend Ukraine,” Rough said in a Thursday email to Fox News Digital. “Of course, bringing Ukraine into NATO would put American (and European) skin and credibility in the game. That explains Trump’s hesitation, even resistance to such a concept.”  Rough said Zelenskyy’s “fallback position” if NATO membership isn’t possible is to secure support from Western troops to promote a ceasefire. For example, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Feb. 16 that the U.K. was ready to send troops to Ukraine if necessary to ensure peace between Ukraine and Russia. TRUMP SAYS MINERALS DEAL HAS BEEN ‘PRETTY MUCH’ NEGOTIATED WITH ZELENSKYY, MEETING SLATED FOR FRIDAY “If all else fails, then, Zelenskyy may have to settle for continued financing and military assistance,” Rough said. “But he isn’t going to negotiate with himself, which is why he remains adamant about security guarantees in public.” John Hardie, the deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Russia program, said another conflict between Russia and Ukraine is likely and that the “hard truth” is the negotiations from the Trump administration won’t “resolve the fundamental question at stake in this war.” “Putin’s goal isn’t just to grab some more territory in eastern Ukraine,” Hardie said in an email to Fox News Digital. “He remains determined to make Ukraine itself into a vassal state and to rewrite the broader security order in Europe.” As a result, Hardie said NATO membership for Ukraine provides the best option for preserving Ukraine’s safety against Russian aggression. Although that’s a no from Trump, Hardie said the U.S. does need to articulate just how much support it can offer for European troops who will provide a post-war security presence in the region.  For example, Starmer told reporters on Feb. 17 that any reassurance force would require a “U.S. backstop because a U.S. security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.”  “The Trump administration needs to provide Europe with clarity on what U.S. contribution it can expect,” Hardie said. “Ukraine will also need a continued supply of military aid from the West, including the United States, though there are ways to reduce the burden on American taxpayers, such as the use of frozen Russian assets.”  TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY WAR OF WORDS HEATS UP EVEN AS US LOOKS TO WIND DOWN WAR IN UKRAINE  Zelenskyy told reporters Wednesday he is prepared to broach “very important questions” with Trump during their Friday visit, including whether the U.S. will continue to provide aid to Ukraine. Congress has appropriated $175 billion since 2022 for aid to Ukraine, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. To recoup some of these costs, Trump said Zelenskyy is expected to sign a rare-earth minerals deal that will allow the U.S. and Ukraine to partner on developing resources like oil and gas. The agreement will permit the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals and will also help Ukraine rebuild from the war, Trump said.  “We’re going to be signing really a very important agreement for both sides, because it’s really going to get us into that country,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “We’ll have a lot of people working there and so, in that sense, it’s very good.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Trump appoints Paul Dabbar, Hung Cao to positions within administration

Trump appoints Paul Dabbar, Hung Cao to positions within administration

President Donald Trump filled two more roles within his administration late Thursday by announcing who will be serving as deputy secretary of commerce and under secretary of the Navy. Trump selected former Virginia congressional candidate, Hung Cao, to serve as the next under secretary of the Navy and former under secretary of energy for science, Paul Dabbar, to serve as deputy secretary of commerce. The president congratulated both men, who are Navy veterans and graduates of the United States Naval Academy, in separate Truth Social posts Thursday night. TRUMP REVEALS SLEW OF PICKS FOR BIG JOBS, INCLUDING FRIEND OF MIKE PENCE, BILLIONAIRE’S WIFE Cao, who came to the U.S. in 1975 after his family escaped Vietnam shortly before the fall of Saigon, most recently ran for U.S. Senate in Virginia against Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine during the 2024 election, losing to the incumbent senator. He was endorsed by Trump during the race. He retired from the Navy as a captain after 25 years in Special Operations. While Cao served in combat roles, he also worked at the Pentagon and was assigned to balancing the Navy’s $140 billion budget. “Hung is the embodiment of the American Dream. As a refugee to our Great Nation, Hung worked tirelessly to make proud the Country that gave his family a home. He went to our amazing United States Naval Academy, and later earned his Master’s Degree in Physics. Hung served in combat as a Special Operations Officer for twenty five years. With Hung’s experience both in combat, and in the Pentagon, he will get the job done. Congratulations to Hung, and his wonderful family!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Cao thanked the president for selecting him in a post on X and said “let’s get to work.” VAN JONES PRAISES TRUMP FOR ‘VERY GOOD’ CHOICE WITH NEW PARDON CZAR PICK  Dabbar, who worked in Trump’s Department of Energy during his first term, served in the Navy as a submarine officer and spent years after his military career working in the energy sector as a managing director at J.P. Morgan. Trump said Dabbar will work with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to “bring back American Leadership in Global Commerce, Trade, and Technology.” “Paul served as my Under Secretary of Energy for Science, where he lead the National Labs that started as the Manhattan Project, helping to drive semiconductors, AI, quantum, Energy Dominance, and our War-fighting capabilities,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, in part. The president still has to announce his picks for hundreds of smaller positions, but has nearly rounded out his Cabinet. Of the 22 nominations made that require Senate confirmation, 19 have been confirmed as of Thursday.

