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EXCLUSIVE: US Navy Under Secretary Erik Raven on the AUKUS agreement

U.S. nuclear-powered submarines are the crown jewel of American military might and key to deterring adversaries like China. The Biden administration signed a historic three-way partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom, known as AUKUS in 2021. The agreement promotes deeper information and technology sharing between the three countries and the U.S. agreed to share nuclear submarine technology with Australia for the first time ever. Also a first; the U.S. will sell several nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia. But there is one problem. The U.S. does not have enough submarines for itself. Old subs are being retired faster than they can be replaced and the U.S. ship building industry is years behind schedule. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who serves as ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, supports AUKUS, but is concerned how the U.S. is going to live up to its commitments to Australia. ISRAEL VOWS TO STRIKE BACK AFTER WARNINGS OF IRANIAN ATTACK, SAYS ENEMIES ‘WILL BE MET WITH A STRONG DEFENSE’ “The intelligence couldn’t be clearer… China is preparing for a war and specifically for a war with the United States,” Wicker said on the Senate floor. “The AUKUS deal will help prevent that war from happening.” Wicker has been ringing the alarm for years on how the U.S. needs to build up its industrial base. Wicker inserted $3.4 billion into the national security supplemental to jumpstart the ship building base. The Navy requires 66 attack submarines but right now only has 49. In total, the Pentagon is 17 nuclear attack submarines short of Navy requirements and needs to build 2.33 Virginia-class submarines per year to meet its AUKUS commitments on time. “The basic fact is this: Our defense industrial base is not where it needs to be,” Wicker said. In an exclusive interview with Fox News, U.S. Navy Under Secretary Erik Raven explained how the Navy is addressing the shortage. Asked why the submarine industry is so behind and backed up, Raven said demand for submarines has gone up five times in the last 15 years. “While industry has been increasing its production, it’s been challenging. And what we’re seeing is they’re not quite catching up to the demand signal, but we’re doing something about it,” Raven said. NEW EVIDENCE SUGGESTS RUSSIA IS BEHIND THE SERIOUS HAVANA SYNDROME Raven explained the U.S. Navy is partnering with private industry, state and local governments, community colleges and non-profits to recruit 100,000 Americans to work in the submarine industry. “We’re going through a generational change in the workforce at our shipyards and our suppliers. So we need to build new talent, bring in more Americans to work in the sector and also in supply chain. Covid was a significant interruption in our ability to do business,” Raven said. It is a modern day “Uncle Sam Wants You!” campaign. Non-profit BlueForge Alliance has been tasked with helping the Navy hire 100,000 Americans. Kiley Wren, the co-founder and chief executive put this as an appeal to patriotism. “There are literally tens of thousands of opportunities over the coming decade and more for long term, family-sustaining generational jobs that have a really important purpose,” Wren told Fox News. “We have, high-paying, good wage, family-sustaining jobs. But the number one thing that comes up is purpose and the ability to serve your country in a job that you go to every day is an enormous sense of pride,” Wren said. Earlier this month, Admiral John Aquilino, U.S. Pacific Commander, assessed China would be capable of invading Taiwan in 2027. One way the U.S. stays ahead of China as the dominant Navy power is its submarines. “Submarines have a unique role in securing the peace all around the world. Their ability to move unchallenged, through, through the seas, all around the world is an incredible asymmetric advantage. And the United States builds and operates the world’s most advanced submarines,” Raven said. Asked about reports China is building a “Great Underwater Wall,” to monitor submarine activity in the waters around China, Raven said he is not concerned. “We have an incredibly capable submarine force that’s capable of tackling any challenge that her adversaries may pose… our submarines are incredibly capable,” Raven said. Raven emphasized in order to stay ahead of China, the U.S. must have a strong submarine industrial base. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “These are good, dependable jobs with a long future. No matter whether you are an engineer, a welder, an electrician or an accountant, there’s some role for any American who has an interest in helping us build submarines,” Raven said.

Trump will be first ex-president on criminal trial. Here’s what to know about the hush money case

