Biden-era FBI tracked Trump family travel and Wiles’ calls with lawyers in secret probe: docs
The Biden-era FBI tracked First Lady Melania Trump and Barron Trump’s travel, while surveilling President Trump’s future Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ phone, as officials worked the classified documents investigation reaching deep into Trump’s inner circle, newly declassified records show. Documents released Monday by the White House detail “Plasmic Echo,” the probe later led by special counsel Jack Smith into whether Trump improperly retained classified documents after leaving office. The declassified documents show agents tracked the First Lady and First Son’s travel while planning the Mar-a-Lago search, then monitored Susie Wiles’ calls involving defense lawyers, campaign advisers and journalists. The surveillance collected call details rather than conversation contents, according to the documents. TOP INVESTIGATOR IN BIDEN-ERA ELECTION PROBE WANTED TO TEAR KEY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT AWAY FROM LAWMAKERS “Jack Smith’s surveillance operation was a disgraceful abuse of government power. Spying on political opponents is weaponization of law enforcement, plain and simple,” White House spokesperson Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. “Those responsible must be held accountable.” The revelations come less than a week after Smith faced a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over investigative tactics used in his separate probe into Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election. That investigation, known as Arctic Frost, included the collection of phone-record information involving Republican lawmakers, while the newly released records stem from Plasmic Echo, the classified-documents investigation that ultimately led to the FBI’s 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Supreme Court begins new term with high-profile look at clean air and federal authority
The Supreme Court launched its new term Monday with a blockbuster oral argument over whether federal or state laws and courts should handle civil lawsuits against energy companies for alleged climate change harms. Eight justices debated for nearly two hours on a key gateway over environmental liability — who decides and where. It was unclear after the public session how the court might rule. Absent was Justice Samuel Alito, who recused last week after calls to step aside because he owns stock in oil companies, but not the two at the center of Monday’s appeal. Local and state governments seek civil damages totaling billions of dollars, arguing it is necessary to help pay for rebuilding after wildfires, rising sea levels, and severe storms worsened by fossil fuel pollution. SUPREME COURT CAN RESTORE SANITY AND STOP THE LEFT’S RADICAL CLIMATE AGENDA Colorado’s highest court let the case brought by Boulder County proceed. SUPREME COURT SIDES WITH CHEVRON, OIL COMPANIES IN LOUISIANA ENVIRONMENTAL LAWSUITS The companies — backed by the Trump administration — counter emissions are a national issue that should be heard in federal court, where similar suits have been tossed out. The justices will also decide whether they have jurisdiction to hear this dispute, or whether it belongs in state courts. SUPREME COURT CLIMATE SHOWDOWN JOLTED BY ALITO’S LAST-MINUTE DECISION Chief Justice John Roberts could be the deciding vote. He asked tough questions of both sides and his vote could produce a 4-4 tie with Alito not participating. That would mean the specific lawsuit moves ahead in state courts. He said the court in the past has allowed similar claims to be decided outside the federal venue. WAVE OF OVERLOOKED ‘LEFT-WING’ LAWSUITS COULD COME WITH AN UNEXPECTED PRICE TAG FOR AMERICANS “There are a lot of familiar situations where conduct outside of the state has broad effects among other states, and yet we allow state courts in a particular state to bring litigation,” said Roberts. “I guess I’m not quite sure what makes this situation different from all those other ones, where we’ve allowed them to proceed in state court.” Justice Elena Kagan compared the climate change lawsuits to previous claims against tobacco and opioid companies brought by states on behalf of their citizens. THE SUPREME COURT IS BACK. THESE FIVE CASES COULD RESHAPE AMERICAN LIFE “This is the same kind of lawsuit against the same kind of actors for the same kind of harm,” said Kagan. “Where does this principle come from, that states can’t regulate in the air and water space?” But Justice Brett Kavanaugh seemed to speak for many of his conservative colleagues, on the implications for multi-jurisdictional lawsuits to play out, potentially for decades. ” It is going to bankrupt – if there are enough of these [lawsuits] — bankrupt these various defendants and certainly other defendants out there. Anyone is a potential defendant for a suit like this. Any manufacturer, any business,” suggested Kavanaugh. