After the strikes, how would the US secure Iran’s enriched uranium?
When War Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked recently whether U.S. forces would ever move to secure enriched uranium reportedly stored at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex, he declined to say, citing operational security. The exchange highlighted a question the U.S. and Israel’s air campaign alone cannot answer: even if U.S. strikes degrade Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, who would physically secure the enriched uranium, and how? Iran is believed to possess a significant stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, near weapons-grade. That material could theoretically be used in multiple nuclear devices if further refined. Moving from 60% to weapons-grade 90% enrichment requires additional processing, and weaponization would involve further technical steps. But analysts say the more immediate issue is physical control of the material itself. IRAN’S SHADOWY CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM DRAWS SCRUTINY AS REPORTS ALLEGE USE AGAINST PROTESTERS “If the U.S. wants to secure Iran’s nuclear materials, it’s going to require a massive ground operation,” Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, told Fox News Digital. Davenport said the highly enriched uranium believed to be stored at Isfahan appears to be deeply buried and contained in relatively mobile canisters. Securing it would likely require locating the full stockpile, accessing underground facilities and safely extracting or downblending the material. “It’s not even clear the United States knows where all of the uranium is,” she said, noting that the mobility of storage containers raises the possibility that some material could be moved or dispersed. The administration repeatedly has said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a central objective of Operation Epic Fury. “Ultimately, this issue of Iran’s nuclear pursuit and their unwillingness through negotiations to stop it is something President Trump has said for a long time needs to be dealt with,” Hegseth said. Senior administration officials have argued that Iran sought to build up its ballistic missile arsenal in part to create a deterrent shield — enabling Iran to continue advancing its nuclear program while discouraging outside intervention. So far, however, the bulk of U.S. strikes have focused on degrading missile launchers, air defenses and other conventional military targets. Experts note that dismantling missile systems may reduce Iran’s ability to shield a potential nuclear breakout. But physically controlling enriched uranium itself presents a separate and more complex challenge. Defense officials have acknowledged that degrading nuclear infrastructure from the air is different from safely managing or securing nuclear material. Airstrikes can destroy centrifuges, power systems and support buildings. But enriched uranium stored underground may remain intact unless it is physically secured, removed or verifiably downblended. Striking or extracting nuclear material also carries safety risks that military planners must weigh. If storage casks containing uranium hexafluoride gas were compromised, the material could pose chemical toxicity risks to personnel entering the site without proper protective equipment. Analysts say a conventional strike is unlikely to trigger a nuclear detonation, but dispersal of material could create localized hazards and complicate recovery efforts. Chuck DeVore, a former Reagan-era defense official who worked on nuclear issues, argued that directly targeting the stockpile may not be a priority under current battlefield conditions. “You don’t want to release the material into the surrounding areas and cause radioactive contamination,” DeVore said, adding that deeply buried facilities are difficult to reach from the air. DeVore also downplayed the immediacy of a breakout scenario, arguing that further enrichment, weaponization and delivery would be difficult to execute undetected amid sustained U.S. air operations. Even if Iran were able to further enrich uranium, he said, assembling a deliverable weapon under active military pressure would present significant technical and operational hurdles. Still, DeVore acknowledged that long-term control of the uranium would ultimately require a political resolution inside Iran and some form of outside oversight. Nonproliferation experts say securing enriched uranium generally involves more than military force. It requires verified accounting of the material, sustained access to storage sites and either removal or downblending to lower enrichment levels suitable for civilian use. Davenport said internationally monitored downblending would be the safest option if political conditions allow. “The IAEA remains the best place to go back into Iran to monitor the sites, to try to track down and account for the enriched uranium,” she said, describing downblending as a relatively straightforward technical process compared to attempting to extract and transport highly enriched material in a contested environment. Both pathways — physical seizure or internationally monitored reduction — depend on conditions that do not currently exist. Administration officials argue that dismantling Iran’s missile network weakens Iran’s ability to shield a nuclear breakout and reduces the immediate threat to U.S. forces and regional allies. But suppressing missiles and controlling enriched uranium are separate challenges. Destroying infrastructure can slow or disrupt a program. Physically locating, accounting for and securing nuclear material requires sustained access, reliable intelligence and — ultimately — political conditions that allow it. For now, the administration maintains that Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. How the enriched uranium itself would be secured remains a question without a public answer.