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump will make history as the first former president to stand trial on criminal charges when his hush money case opens Monday with jury selection. The case will force the presumptive Republican presidential nominee to juggle campaigning with sitting in a Manhattan courtroom for weeks to defend himself against charges involving a scheme to bury allegations of marital infidelity that arose during his first White House campaign in 2016. TRUMP REQUEST TO DELAY HUSH-MONEY TRIAL DENIED FOR THIRD TIME It carries enormous political ramifications as potentially the only one of four criminal cases against Trump that could reach a verdict before voters decide in November whether to send him back to the White House. Here’s what to know about the hush money case and the charges against Trump: WHAT’S THIS CASE ABOUT? The former president is accused of falsifying internal Trump Organization records as part of a scheme to bury damaging stories that he feared could hurt his 2016 campaign, particularly as Trump’s reputation was suffering at the time from comments he had made about women. The allegations focus on payoffs to two women, porn actor Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged Trump had out of wedlock. Trump says none of these supposed sexual encounters occurred. Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 and arranged for the publisher of the National Enquirer supermarket tabloid to pay McDougal $150,000 in a journalistically dubious practice known as “catch-and-kill” in which a publication pays for exclusive rights to someone’s story with no intention of publishing it, either as a favor to a celebrity subject or to gain leverage over the person. Prosecutors say Trump’s company reimbursed Cohen and paid him bonuses and extra payments, all of which were falsely logged in Trump Organization records as legal expenses. Cohen has separately pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the payments. WHAT ARE THE CHARGES? Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The charge carries up to four years in prison, though whether he will spend time behind bars if convicted would ultimately be up to the judge. The counts are linked to a series of checks written to Cohen to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded as legal expenses in various internal company records. To win on the felony charge, prosecutors must show that Trump not only falsified or caused business records to be entered falsely — which would be a misdemeanor — but that he did so with intent to commit or conceal a second crime. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has said that Trump was trying to conceal violations of federal campaign finance laws — an unusual legal strategy some experts argue could backfire. HOW WILL JURY SELECTION WORK? The process to choose 12 jurors, plus six alternates, will begin with Judge Juan M. Merchan bringing scores of people into his courtroom to begin weeding out people for potential biases or other reasons they cannot serve. The judge has said he will excuse anyone who indicates by a show of hands that they can’t serve or can’t be fair and impartial before calling groups of those who remain into the jury box to answer 42 questions. Potential jurors will be known only by number, as the judge has ordered their names to be kept secret from everyone except prosecutors, Trump and their legal teams. Among the questions potential jurors will be asked: Whether they follow the former president on social media, have ever worked for a Trump organization and have ever attended a Trump rally — or anti-Trump organizations or rallies and whether potential jurors are supporters or followers of far-right groups, such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, whose members were among the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or of the far-left-leaning collective known as antifa, which resists fascists and neo-Nazis, especially at demonstrations. WHO’S EXPECTED TO TESTIFY? Cohen, a Trump loyalist turned critic, is expected to be a key prosecution witness, as he was the one who orchestrated the payoffs. Before testifying in front of the grand jury that brought the indictment last year, Cohen said his goal was “to tell the truth” and insisted he is not seeking revenge but said Trump “needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds.” Cohen served prison time after pleading guilty in 2018 to federal charges, including campaign finance violations, for arranging the payouts to Daniels and McDougal. Other expected witnesses include Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Daniels alleges that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 that she didn’t want, but didn’t say no to. Trump says it never happened. WHAT WILL TRUMP’S DEFENSE BE? Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has slammed the case as an effort to hurt his 2024 presidential campaign. Trump has acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for the payment and that it was designed to stop Daniels from going public about the alleged encounter. But Trump said in 2018 it had nothing to do with the campaign. Trump’s lawyers will likely attack the case by trying to undermine the credibility of prosecution witnesses like Cohen and Daniels. Trump has described the two as liars, testing the limits of a gag order that the judge imposed. It seeks to curtail the president’s inflammatory rhetoric about the case. Trump’s lawyers are expected to paint Cohen as a con man and point to his conviction on multiple federal crimes as well as his disbarment to try to persuade jurors that he can’t be believed. Trump recently posted on social media a picture of a 2018 written statement from Daniels, in which she denied they had a sexual relationship. Not long

Judge denies Hunter Biden’s motion to dismiss federal gun case

A federal judge on Friday denied Hunter Biden’s request to dismiss a gun case against him that his lawyers argue is politically motivated. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected all of Biden motions, which cited vindictive and selective prosecution, thereby moving the case forward to trial. The son of President Biden is accused of lying about his drug use on a federal form when he bought a firearm in October 2018, a period when he has acknowledged struggling with addiction to crack cocaine. He’s pleaded not guilty. HUNTER BIDEN REFUSES TO ATTEND HOUSE HEARING WITH FORMER BUSINESS ASSOCIATES Hunter Biden has acknowledged his struggles with substance abuse during that period, but his lawyers have said he didn’t break the law and another nonviolent, first-time offender would not have been charged. His lawyers have argued that prosecutors bowed to political pressure after an immunity provision from an original plea that fell apart was publicly pilloried by Republicans – including former President Trump – as a “sweetheart deal.” Prosecutors have denied the case is motivated by politics. Noreika has not yet ruled on a challenge to the constitutionality of the gun charges. The trial is penciled in for jury selection for the week of June 3. In California, Biden is still heading toward a trial on June 20 on tax charges. Biden’s legal team in that case also plans to appeal a judge’s denial of a motion to dismiss the charges. “Notice is hereby given that Robert Hunter Biden hereby appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,” the court document giving notice of the interlocutory appeal states. Biden is alleged to have participated in a four-year scheme to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes while living an extravagant lifestyle. The trial in that case is scheduled from late June until mid-July. The Associated press contributed to this report.