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel because we’ve said this multiple times,” he added, “and Congress, presumably, when doing the Clean Air Act and doing the Clean Air Act amendments, has relied on this Court’s precedents establishing that this kind of pollution is a federal law matter unless Congress speaks otherwise.” The current litigation is part of dozens of lawsuits brought by states and municipalities across the country. Boulder County, located north-west of Denver, sued in 2018. Among the defendants is Suncor, a Canadian-based energy giant that operates the only major oil refinery in Colorado. ExxonMobil, the largest oil company in the U.S., is also a defendant. Local officials claim the energy firms have misled the public about their role in climate change, and say financial penalties are necessary to mitigate ongoing harms in their communities, including recent forest fires and worsening air pollution. Some states also accuse the current administration of rolling back mandated protections in the Clean Air Act and thereby abdicating their regulatory authority. But the companies and the Trump Justice Department argue climate change should be addressed by the national government in federal court, and that the Clean Air Act limits what individual states and counties can do. FOLLOW US ON X They say this global problem is not limited to any one energy sector or country, and cannot be resolved by what they call local “power grabs.” Some litigators believe the companies could fare better in federal court since they would not have to juggle dozens of ongoing lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions. “Interstate air pollution is an inherently federal area,” Sarah Harris, a Justice Department lawyer, told the court. “This suit egregiously exceeds constitutional limits on state authority,” Harris told the justices. CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. NEWS With the possibility of an evenly divided court, the eight justices may not have to reach the merits of the federalism question. GET BREAKING NEWS ALERTS The Supreme Court specifically asked both parties to address at argument whether it should even hear the case, at least at this stage. That procedural “exit ramp” could put the larger issues off for another day. “I understand that you have several other federal issues that you have raised that are still pending in the state court,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson asked the oil companies lawyer Kannon Shanmugam. “So why shouldn’t we wait and hear all of these claims once the state courts are done with their federal considerations?” The case is Suncor Energy Inc. v. Commissioners of Boulder County, CO (25-170). A decision is expected by next spring.
America’s new blue-collar job boom is one nobody saw coming — and it’s just getting started
Red Oak, Texas — Inside a sprawling Texas data center campus, blinking tower lights and rows of neatly organized cables power the technology Americans use every day. Keeping it all running, however, takes an army of electricians, mechanics, technicians and construction workers — and the industry says it needs more of them. “Unfortunately, there was a war on blue-collar jobs a while back and everybody had to get a four-year degree. I’m so glad that’s over with,” Compass Datacenters CEO Chris Crosby told Fox News Digital while giving a glimpse behind the scenes of the infrastructure that powers the digital world. “I am tired of the elitism that this doesn’t create jobs,” Crosby said, arguing that blue-collar careers deserve to be taken seriously. He pointed to the workers at Compass’s Red Oak campus and the construction crews who built it. “You tell that to the 900 people who work here on this campus and you tell that to the thousands of construction workers who have worked here for five years plus,” he said. A SOUTHERN STATE JUST TOOK THE TOP SPOT IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S FASTEST-GROWING INDUSTRIES Compass began developing its Red Oak campus, about 20 miles south of Dallas, in 2019. The site now includes 10 data center buildings totaling about 2.6 million square feet, a Schneider Electric manufacturing facility and a technical college training program. Crosby said more than 600 people work full time at the campus, with roughly 300 more at Schneider Electric. The construction also requires a range of skilled tradespeople, Crosby said. “When we look at that type of opportunity, the amount of electricians, the amount of mechanical contractors, the number of builders, the carpenters, the welders, the concrete folk, it’s awesome. We can’t get enough people into this career.” INSIDE THE NEIGHBORHOOD LIVING ON THE EDGE OF AMERICA’S TECH FRONTIER The demand also reaches beyond construction sites to factories producing data center components. Compass and its partners, Crosby said, have created more than 7,000 permanent factory jobs nationwide. To help meet the industry’s demand for workers, Compass partnered with Texas State Technical College to build a $12.6 million training facility at its Red Oak campus. The company created its MEI Pathways program—short for Mechanical, Electrical and IT Pathways—to prepare people for those careers. “The big challenge is how do I get the first step?” Crosby said. “That’s what MEI Pathways is designed to do.” The program is open to anyone interested in the field and does not require prior qualifications, Crosby said. It is designed to train workers for the broader industry, not just for Compass. Crosby said building that workforce will be increasingly important as data centers expand and argued that the facilities can bring jobs and tax revenue to the communities where they are built. “Data centers are where the economic engine is going to be going forward,” he said. “You’re talking about massive amounts of jobs, economic activity and tax revenue growth.”