Blue state governor’s ‘gross mismanagement’ cost taxpayers $1.6B for illegal immigrant healthcare: audit

Blue state governor’s ‘gross mismanagement’ cost taxpayers .6B for illegal immigrant healthcare: audit

Illinois taxpayers paid out $1.6 billion for healthcare programs for illegal immigrants since 2020, well above the spending projections estimated by Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration, per a new state audit released this week at the request of GOP legislators.  The audit also found that, in many cases, state money was spent on people who were actually U.S. citizens or otherwise eligible for federal programs. “This audit shows that the governor, that the program was rampant in overspending. It spent well in excess of 200% more than what was estimated in budgets and in appropriations,” state Senate Republican leader John Curran told Fox News Digital in an interview.  “And it also showed that the governor was unable to manage this program,” he said. “Thousands of people were allowed to sign up for free healthcare for years on the state taxpayer dime that should not have been eligible under the parameters laid out for this program, and the governor failed to even seek federal reimbursement when eligible on certain services for years, leaving federal dollars on the table.” ILLINOIS TO CUT STATE-FUNDED HEALTHCARE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, GREEN CARD HOLDERS AFTER SOARING COSTS Illinois Auditor General Frank J. Mautino flagged more than 6,000 people listed as “undocumented” in the programs but who had Social Security numbers, and some of those individuals may actually be legal permanent residents who are eligible for Medicaid, meaning the state could get federal funding for them. The state reviewed 94 cases and found that 19 should have been classified as legal residents instead of noncitizens. There were also nearly 700 people in the senior health program who were under 65. A review confirmed that many of the errors were due to incorrect birth dates, which were corrected later. Nearly 400 enrollees appeared to have been in the country for more than five years and should have qualified for Medicaid, the audit also found. The state acknowledged that some of those people were enrolled incorrectly, which cost the state federal matching funds. The report recommended that the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services seek federal reimbursement for the lost funds. ILLINOIS HEALTH CARE PROGRAM FOR NONCITIZENS, INCLUDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, BALLOONS TO $1.1B  The auditor’s report, which Curran dubbed “gross mismanagement” in a press conference, was released just one week after Pritzker suggested cutting funding for a program that offers Medicaid-like coverage to illegal immigrants under 65 or legal immigrants without a green card. The proposed reduction, expected to save $330 million, was a key part of Pritzker’s strategy to address a more than $3 billion budget shortfall. “The governor was papering over this large spending with tax increases over the last several years, as well as COVID relief funds being spent on this rather than actually trying to rein in spending in the state of Illinois,” Curran said. “Now that federal dollars have tapered off, we have a large budget deficit in Illinois this year and the governor is now being forced to try to end the program for all working adults.” “We cannot afford this,” Curran continued. “The state of Illinois, state taxpayers, should not be burdened with providing free healthcare, especially for [the] working-age population. People that should be out and working in paying taxes and getting healthcare in the marketplace, just like every other Illinois state taxpayer is doing, so we want to bring the program to an end.” As of December, 41,505 individuals were enrolled in the two programs, part of the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program, which Pritzker has proposed cutting starting July 1. TRUMP ADMIN TURNS TABLES ON POLICY ‘EXPLOITED’ BY BIDEN DHS TO SHIELD MORE HAITIANS FROM DEPORTATIONS Despite Pritzker’s plan to cut funding for healthcare programs, he said during a Wednesday press conference that he supports some kind of universal health coverage: “The broader context is people need to get health care.”  He added, “It’s some evidence, anyway, that there are an awful lot of people out there that need coverage who aren’t getting it or who will do anything to get it, and I think that’s a sad state of affairs in our society.” Curran said “Pritzker, from day 1, is taking an adversarial approach to President Donald Trump and his administration, and that has really put Illinois and really the city of Chicago in focus.” “What we would like to see is a more cooperative tone,” he said. Hundreds of illegal immigrants in Chicago, which is deemed a sanctuary city, have been detained by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement since Trump took office. Both Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson bucked Trump’s mass deportation move, vowing in January to protect residents regardless of their immigration status.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Pritzker’s office did not respond to a request for comment by the publication deadline.