Ireland, Spain, Norway moving closer to recognising a Palestinian state

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez says declarations on Palestine will be made “when the conditions are appropriate”. Ireland and Norway are both moving closer to recognising Palestinian statehood, leaders of the two countries expressed separately after meetings with Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who also champions the move. Ireland wants to recognise Palestine soon, but in a coordinated action with Spain and more European nations, the country’s Prime Minister Simon Harris said after meeting Sanchez in Dublin on Friday. Earlier in the day, Sanchez travelled to Oslo, where Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said his country also “stands ready” to recognise Palestine together with “like-minded countries”. Sanchez said Spain wants to recognise Palestine “as soon as possible”, leveraging the move as a way to gain momentum for a definitive peace process. The current efforts come as the mounting deaths, starvation and infrastructure damage in the besieged Gaza Strip due to Israel’s war have resulted in growing international criticism. Within Europe, the concerns about Israel’s war on Gaza have also led to shifting positions – including more nations considering the possibility of recognising Palestine. Last month, Spain and Ireland, long champions of Palestinian rights, announced alongside Malta and Slovenia that they would jointly work towards the recognition of a Palestinian state. They said they were “ready to recognise Palestine” in a move that would happen when “the circumstances are right”. On Friday, after meeting Sanchez, Harris said, “Let me this evening say our assessment is that that point is coming much closer and we would like to move together in doing so.” “The people of Palestine have long sought the dignity of their own country and sovereignty – a home that like Ireland and Spain can take its place amongst the nations of the Earth.” Sanchez said that willing countries would make their declarations “when the conditions are appropriate” and that they would support the new Palestinian state becoming “a full member of the United Nations”. The Spanish leader has repeatedly angered Israel with his outspoken comments since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, while Harris has already drawn a rebuke from the Israeli government this week. Israel told the four European Union countries that committed to moving towards Palestinian recognition that their initiative would amount to a “prize for terrorism” that would reduce the chances of a negotiated resolution to the generations-old conflict. Norway ‘stands ready’ “Norway stands ready to recognise the state of Palestine,” Norwegian Prime Minister Store, whose country is a part of the Schengen zone but not the EU, told a joint news conference with Sanchez earlier on Friday. “We have not set a firm timetable,” he added, saying a decision on Palestine’s recognition would need to be taken in close coordination with “like-minded countries”. In November, Norway’s parliament adopted a government proposal for the country to be prepared to recognise an independent Palestinian state. Norway also hosted Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at the beginning of the 1990s, which led to the Oslo Accords. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 33,600 Palestinians and injured more than 76,000 others since October 7. A Hamas attack on southern Israel before the war killed about 1,100 people there. In all, 139 out of 193 UN member states recognise Palestine as a state. Adblock test (Why?)