Virginia Dems push anti-ICE bills days after Spanberger rejects detainer for illegal immigrant murder suspect
Democrats in the Virginia state legislature took steps to advance laws aimed at restricting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts and cooperation with local police just days after Democrat Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said a warrantless ICE detainer would not be sufficient to hand a criminal illegal alien suspected murderer with over 30 criminal charges to his name over to federal officials. Several of the Senate and House Democrats who took procedural steps and voted in favor of the anti-ICE bills this week include Democrats whose districts are either inside or partially inside Fairfax County, where Stephanie Minter was allegedly murdered by Abdul Jalloh, an illegal alien from Sierre Leone. Police had warned Democrat Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County, Steve Descano, Jalloh needed to remain behind bars due to his violent record. However, Jalloh was allowed back onto the streets, and he allegedly murdered Minter. Now, Spanberger is forcing ICE to get a warrant to take Jalloh into custody. Similarly, several weeks ago in Fairfax County, a criminal alien with an ICE detainer was released from jail and allegedly killed a man days later. DHS BLASTS SPANBERGER ON POTENTIAL RELEASE OF ILLEGAL MIGRANT WITH 30+ ARRESTS CURRENTLY CHARGED WITH MURDER “The tone deafness is unbelievable,” Sean Kennedy, Virginians for Safe Communities’ president, told Fox News Digital. Del. Thomas Garrett, R-56, also called out Democrats this week for officials’ failure to heed warnings to keep Jalloh behind bars, noting he had over 150 interactions with law enforcement and over 30 charges to his name, many of which were subsequently dropped. Garrett also pointed out how DA Descano’s website indicates “wherever possible” he will make charging or plea decisions “that limit or avoid immigration consequences.” Yesterday, “18 Delegates who represent Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria voted to make it harder — not easier, harder — to turn over not illegals, but violent criminal illegals to ICE,” Garrett said in an impassioned floor speech this week, according to North Virginia news station WJLA. “Gaslight much? They told us we were bad for not joining them in voting that way.” Many of these bills were released shortly after Gov. Spanberger took office in January. A slate of bills advanced this week via a litany of procedural votes, which would restrict ICE enforcement operations, include HB 1441. HB 1441, introduced shortly after Gov. Spanberger took office, would require certain conditions that make it more difficult for ICE to file adequate detainer requests to hold criminal illegal aliens. Other bills advanced this week include proposals banning ICE from making arrests in courthouses or within 40 feet of a place that serves as a voting location. Another bill would ban ICE officials from wearing face coverings. POLICE WARNED PROSECUTORS 3 TIMES ABOUT VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BEFORE HE ALLEGEDLY KILLED VIRGINIA MOTHER “Most of these people hate Steve Descano, but they’re all playing on the same team,” Kennedy said, referring to some of the Fairfax County-area Democrats who took steps to advance anti-ICE bills just days after Minter’s murder. Fox News Digital reached out to several Virginia Democratic legislators, both in the House and Senate, who took steps to advance anti-ICE bills this week. Virginia State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell’s office suggested that their proposed bill aimed at requiring a higher bar for ICE detainers will subsequently prioritize deporting more violent illegal aliens. “Our pending legislation is attempting to focus ICE on the president’s campaign promise to focus on capturing and deporting violent undocumented immigrants like Abdul Jalloh who was in ICE custody in 2018 and has been eligible for deportation for 10 years,” Surovell’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Perhaps you should ask ICE why they didn’t deport him the first time Trump’s ICE had him in 2018 or even issue a detainer for him the eight times he was arrested since 2023.” But Republican state legislators in Virginia have shown they have a different take. “Just weeks after Gov. Spanberger chose to end the commonwealth’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities, a woman is dead,” Del. Delores Oates, R-31, said on the Virginia House floor this week, according to a recording posted online by WJLA. Oates was referring to Spanberger’s executive decision to end 287(g) programs that allowed local police and federal immigration officials to easily cooperate. “That’s not a coincidence, that’s a consequence,” Oates said. “I’ve heard my colleagues across the aisle say they don’t want ICE making arrests in public places,” Oates continued. “Well, fine. Then let’s do the responsible thing. Work with federal authorities to detain and remove violent criminals while they’re already in custody. That is safer for our communities. It’s safer for law enforcement. And it’s far more the responsible approach.”