‘Honored’: Talarico endorsed by group that bailed out violent criminal later accused of mass murder
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico said he was “honored” to receive the endorsement of the Texas Organizing Project, whose work he described as “irreplaceable” after the organization previously operated a charitable bail fund that helped secure the release of Shane James — later accused of carrying out a six-person killing spree. The Texas Organizing Project (TOP), a progressive activist organization that endorsed Talarico’s Senate campaign in May, previously operated a charitable bail program that, by September 2021, had distributed more than $1 million to secure the release of more than 675 defendants across Texas. The program drew intense scrutiny in late 2023 after authorities accused James of killing six people and records revealed that TOP had posted his bail nearly two years earlier while he faced three misdemeanor family-assault charges involving his parents and a sibling. UNEARTHED INTERVIEW EXPOSES WHAT TALARICO THOUGHT ABOUT ‘TOUGH-ON-CRIME’ TACTICS James cut off his court-ordered GPS monitor the day after his March 2022 release, prompting a court to issue three warrants for his re-arrest. Despite the outstanding warrants, James remained free for 21 months before authorities say he carried out a series of attacks across San Antonio and Austin that left six people dead, including his parents. TOP acknowledged after the killings that it had bailed James out in coordination with the Bexar County public defender’s office after his bond was reduced to a combined $300. The organization said James had passed its screening process based on the misdemeanor charges he faced at the time and stressed that bail organizations cannot predict defendants’ future behavior. “We acknowledge that our assessments cannot anticipate the future actions of individuals,” TOP said following the killings, announcing that it would conduct an internal review of the program. Talarico nevertheless enthusiastically welcomed TOP’s endorsement earlier this year. “I am honored to earn this endorsement,” Talarico said when the group announced its backing, praising TOP for spending more than 15 years developing relationships in Black and Latino communities across Texas. “That infrastructure is irreplaceable,” he said. PROGRESSIVE TALARICO KNIFES BIDEN’S OPEN BORDER, TRIES MODERATING STANCE ON KEY ISSUES IN TEXAS SENATE RACE The endorsement announcement said TOP members had met with Talarico before backing him, while the organization’s leadership said the Senate candidate had demonstrated familiarity with its work. Talarico is challenging Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races, as Democrats seek to break a decades-long losing streak in statewide Texas elections. Shane James was not the only defendant released through TOP’s program who subsequently encountered additional legal trouble. A 2024 KSAT investigation found TOP had bonded defendants out in at least 196 Bexar County cases since jail officials began specifically tracking the organization’s activity in October 2022. Warrants were later issued for defendants’ re-arrest in 58 of those cases, or nearly 30%. While failure to appear in court was the most common reason for those warrants, records showed some defendants also faced new criminal charges after TOP secured their release. Among them was Benjamin Sanchez Jr., a convicted felon with two prior burglary convictions who TOP bonded out 11 days after his arrest in connection with the burglary of a San Antonio souvenir store. A warrant for Sanchez’s re-arrest was later issued after pretrial violations that included his arrest on new burglary charges, according to KSAT. He ultimately pleaded guilty in the two newer burglary cases and was sentenced to six years in prison. TOP has defended its bail work as an effort to prevent low-income defendants from remaining incarcerated simply because they cannot afford bond. The organization said in 2021 that its Right2Justice campaign had spent more than $1 million to bail out more than 675 people, with the vast majority of the money distributed in Bexar County. TALARICO HIT WITH ‘BLATANT CORRUPTION’ ALLEGATION OVER HEFTY SALARY FROM CONSULTING FIRM, CAMPAIGN PUSHES BACK The organization’s bail advocacy also intersected with Talarico’s legislative record. TOP opposed HB 20 during the 2021 Texas legislative session, describing efforts to restrict community bail funds as part of a “right-wing assault” on the organizations. Talarico voted against a House version of HB 20 in May 2021, according to the Texas House Journal. Talarico’s campaign pushed back on the significance of that vote in a statement to Fox News Digital, arguing that the version he opposed differed substantially from the legislation ultimately considered later in the process, and pointing to his more recent support for tougher bail restrictions. “James will always work to keep Texans safe. That’s why he voted to deny bail for violent criminals, supports prosecuting violent felons, and backed Governor Abbott’s bill that was called the ‘strongest bail reform package in Texas history,’” Talarico campaign spokesperson JT Ennis told Fox News Digital. “The only candidate in this race endangering women and children is Ken Paxton, who cut an Epstein-style sweetheart deal that let a pedophile back on our streets after just 29 days in jail,” Ennis added. The campaign pointed Fox News Digital to Talarico’s 2025 vote for part of a bail reform package championed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The package included a constitutional amendment expanding the circumstances under which judges could deny bail to defendants accused of certain serious violent crimes. The campaign also argued that the 2021 House version of HB 20 that Talarico opposed contained broader provisions unrelated to charitable bail organizations, and noted criticism at the time that the proposal would continue allowing potentially dangerous defendants with sufficient money to secure their own release.