Journalist loses foot after being badly wounded in Israeli attack in Gaza

Gaza’s media office and Reporters Without Borders say there is evidence to suggest it was a targeted attack. Three journalists have been injured, one seriously, in an Israeli attack at the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza that authorities in the besieged strip say was a targeted attack. Sami Shehadeh, a journalist with Turkish broadcaster TRT had his foot amputated after being wounded in the attack on Friday, according to the channel. TRT Arabi correspondent Sami Berhum was also wounded. “The vehicle of a team from TRT Arabi [TRT’s Arabic-language channel] that was preparing to broadcast from the Nuseirat camp … was targeted by an Israeli army strike,” the broadcaster said. TRT’s Director General Zahid Sobaci called the attack “Israeli brutality” and said it had gone beyond all “moral, legal or humanitarian limits”. Lying on the floor of the al-Aqsa Hospital in the Gaza City of Deir el-Balah, Shehadeh told an AFP reporter that he was “far from the danger zone. I was even surrounded by people and journalists,” when the attack took place. “We were shooting when a strike targeted us, I don’t know if it was a missile or a tank. I saw that my leg was amputated,” he recounted. “I was wearing a press vest and helmet and it was clear even for the blind that I am a journalist.” ‘Journalists deliberately targeted’ Gaza’s media office condemned the Israeli attack on the vehicle carrying the three journalists. “We strongly condemn the ongoing targeting of journalists and media crews by Israeli occupation forces,” it said in a statement. Israeli forces are “deliberately killing and wounding journalists in an attempt to scare, threaten, and prevent reporters from carrying out their duties, as well as to stifle the truth,” it added. Jonathan Dagher, the head of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Middle East desk, said reports of journalists being attacked, injured, and killed in Gaza by Israel have become “so commonplace”. “We’ve had to report them almost daily for the past six months. This is just the latest attack, it’s terrible … it’s unacceptable,” he told Al Jazeera. Dagher described the attack as “unprovoked”, and said there is enough evidence to prove that the vehicle was targeted. More than 100 journalists have been killed by Israel in Gaza over the past six months, he said. This “massacre has to stop”, he added, calling on the international community to “step up the pressure” on Israel. Speaking to journalists in Ankara, Turkey’s presidential office communications director Fahrettin Altun said that “Israel targeted, deliberately and willingly committed this massacre.” Altun reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas had discussed the attack in a phone call. “No matter what happens, we will continue to stand firm against Israel’s barbaric attacks on Gaza and Israel will pay the price for this cruelty,” Altun reported Erdogan as saying. At least 70 people injured in Israeli attacks on Nuseirat camp in central Gaza have been brought to the camp’s al-Awda Hospital since Friday morning, according to local sources. Israel’s attacks on Gaza have killed more than 33,600 people since the war began on October 7. Adblock test (Why?)

Chile calls for the extradition of Venezuelans after dissident’s murder

Chilean Interior Minister Carolina Toha said all ‘eyes’ are on Venezuela to act in the pursuit of justice. Chile has announced plans to seek the extradition of two Venezuelans it considers suspects in the grisly murder of a political dissident. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Chilean Interior Minister Carolina Toha called on her Venezuelan counterparts to be partners in her country’s pursuit of justice. “What happened in this crime is important for Chile,” she said. “We give it the highest gravity, but also it is important for Venezuela.” She said there will be “eyes” on Venezuela’s behaviour in the matter. “The willingness to collaborate in this investigation has to be demonstrated in facts — firstly, by discovering those responsible, and secondly, by making it easier for them to face justice.” Toha’s statement comes as part of an investigation into the killing of 32-year-old Ronald Ojeda, a Venezuelan dissident and former military lieutenant. Ojeda had been imprisoned in Venezuela for alleged treason. In 2017, he escaped to Chile, where he sought and was granted asylum. From abroad, Ojeda continued to vocally criticise the government of President Nicolás Maduro, whose administration is accused of human rights abuses and the suppression of dissent. But early on the morning of February 21, surveillance footage showed three men disguised as Chilean police kidnapping Ojeda from his apartment. His body was later discovered on March 1 stuffed in a suitcase, buried under lime powder and cement in a Santiago suburb. Chilean police afterwards arrested a 17-year-old Venezuelan suspect, allegedly linked to the Tren de Aragua, Venezuela’s largest criminal network. Officials have said two additional suspects escaped to Venezuela. Chilean authorities suggested on Friday that the murder was politically motivated and coordinated from Venezuela itself. “We are talking about a victim who has participated in actions against the Venezuelan government, and secondly, he has been detained for nine months in Venezuela. He escaped and has political asylum in Chile,” said Hector Barros, a prosecutor for Santiago’s organised crime and homicide team. “Given the profile he has, there is no other line of investigation.” But earlier this week, Venezuela disputed the continued existence of the Tren de Aragua criminal group, with Foreign Minister Yvan Gil calling it “a fiction created by the international media”. That prompted an outcry from the Chilean government. “It is an insult to the people of Chile and Latin America,” Toha said on Monday, referencing violent incidents credited to the group across the region. Chilean President Gabriel Boric also announced on Thursday that he would recall his administration’s ambassador to Venezuela in response. “The irresponsible statements from the chancellor of Venezuela, ignoring the existence of the Tren de Aragua, are worrying and constitute a serious insult to those who have been victims of this organisation and also demonstrate a lack of commitment to necessary international cooperation in matters of security,” Boric wrote on social media. Venezuela has yet to respond to Chile’s most recent extradition requests. It has denied responsibility for Ojeda’s murder. Maduro is seeking a third term in the upcoming presidential elections, set for July 28. But the race has been marred by accusations that his government has attempted to intimidate and derail the opposition, including through detentions, arrest warrants and bans from holding public office. Speaking on Friday, Toha, the Chilean interior minister, emphasised the need to cooperate on matters of justice. “A case like this, with the implications it has, must have at its centre that justice is done, that the truth is found, that those responsible are discovered, and that they face sentences that correspond to [their crimes],” she said. Adblock test (Why?)

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