US signals readiness to escort tankers through Hormuz as traffic thins, but no mission has been launched
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the U.S. Navy could begin escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as reasonable,” reinforcing President Donald Trump’s public statements that the United States is prepared to protect energy shipments through the strategic waterway. But a U.S. official told Fox News Digital that American forces are not currently escorting ships through the Strait and declined to speculate on future operations, making clear that no convoy mission has yet been launched. “As soon as it’s reasonable to do it, we’ll escort ships through the straits and get the energy moving again,” Wright said on “Fox and Friends” Friday. The renewed signaling comes as commercial traffic through the strait has thinned sharply after attacks on tankers and soaring war-risk insurance costs, raising pressure on global energy markets and Gulf producers that rely on the narrow corridor for oil and liquefied natural gas exports. HORMUZ ERUPTS: ATTACKS, GPS JAMMING, HOUTHI THREATS ROCK STRAIT AMID US-ISRAELI STRIKES Only nine oil tankers, cargo ships and container ships have crossed the strait since Monday, according to MarineTraffic data analyzed by Agence France-Presse after three vessels were attacked over the weekend. At least three tankers and a vessel carrying gas have transited the choke point since the strikes, according to Agence France-Presse. The Strait of Hormuz normally handles roughly 20% of the world’s crude oil and about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, making even a temporary disruption a serious concern for global energy markets and Gulf producers that rely on the passage to move supplies to Asia and Europe. Several commercial vessels have been struck since the start of Operation Epic Fury, heightening security concerns for shipowners and insurers. Industry analysts say war-risk premiums have surged, and some coverage has become difficult to secure, prompting tankers to anchor outside the Strait rather than risk transit. Despite the political signaling about potential naval protection, the U.S. military has not confirmed any escort operation. A U.S. official told Fox News Digital Friday, “We are not escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and we will not speculate on future operations.” TRUMP RALLIES DEFENSE TITANS TO SURGE WEAPONS OUTPUT AS IRAN WAR RAGES The gap between policy signaling and operational execution underscores the delicate balance Washington faces. Escort missions would require U.S. warships to operate in close proximity to Iran’s coastline in a narrow and heavily surveilled waterway, increasing the risk of direct confrontation. Iran, for its part, has stopped short of declaring a closure of the strait while leaving the door open to escalation. Iran has “no intention” of closing the Strait “right now,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with NBC News Thursday. “As the war continues, we will consider every scenario.” Araghchi also suggested commercial ships were avoiding the passage out of fear of being struck “by either side” and said international oil tankers were not targets for Iran. Even without a formal closure, the measurable reduction in ship traffic is placing real pressure on global markets and Gulf economies. Crude prices have risen amid concerns that prolonged disruption could tighten supply, particularly for Asian buyers dependent on Gulf exports. Trump has publicly downplayed concerns about rising gasoline prices in the United States. “They’ll drop very rapidly when this is over, and if they rise, they rise, but this is far more important than having gasoline prices go up a little bit,” he told Reuters. The administration’s posture suggests it is prepared to tolerate short-term energy price volatility while signaling readiness to intervene militarily if commercial shipping cannot resume safely on its own. For now, however, the Strait of Hormuz remains open but under strain, a critical artery of the global economy operating in a climate of active attacks, rising insurance costs and escalating rhetoric between Washington and Tehran.