Dem senator who demanded Saudi accountability over Khashoggi meets with crown prince, pushes Palestinian state
A Senate Democrat pushing for an end to the war in Iran and the creation of a Palestinian state met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince during a trip to the Middle East. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., in a post on X revealed that he had met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, on Monday. Murphy, who arrived in the region on Saturday for meetings in Qatar, acknowledged that he’s taken issue with the Saudi leader’s policies, but that it was “important for us to be here to recognize that there are things that we need to work on together — the end of the war with Iran, a pathway to a Palestinian state.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UNVEILS SWEEPING TERMS OF PROPOSED IRAN AGREEMENT He noted that he’s been in disagreement with the Saudis, particularly over the Gulf country’s several investments in President Donald Trump’s family businesses, but that “there’s got to be space for political dialogue and speech here in Saudi Arabia.” “We talked about those things. I’m not saying we came to conclusions, but I think it’s important for the crown prince to not just hear from the Trump administration, but to hear from people who want a different path for Saudi Arabia in the region and in the world,” Murphy said. “But those points of alignment are important as well,” he continued. “We are not going to get a permanent end to this war without the Saudis’ help. We’re not going to get a Palestinian state without the Saudis’ help.” 4 GOP SENATORS REBEL AGAINST TRUMP ON IRAN WAR, VOTE WITH DEMS TO REIN IN AUTHORITY Murphy notably did not mention Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist who was murdered and dismembered by Saudi operatives at a Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey in 2018. Years ago, Murphy was demanding accountability from the Saudi government over Khashoggi’s slaying. “And I think what we have to remember is that it took two weeks for the Saudi government to cop to what had happened,” Murphy said around the one-year anniversary of Khashoggi’s death. “The people that we do business with — the president and the secretary of state that talked to you on a regular basis — were lying to the entire world and to the American public for two weeks when it was patently clear as to what had happened.” Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office for comment on Khashoggi and his meeting with MBS. ‘RED CARPET FOR A DESPOT’: TRUMP’S LAVISH XI WELCOME COLLIDES WITH GOP ANTI-COMMUNISM MESSAGE Meanwhile, Murphy’s confab with MBS was part of a broader trip to the region. The lawmaker announced on Saturday that he had just arrived in Qatar for a slate of meetings and noted that he was likely the first Democrat to set foot in the Middle East since the Iran war began earlier this year. Murphy, one of the more vocal critics of the war, said his trip was meant to view war damage, speak with allies about the conflict’s regional impact and meet with actors working to end the fighting. He’s so far met with Ali Al Thawadi, a key diplomat who coordinates U.S.-Iran shuttle diplomacy, and another key leader in the region, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Murphy noted that “there are so many things Qatar does to protect U.S. interests,” like hosting the largest U.S. military base in the region, housing Afghan refugees, and acting as key middlemen to getting hostages out of Gaza. “And they are mediators right now in the effort to end the war with Iran,” Murphy said. “I thanked him for all of this. Qatar is and will remain an essential ally of the United States.” “Of course, I was also candid with him, in particular regarding my deep concerns about the transfer of the luxury plane,” he continued.