FLASHBACK: Dem Senate nominee called illegal aliens ‘constituents,’ gave advice on evading ICE
James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas, once posted information to social media, letting illegal aliens know they could evade detention as law enforcement grappled with a wave of immigration under President Donald Trump’s first term. In a graphic put out by United We Dream, an activist group that supports abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Talarico encouraged viewers not to open their doors, not to sign any documentation without an attorney, to take pictures of ICE agents and to “fight back.” “Undocumented Americans are folks who work in our businesses, learn in our schools and contribute to our communities — but lack citizenship documentation,” Talarico said in a post to X in 2019. “As a Texas legislator, they’re also my constituents,” he added. RISING STAR TALARICO TOPPLES PROGRESSIVE FIREBRAND CROCKETT IN HIGH-STAKES TEXAS SENATE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Talarico’s 2019 posts come as he wages a Senate campaign in the Lone Star State that’s attracted national attention. His comments clash with efforts to position himself as a pro-enforcement candidate. In 2019, Talarico was in his second year of serving Texas as a state legislator. At the time of his post, the United States reported an explosion of CBP Southwest Border Apprehensions, according to data published by the agency. In July alone, CBP reported 81,000 apprehensions — down from a peak of 144,000 in May — as immigrants feeling instability and crime in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador poured into the U.S. For context, CBP reported just 40,000 apprehensions in July 2018, the year before. In response to inquiries from Fox News Digital about the post, Talarico’s campaign said his message has focused on targeting individuals who threaten the public safety of the U.S. “James has been clear that we should be spending precious law enforcement resources cracking down on the cartels, not our communities; deporting gang members, not small business owners; and hunting down human traffickers, not moms and babies,” Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis said in a statement. TEXAS SENATE PRIMARIES EXPLODE AS CORNYN WARNS PAXTON COULD COST GOP MAJORITY, DEMOCRATS CLASH OVER RACE At least one GOP onlooker said they believe Talarico is disguising a leniency he would take much further. “James Talarico stands with dangerous criminal illegal aliens, not law enforcement,” Republican National Committee representative Zach Kraft said, reacting to Talarico’s 2019 post. “He is an open borders lunatic who wants to abolish ICE, put a welcome mat on the southern border, and greet every illegal alien with a warm hug and taxpayer-funded healthcare.” Talarico, who just beat out progressive candidate Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas., in a heated Senate primary, now looks to win over voters in November’s general election. If elected, he would become Texas’ first Democratic senator since Sen. Bob Krueger in 1993. It’s still unclear who Talarico will be facing in the general election due to a Republican runoff between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. DEMOCRATIC SENATE PRIMARY ERUPTS AFTER CANDIDATE ACCUSED OF ‘MEDIOCRE BLACK MAN’ REMARK When asked about immigration enforcement in the past, Talarico likened his views on enforcement to the entry of a home. “Our border should be like a front porch — it should have a welcome mat out front and a lock on the door,” Talarico wrote on his website. Among other immigration policies, Talarico supports increasing ICE resources for public safety and national security, banning the use of masks by ICE agents, creating a pathway to legalization for certain undocumented immigrants, hiring more immigration judges and modernizing security at ports of entry. Talarico’s campaign believes his views separate him from his Republican competition. “While James fights for immigration policies a majority of Texans support, Cornyn, Paxton, and the billionaires who prop them up are trying to smear James because this people-powered movement is a threat to their wealth and power,” Talarico’s campaign said. Talarico will face down his Republican opponent on Nov. 3, 2025.
Kristi Noem’s firing fails to sway Democrats as DHS shutdown drags on
Democrats may be celebrating Kristi Noem’s ouster from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but they are still digging their heels in against ending the agency’s weekslong shutdown. “It’s not like Kristi Noem was the one who was involved in negotiating anything. She was a corrupt lackey. So, we were dealing with the White House before, and we’re going to continue to deal with the White House at this point,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters during a news conference Thursday. That point has since been echoed by several other Democratic lawmakers despite Noem’s firing apparently being one of their key demands in exchange for allowing DHS to be fully funded through the remainder of this fiscal year. KRISTI NOEM OUSTED FROM HOMELAND SECURITY POST AMID RECENT TURMOIL Congressional Democrats have maintained a unified blockade of funding for the agency in pursuit of stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Democrats and the White House have been negotiating, but neither side has agreed to compromise terms. And the shutdown is now guaranteed to drag on for another month, given that the House will be out for a week and the Senate is unable to advance any DHS funding legislation. “I’m waiting for them to give us an offer, make us an offering as to what it is that you want us to vote on,” Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., said. “I want to see what the guardrails are before I vote on this funding. … I don’t want us to have masked individuals in my community. I want to see body cameras. I want you to identify yourself when you’re making an arrest.” Many Democrats aren’t sure that Noem’s chosen replacement, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., would be the answer to the changes they want. HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE TO CONTINUE DHS SHUTDOWN DESPITE IRAN THREAT, NOEM’S OUSTER Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., suggested to Fox News Digital that he was skeptical that any replacement for Noem would be more effective in the discussions given they still have to answer to Trump and his policies. And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans to block Mullin’s confirmation in a bid to extract Democrats’ long-sought reforms to ICE. “The rot runs deep,” Schumer said. “If the president wants accountability, he must do more than fire one official — he must end the violence and rein in ICE.” Republican leaders in the House and Senate both tried again to advance a DHS funding bill that was released as part of wider bipartisan government funding discussions earlier this year. The bill passed the House with all but four Democrats voting “no,” even hours after Noem’s ouster. In the Senate, news of Noem’s firing erupted as another push by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to pass a full-year funding bill began. Like their colleagues in the House, Senate Democrats were unfazed by the change and once more blocked the legislation. SCHUMER, DEMS HOLD FIRM ON DHS FUNDING DESPITE NOEM’S BOMBSHELL OUSTING When asked if he believed removing Noem from the equation would make a difference, Thune said, “It should.” “The Democrats have been complaining about that forever,” Thune said. “And, so, this, to me, is a huge development, I would think, in the funding conversation, and hopefully they’ll get more earnest about coming to the table and trying to get a deal. I mean, we should find out soon enough.” For now, Senate Democrats appear firmly entrenched in their position, even with their colleague Mullin taking the helm of the agency. “No, I don’t think it makes any difference,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital. “They have got to put in the reforms that we need.” Mullin, who has staunchly opposed the stringent reforms Democrats seek for the agency, said he would meet with Schumer in a bid to earn his and every Senate Democrat’s vote during his forthcoming confirmation process. “I’m not going to get into, you know, a tit-for-tat, but if they have real concerns, I’m going to listen to it. I’m going to see if it’s practical,” Mullin said. “But nothing’s going to prevent me from doing my job. I’m going to enforce the policies and the laws that Congress has passed, and we’re going to protect our homeland.” But not all Democrats were pessimistic. Asked by Fox News Digital whether Noem’s firing would help advance DHS funding talks, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said, “I think it allows us to reopen the negotiations.”
Appeals court declares DC ban on certain gun magazines unconstitutional
An appeals court struck down a local law in the District of Columbia that banned gun magazines containing more than 10 bullets, describing the measure as unconstitutional. The ruling Thursday from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals also reversed the conviction of Tyree Benson, who was taken into custody in 2022 for being in possession of a handgun with a magazine that could contain 30 bullets, according to The New York Times. “Magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition are ubiquitous in our country, numbering in the hundreds of millions, accounting for about half of the magazines in the hands of our citizenry, and they come standard with the most popular firearms sold in America today,” Judge Joshua Deahl wrote on behalf of the two-judge majority in the three-judge panel. “Because these magazines are arms in common and ubiquitous use by law-abiding citizens across this country, we agree with Benson and the United States that the District’s outright ban on them violates the Second Amendment,” he added. MIKE LEE UNVEILS NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY BILL TO OVERRIDE ‘HOSTILE’ STATE GUN LAWS “This appeal presents a Second Amendment challenge to the District’s ban on firearm magazines capable of holding ‘more than 10 rounds of ammunition.’ Appellant Tyree Benson argues that ban contravenes the Second Amendment so that his conviction for violating it should be vacated,” Deahl also wrote. “The United States, which prosecuted Benson in the underlying case and defended the ban’s constitutionality in the initial round of appellate briefing, now concedes that this ban violates the Second Amendment. The District of Columbia, which is also a party to this appeal, continues to defend the constitutionality of its ban.” “We therefore reverse Benson’s conviction for violating the District’s magazine capacity ban. And because Benson could not have registered, procured a license to carry, or lawfully possessed ammunition for his firearm given that it was equipped with a magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds, we likewise reverse his convictions for possession of an unregistered firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, and unlawful possession of ammunition,” Deahl said. Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, the judge who dissented, wrote that, “The majority bases its common usage analysis on ownership statistics that show only that magazines holding 11, 15, or 17 rounds of ammunition are in common use.” GUN RIGHTS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY DEBATED AT SUPREME COURT “The majority, however, fails to contend with the reality that these statistics do not support the conclusion that the particularly lethal 30-round magazine, such as the one Mr. Benson possessed here, is in common use for self-defense. It simply is not,” she added. The District of Columbia can now appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, or ask the local appeals court to take another look at the ruling with a larger panel of judges, according to the Times. The newspaper also reported that in a previous case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the constitutionality of the local law surrounding gun magazine sizes. It’s unclear how the two rulings will interact.