Liberal haven festival-goers weigh government seizure of their homes: ‘I’d be so game’
During a Sunday street festival in a notoriously liberal Maryland hotspot just across the Washington, D.C. border, some attendees told Fox News Digital they wouldn’t mind if the government seized their property, including their homes. “Yeah, I mean broadly,” said Maryland resident Matt Volk when asked if he would support the government taking his home. “It’s highly situational, but I definitely think that there’s a lot of privately owned land and property that would be better put to use for public use, for resources and housing and things like that for people who are in need of things like that.” Fox News Digital took to the streets during a rainy Sunday at the Takoma Park Street Festival to interview area residents about just how much power they would be willing to cede to the government as socialism becomes increasingly popular, especially among younger Americans. Takoma Park is a liberal bastion just outside the nation’s capital, where homes and businesses are adorned with LGBT pride paraphernalia, along with decorations marking their support for other leftist causes like the Black Lives Matter movement. YOUNG SWING-STATE VOTERS COZY UP TO DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS, SAY PARTY ESTABLISHMENT MUST ‘LEARN’ FROM DSA WINS One attendee, Karen Irwin, sported a t-shirt that said “Auntifa: Making White men uncomfortable since 1975.” She agreed with Volk’s sentiment. “I mean, if we were all doing it, I’d be so game,” she said. “Do you know what I mean? And who’s coming to me? Is this a decision I’m making through democratic means? Then yes, yes, I would be so game. If I voted for it, sure.” “You want to be able to keep your property. From what time are we talking? From what in the history of this country? Is it just right now, from right now moving forward, whatever it is you have?” Irwin asked. “Or, you know, 100 years ago, when someone else had it. But the government might have taken it away for whatever reason.” A Fox News poll from March found that 38% of those asked said it was a good idea to move away from capitalism and towards socialism. SHOCKING PERCENTAGE OF DEMOCRATS IDENTIFY AS ‘DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS’ ACCORDING TO NEW POLL: ‘TOXIC POLICIES’ Very liberal voters (66%) and Democrats under age 45 (66%) are those most likely to think moving to socialism would be good. More than half of all Democrats (55%), Black voters (55%) and those under age 30 (53%) also favor moving away from capitalism. While the majority of Americans, especially Republicans and conservatives, still reject socialism, only 51% say capitalism is working well. The other 49% say it isn’t. A third person at the Takoma Park street fair on Sunday said the government seizure of his home was a possibility. “I don’t know that I would necessarily love it, but I mean, if it was something that was beneficial I’d at least consider it,” said Jaw Blake, a Maryland resident. “Nobody wants what they have to be taken away from them, but there is something we said about like you can set up things so that they’re available for everybody.” THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE. YOUNG AMERICANS ARE FALLING IN LOVE … WITH SOCIALISM Not everyone interviewed by Fox News Digital was entirely convinced of the idea of government seizure and redistribution of private property. Jenny Sniderman said she doesn’t want to give up her property to the government, but that it wasn’t out of the question if she was paid to do so. “Of course I don’t want to give up my private property,” she said. “Are they going to reimburse me fairly? That would be helpful in making my choice.” Steve Ney isn’t in favor of his home being seized by the government, but he advocated for another socialist policy that recently was implemented in New York City by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. NEW YORK CITY LANDLORDS WARN AMERICAN DREAM IS SLIPPING AWAY UNDER SOCIALIST RENT POLICIES “I think the idea of rent stabilization, for example, is an excellent idea where you limit the rate of increase in rent in order to help people stay in their homes,” he said. New York City’s Rent Guidelines Board voted 7-1 in July to halt increases in rent for one and two year leases on rent-stabilized apartments, enacting a core promise from socialist Mamdani’s agenda. The policy has faced legal challenges and backlash from property owners in the Big Apple. Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) President James Whelan blasted Mamdani’s effort. “The mayor’s report focuses on symptoms, not causes,” he told Fox News Digital in August. “New Yorkers are paying record-high rents because there is not enough housing, and many of the reported conditions are concentrated in heavily rent-stabilized buildings that are facing significant operational and financial challenges.” MAMDANI RIPPED OVER RECORD-HIGH NYC RENTS WITH CRITICS POINTING TO POLICY THEY SAY IS FUELING CRISIS One Takoma Park Street Festival attendee, Nina Gilden Seavy, a self-identified historian, outrightly rejected the idea that the government should be involved of distributing resources. “I think that’s a ridiculous idea. I mean, that’s, it’s a fool’s errand,” she said. “The idea that somehow we’re gonna be better off if the government is in charge of allocating all resources that sounds not in any way desirable.” Fox News’ Victoria Balara and Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
Trump rallies in city where alleged MS-13 ‘assassination squad’ leader was busted
President Donald Trump is heading to Nebraska on Monday to campaign for Republicans in the same city where federal authorities last year captured an alleged MS-13 hit squad leader wanted for four murders in Honduras. Trump will headline a rally in Grand Island alongside U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and Gov. Jim Pillen as part of a multi-state swing ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Located 150 miles west of Omaha, Grand Island drew national attention last year following the arrest of 33-year-old Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto, known by the alias “Fantasma.” Authorities allege Cuadra Soto headed “El Combo,” an MS-13 assassination squad, and faces four homicide charges in Honduras. TRUMP CAMPAIGN INSIDER REVEALS STRATEGY BEHIND MIDTERM BLITZ THAT WHITE HOUSE HOPES PAYS OFF BIG “The arrest of this MS-13 gang member wanted for murder in Honduras is just one example of the criminals President Trump has removed from