WATCH: Walz, Ellison, Omar refuse to answer when pressed on fraud after contentious fraud hearing
Following the highly anticipated House Oversight Committee hearing on fraud Wednesday, Fox News Digital pressed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison about their roles in the scandal but received no response from the embattled officials. “Why wasn’t the fraud caught sooner, governor?” Walz was asked after the hearing. “Almost $10 billion — why wasn’t it caught sooner?” Walz declined to answer as he was escorted down a hallway by staff but stopped briefly to speak with another individual. During a second encounter, Walz again declined to answer the question but acknowledged a security guard as he walked down the hallway. “Mr. Attorney General, can you tell us why the fraud wasn’t caught sooner?” Ellison was asked after his testimony. TAFOYA RIPS WALZ ‘DODGING’ ACCOUNTABILITY IN HEARING, UNVEILS PLAN TO FIGHT FRAUD: ‘FULL WEIGHT OF THE LAW’ Ellison did not respond and continued walking up a staircase. Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who did not testify Wednesday but has faced criticism for her ties to the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal in the state, did not respond after the hearing when Fox News Digital began asking her questions. Walz and Ellison faced a barrage of tough questions from Republicans during the hearing on the massive fraud scandal in the state, with most focused on one key theme: What did they know, and when did they know it? Walz and Ellison were asked multiple times for specifics about when they were first made aware of the fraud and faced sharp rebukes from Republican members, including Rep. Virginia Foxx. WALZ MOCKED ONLINE AFTER GOP LAWMAKER FLOATS THEORY IN HEATED HEARING ABOUT WHY KAMALA HARRIS CHOSE HIM AS VP “You did not do your job, you did not do your job,” Foxx told Walz. “You did not protect taxpayer dollars. You allowed massive fraud. You and Mr. Ellison allowed massive fraud to go on in the state of Minnesota. It is unfortunate, as somebody said, that you can’t be held personally responsible at this stage in the game.” An exchange between GOP Rep. Jim Jordan and Walz sparked immediate pushback from conservatives on social media. One of the most contentious exchanges came during questioning from GOP Rep. Nancy Mace when she pressed Walz for specific numbers on how many children are in his state, the massive increase in autism care spending and why that occurred, without getting specific figures from Walz. “OK, so your excuse before — that you didn’t know what the 2017 autism numbers were — because you were not governor, and today you can’t answer the numbers about 2024 as governor, and you still said you prepared for this hearing today. It’s unbelievable.” GOP Rep. Clay Higgins confronted Ellison in another heated moment, asking him to say he was “leading” the fight to root out corruption. Without receiving the specific answer he was looking for, Higgins called for Ellison’s resignation. “I’m not talking about Medicaid fraud, don’t hide behind that,” Higgins said, interrupting Ellison. “You have the authority to prosecute anything criminally that the governor asks you to, and this thing is big. I’m giving you an opportunity, sir, are you leading the criminal investigative effort into this massive fraud across the board…or not?” Higgins pressed. “You are not leading. I’m going to say, Mr. Chairman, that the attorney general of the state of Minnesota should resign,” Higgins said. At the close of the hearing, things became tense again when GOP Rep. Nick Langworthy suggested that Walz, who is still serving as governor despite dropping out of his reelection bid due to the fraud scandal, should be impeached for “malfeasance,” citing Minnesota’s Constitution.