Nebraska’s communities,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. “Radical Democrats allowed criminals to pour into our country, released them unvetted into American communities and now they want to abolish ICE.” Officials say Cuadra Soto entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 via the southern border and later obtained a California driver’s license. Honduran authorities suspect him in the July 2022 ambush near a Tegucigalpa nightclub that killed four men, including Said Lobo Bonilla, son of former Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS FEDERAL AUTHORITIES HAVE ARRESTED MORE THAN 10,000 SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS According to an unsealed federal affidavit, Cuadra Soto fled Honduras after the killings. He and two co-defendants were initially released from local custody after paying $125,000 in bribes to government officials. Bis argued that Democratic policies have hamstrung federal law enforcement, contrasting that with the administration’s approach. “In sharp contrast, President Trump supercharged law enforcement to arrest the worst of the worst,” Bis said, attributing the policies to significant drops in violent crime. Ricketts, a former Nebraska governor, is seeking to hold his Senate seat against independent challenger Dan Osborn, who has drawn backing from state Democrats.
Emerging tech has new Army leaders warning troops can’t ‘AI’ their way to victory on the battlefield
Amid a rapid rise in technological developments, the U.S. Army’s new leadership is looking to pull back on using artificial intelligence and other tools it feels forced the branch to transform too much all at once. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army vice chief serving as acting chief of staff, outlined on Monday how he hopes to narrow the service’s sweeping modernization push after years of experimentation with drones, artificial intelligence and other emerging technology. “There was a lot, a lot of motion,” LaNeve told a small group of reporters. “It was almost like everything was being transformed at once.” “You can’t AI yourself to be the best maneuver brigade commander out there,” LaNeve said. The Army Transformation Initiative pushed new technology rapidly into formations and encouraged experimentation across the board. Army leaders credited that effort with accelerating change but acknowledged Monday that its breadth created enormous activity across the force. INSIDE AMERICA’S LASER REVOLUTION AS THE MILITARY NEARS BIG BATTLEFIELD BREAKTHROUGH The branch is now preparing to unveil “How the Army Fights,” a new framework intended to turn years of experimentation into a more focused set of decisions about what technology the service will prioritize, where it belongs in Army formations and how the force will organize and spend for future wars. “The Army cannot and should not modernize everything at once,” the new blueprint states. “The answer is focused modernization.” Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer said experimentation through the technology push produced necessary learning, but insisted that the service had reached a point where it needed to “drop the chalk line and actually start making some decisions.” Those decisions include which technologies warrant investment, where they belong in Army formations and which theaters take priority — with the service acknowledging it cannot afford to transform everything simultaneously. Army leaders aren’t yet saying what will fall by the wayside. Asked what was being left “on the cutting room floor” as the service narrows its focus, LaNeve said, “I’m not sure we’re prepared to say what we’re cutting out now.” But one investment is moving unmistakably to the front of the line. “If you ask me what my number one modernization priority would be, I would say command and control,” LaNeve said. The shift is unfolding amid a broader leadership shake-up at the Army. Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle took over after his predecessor, Dan Driscoll, resigned last month following months of reported friction with War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had earlier ousted Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, a close Driscoll ally who helped lead the service’s transformation push. Telle, a former Trump White House aide, was tapped days later to lead the Army in an acting capacity and was publicly praised by Hegseth as “strong and whip smart.” In his first press interview since taking the job, Telle described “How the Army Fights” as a way to impose greater coherence on the service’s modernization efforts as technology rapidly changes the battlefield. TRUMP NAMES ADAM TELLE ACTING SECRETARY OF THE ARMY FOLLOWING DAN DRISCOLL’S RESIGNATION That battlefield is envisioned as one in which troops operate alongside autonomous systems and under persistent drone surveillance, while AI helps commanders sift through massive amounts of sensor data and identify targets in “seconds and minutes rather than hours.” The Army also wants autonomous systems taking on some of the most dangerous jobs that are currently performed by soldiers — this includes reconnaissance, resupply and breaching enemy obstacles. But Army leaders are resisting the idea that advances in drones and AI have diminished the importance of traditional ground forces. “Autonomous systems enable Soldiers to destroy and disrupt, but they can never replace the human judgment, leadership, and physical presence of Soldiers required to control the land and consolidate gains,” the blueprint states. The Army is drawing heavily from recent conflicts, including Ukraine, Gaza and the India-Pakistan conflict, while building the new framework around its most demanding potential adversary: China. HTAF identifies China’s People’s Liberation Army as the “pacing threat” and says the Army must organize, train and equip against it with the same institutional focus Cold War-era leaders brought to the Soviet Union. The blueprint also assumes a future major war could reach much closer to home. It warns the U.S. homeland can no longer be treated as a sanctuary, with adversaries potentially using cyberattacks, sabotage and drones to disrupt the ports, airfields and other infrastructure needed to deploy American forces. For Telle, the challenge is fitting rapidly evolving technology into a coherent Army rather than chasing every new system that emerges. He compared individual weapons and technologies to ornaments on a Christmas tree. “How the Army Fights is really the tree to hang those ornaments on,” Telle said.
Biden’s ‘anti-MAGA task force’ sparked internal alarm across DOJ, new report shows
The Biden administration’s effort to combat alleged threats against school boards amid a wave of heated parent protests triggered sustained internal resistance within the Justice Department and FBI, documents released by the DOJ show. “Five years ago, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued an infamous memorandum at the urging of the National School Boards Association and White House officials, directing the FBI and United States Attorneys to consider looking for a federal hook to prosecute parents exercising their right to free speech,” Blanche posted to X on Monday, when the DOJ released the “Report to Expose the Weaponization of Government Against Parents in Schools.” “Along with the report, we’ve released hundreds of exhibits and emails that make official and verify what many Americans had guessed: the Garland DOJ worked hand in hand with WH officials and the National School Boards Association to chill free speech and parental rights while they threatened to prosecute parents and label them domestic terrorists,” Blanche added. In October 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo directing the FBI and U.S. Attorneys to coordinate with federal, state and local law enforcement over what it described as an “increase in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school board members, teachers and workers in our nation’s public schools,” amid escalating clashes involving parents at school board meetings. TRUMP DOJ REPORT LAYS BARE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S ALLEGED ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS Garland’s memo drew significant internal pushback across the Justice Department and FBI, with officials raising concerns about politicization, First Amendment protections and whether there was a sufficient federal basis for intervention, according to the Justice Department report released Monday. The memo followed throngs of parents protesting at school board meetings over dissatisfaction with how gender and race were being taught in classrooms and COVID-19-era learning restrictions, prompting the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to appeal to then-President Joe Biden for federal assistance and warn that some actions surrounding the protests “could be equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes.” Some of the internal messages detailed in the Justice Department’s report released Monday had been disclosed previously and reported on by Fox News Digital. In one message sent before Garland’s memo went public on Oct. 4, 2021, a deputy assistant attorney general said the operation — and proposals to link it to the DOJ’s election crimes work — looked so politically motivated that Garland “might as well rename the damn thing the Anti-MAGA Task Force.” The DOJ’s Public Integrity Section chief, meanwhile, called the proposal “stupid.” An FBI counterterrorism official later raised concerns about the label “domestic terrorist” potentially being applied to everyone who “oppose school board actions,” while a DOJ Civil Rights Division attorney noted that much of the activity in question could be protected under the parents’ First Amendment rights. DOJ LAWSUIT TARGETS ALLEGED SCHOOL ‘SECRET GENDER TRANSITIONS’ POLICIES THAT KEEP PARENTS IN THE DARK Multiple DOJ officials noted that the problem at hand appeared to fall primarily within the jurisdiction of state and local authorities and questioned whether there was a sufficient federal basis to intervene, according to the report. Internal dissent over the effort continued as the memo was implemented following its Oct. 4, 2021, release and during the resulting fallout. On Oct. 5, 2021, an FBI lawyer claimed that the DOJ issued the press release accompanying the memo without coordinating with the bureau. The Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, the agency’s largest operational division, stated that “we were all caught off guard by this announcement,” which was “unilaterally pushed by DOJ.” As the DOJ began assembling its task force, objections persisted. BLISTERING REPORT EXPOSES HOW NATIONAL K-12 GROUP’S DEI AGENDA IS TRICKLING DOWN TO LOCAL SCHOOLS The Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the DOJ’s National Security Division stated that he didn’t “see the need for a task force like this” and that the Justice Department doesn’t “start a narrowly focused task force every time some group believes they are the subject of threat.” Later that month, the Department of Homeland Security circulated a brief linking the threat level facing educational workers as tied to heightened opposition to masks, vaccines and critical race theory. An FBI counterterrorism official slammed the threat assessment guidelines as a “politically charged paper,” expressing his desire that the FBI not collaborate. NSBA ultimately apologized for the language used in its letter to then-President Joe Biden seeking federal assistance, including action by the Justice Department and FBI. “The obligation of the Justice Department is to protect the American people against violence and threats of violence and that particularly includes public officials,” he said of the memo. Some school board officials did receive online and written threats in 2021, a fact supporters of Garland’s approach cited in defending the Justice Department’s response. Arnold & Porter, the law firm where Garland now serves as a partner, did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.
House GOP bill moves to close whistleblower gaps exposed by Minnesota Medicaid fraud scandal
FIRST ON FOX: Whistleblowers who pulled back the curtain on Medicaid fraud that allegedly cost taxpayers millions of dollars in states like Minnesota could gain new protections under a House GOP bill after alleging they faced retaliation from state leaders. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, unveiled the Medicaid Whistleblower Protection Act, which would establish federal protections nationwide for state and local Medicaid workers who report early warning signs of fraud, including contracting irregularities and unusual financial transactions. “No public servant should have to choose between their conscience and their livelihood,” Miller-Meeks said in a press release exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. “Whistleblowers who report fraud, waste and abuse in Medicaid are protecting taxpayer dollars and the vulnerable people this program is meant to serve, and they deserve real protection, not retaliation.” The bill would prevent employers from firing, demoting, threatening, harassing or discriminating against Medicaid workers who report fraud, violations of law, gross mismanagement, abuse of authority or dangers to public health or safety. MINNESOTA ‘TRIED TO COVER UP FRAUD ALLEGATIONS,’ FORMER STATE TROOPER ALLEGES Workers who face retaliation could also receive reinstatement, twice their back pay plus interest, attorneys’ fees and punitive damages. The legislation follows a January letter from more than 30 current and former Minnesota Department of Human Services employees highlighting a “pattern of retaliation” for flagging fraud as early as 2019, with some alleging they faced surveillance, investigations, reassignment and termination. “I will fight to make sure the people willing to tell the truth are protected, not silenced.” Miller-Meeks said. Several Republican lawmakers grilled Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison in March over the letter and rampant fraud in the state, questioning when they first learned about the schemes and allegations of retaliation. When pressed on the retaliation claims, Walz said he was “not specifically” aware of them and repeatedly declined to address the allegations. The fraud involved more than $90 million in alleged fraudulent claims tied to multiple state-funded assistance programs. WALZ REMOVES TOP MINNESOTA OFFICIAL ON EVE OF ‘GAUNTLET’ HEARING OVER FRAUD SCANDAL Minnesota state Rep. Kristin Robbins, chair of the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, backed the bill, saying politicians and agency leaders target whistleblowers to protect “their political base.” “The federal, state and county workers who run these programs are often the first to see red flags, but, as we have seen time and again in Minnesota, if they dare to point it out, they are called racist, accused of creating a hostile work environment, demoted, reassigned or otherwise harmed personally and professionally,” Robbins said. The bill is one of 14 measures in House Energy and Commerce Republicans’ “Continuing the Fight Against Fraud” package, led by Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky. The package aims to detect fraud more easily, recover improper payments and increase accountability. Another measure in the package led by Miller-Meeks, the WALZ Act, would require the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General to open investigations into any program that sees a 10% or greater increase in total payments over any six-month period within a fiscal year. WHITE HOUSE PUSHES ‘WATERSHED’ FRAUD-FIGHTING REFORM IN CONGRESS AS VANCE CONVENES TASK FORCE Guthrie blamed oversight failures under the Biden administration for allowing fraud to “go unchecked in government health programs.” “Every dollar stolen by fraudsters or wasted on improper payments is a dollar taken away from supporting families in need who rely on these programs,” he said. The legislation would take effect Jan. 1, 2028, amid the Trump administration’s continued crackdown on fraud through an anti-fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance. Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s and Ellison’s offices for comment.