Teamsters boss praises Mullin DHS nomination despite past heated hearings
Nearly two and a half years after they nearly came to blows in a viral Senate hearing, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien offered praise for Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Thursday after President Donald Trump nominated him to lead the Department of Homeland Security. “If anyone is willing to stand their butt up to protect America, it’s Markwayne Mullin,” O’Brien said in a statement. The endorsement marked a striking turn for the two men, who clashed publicly in November 2023 during a heated Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing that appeared to be on the brink of a physical altercation. During the exchange, Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter, referenced a social media post in which O’Brien had said he could take the senator “any time” or “any place.” BEHIND THE SCENES: TRUMP AND WHITE HOUSE RALLY BEHIND NOEM AS ‘RADICALS’ DEMAND OUSTER “Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults, and we can finish it here,” Mullin said at the hearing. Mullin then stood up and appeared ready to approach O’Brien before then-Committee Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., intervened. “Stop it, hold it, no, no, sit down,” Sanders said. “You’re a United States senator. Sit down.” GOP SENATORS TANGLE WITH NOEM DURING HEATED HEARING ON HER HANDLING OF DEPORTATION SURGE The confrontation continued verbally for several minutes, with Mullin calling O’Brien a “thug” and O’Brien labeling the senator “disrespectful,” before Sanders banged his gavel and moved the hearing forward. The two men had also sparred months earlier over O’Brien’s salary compared to that of union members, forcing Sanders to step in during that hearing as well. O’Brien’s statement Thursday signaled a sharp contrast from the combative exchanges that once defined their relationship. WATCH: The Teamsters president started it: Sen. Markwayne Mullin GOP SENATOR BLOCKS TRUMP DHS NOMINEES UNTIL NOEM TESTIFIES BEFORE SENATE The statement came as Mullin was nominated to lead DHS following what Trump described as a turbulent tenure under current Secretary Kristi Noem, who will be reassigned as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a new security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere. The clash between the two men in November 2023 followed months of escalating tensions, including a public challenge earlier that year when Mullin accepted O’Brien’s social media dare of “any place, any time” and proposed a charitable mixed martial arts fight in Tulsa. But tensions appeared to cool in 2024 after Trump helped broker a truce between the two men. Mullin later recounted on “Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla” that Trump reached out early to O’Brien as Teamsters members increasingly leaned Republican. Mullin said O’Brien told him many of his members were backing Trump and that the union boss felt compelled to reflect on where “my brothers” stood politically. Fox News’s Andrew Mark Miller and Houston Keene contributed to this report.
Trump rallies defense titans to surge weapons output as Iran War rages
President Donald Trump is meeting Friday with top U.S. defense industry executives as his administration looks to accelerate weapons production while military operations against Iran continue. The White House emphasized the session was scheduled weeks ago and was not convened in response to immediate battlefield shortages. Officials described the meeting as part of a broader effort to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and speed production of American-made weapons. “The US military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and weapons stockpiles to continue demolishing the Iranian regime and finish Operation Epic Fury, no matter how long it lasts,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News. “Nevertheless, President Trump has always been intensely focused on strengthening our military, which is why this meeting with defense contractors was scheduled weeks ago. The President will continue to call on these US companies to more speedily build American-made weapons, which are the absolute best in the world.” Companies attending are Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX Corporation, Boeing, Honeywell and L3Harris Technologies. OPERATION EPIC FURY DESTROYS IRAN’S NAVY AND CUTS MISSILE ATTACKS BY 90% IN ONGOING CAMPAIGN The meeting comes as U.S. forces remain engaged in Operation Epic Fury, a campaign targeting Iranian military assets following coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes. Administration officials have maintained that U.S. readiness remains strong, even as the pace of missile defense operations has drawn scrutiny on Capitol Hill. During the 2025 12-day Iran conflict, U.S. forces fired more than 150 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors — roughly a quarter of the global inventory — to shield Israel and U.S. assets from Iranian missile attacks, according to defense assessments. Patriot PAC-3 MSE missiles are currently produced at a rate of roughly 600 to 650 annually, with replenishment timelines measured in months or years rather than weeks. PHYSICIST LAWMAKER WARNS IRAN COULD BUILD ‘HIROSHIMA-STYLE’ WEAPON, SAYS US LACKS URANIUM PLAN U.S. and Israeli officials previously estimated that Iran had a large ballistic missile arsenal — roughly 2,000 to 3,000 missiles of various types at the outset of the conflict. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said Thursday Iran’s missile attacks have decreased 90% since the start of the conflict. Defense planners have described missile defense inventories as part of a broader strategic balancing act. The same high-end systems used to protect U.S. bases and partners in the Middle East are also supplied to Ukraine and positioned in the Indo-Pacific, creating what some analysts characterize as a “zero-sum” competition for inventory across theaters. Lawmakers emerging from recent classified briefings have raised questions about sustainability if operations expand. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., warned the campaign could become a “math problem,” balancing incoming missile volumes against finite interceptor supplies and production capacity. Other members, including Republicans briefed on the operation, have said officials assured Congress U.S. forces remain in strong shape. Current and former defense officials have drawn a distinction between offensive strike weapons — which can often be surged from prepositioned stocks — and defensive interceptors such as Patriot and THAAD systems, which require longer production timelines and cannot be rapidly manufactured at scale.
53 Dems vote against declaring Iran a state sponsor of terror
Dozens of Democrats have voted against a nonbinding resolution in the House that reaffirms Iran as the “largest state sponsor of terrorism.” The resolution, put forward by Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., passed by a 372-53 vote on Thursday, with all those voting no being Democrats. Two Democrats also voted present. Among those who voted against the measure were all the members of the “Squad,” such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. The resolution said the Islamic Republic of Iran “remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and provides substantial financial and military support to groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.” HOUSE VOTES TO LET TRUMP’S OPERATION EPIC FURY CONTINUE IN IRAN It added that Iran “poses a direct and persistent threat to the United States and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American citizens,” citing the Pentagon as saying that “Iranian-backed proxy militias are responsible for the deaths of at least 603 U.S. service members in Iraq — roughly one in every six American combat fatalities.” It also said, “according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafeal Grossi, Iran has amassed a large stockpile of enriched uranium and continues to block access to undeclared sites in Iran affiliated with their ‘big, ambitious nuclear weapons program.’” READ THE RESOLUTION – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: The resolution concludes by saying, “That the House of Representatives declares it is the policy of the United States… that Iran continues to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism.” HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE TO CONTINUE DHS SHUTDOWN DESPITE IRAN THREAT, NOEM’S OUSTER California Democratic Rep. Lateefah Simon, who voted no, claimed the resolution “contains inaccuracies and is designed to justify the President’s actions in Iran.” “Republicans in Congress are not only surrendering their constitutional duties – they are also playing politics with a resolution reaffirming Iran as a leading state sponsor of terrorism,” Simon wrote on Facebook. “That is already U.S. policy.” “I have been clear about my opposition to the brutal and devastating actions of the Iranian regime against those protesting for freedom,” Simon continued. “This resolution does nothing to advance their freedom and instead, puts Congress on record as giving the Administration further pretext for a war that should not have been started in the first place.” Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., who voted in favor of the resolution, said in a statement that, “This week’s bipartisan classified briefing with Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, John Ratcliffe, and General Dan Caine underscored the significance of the threat we face from an Iran intent on developing nuclear weapons behind a curtain of impenetrable ballistic weapons.” “Standing with our allies and confronting state-sponsored terrorism is essential to protecting Americans and advancing stability around the world,” she added. “This resolution sends a strong message that we will not ignore or excuse the regime’s extremist actions.” Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington state who also voted in favor of the resolution, said, “I agree with the principal assertion of this resolution that Iran is a bad actor. “Iran’s malign and destabilizing actions in the region and treatment of its own citizens should be denounced. I have never contested this. What I do contest is that going to war is the reasonable response to this assertion,” he continued. “I support this resolution. I do not support the president’s war of choice with Iran.” Here are the full names of the Democratic House lawmakers listed alphabetically by last name: