Flock surveillance spreads across the South as red-state lawmakers seek to axe ‘1984’-style tracking tools
State lawmakers in West Virginia‘s Freedom Caucus are seeking to ban AI-powered Flock surveillance cameras statewide, arguing the technology violates citizens’ Fourth Amendment right to privacy. “The West Virginia Freedom Caucus strongly opposes the unchecked expansion of automated surveillance technologies, including Flock Safety camera systems, automated license plate readers (ALPRs), AI-powered facial recognition, multimodal vehicle recognition, and emerging ‘gun detection’ software that claims to identify armed citizens based on body shape or movement,” West Virginia Delegate Chris Anders, the Chairman of West Virginia’s Freedom Caucus, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “These technologies represent a dramatic expansion of government surveillance that is fundamentally at odds with the Fourth Amendment,” Anders added. THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ON YOUR STREET CORNER: LAWFUL SPYING OR CONSTITUTIONALLY PROBLEMATIC? “No state or local government should be mass tracking the daily movements of law-abiding citizens without a warrant. Mass surveillance has no place in a free society,” Anders also said in a statement posted to the caucus’ X account. The caucus is calling on all state municipalities to immediately remove automated license plate readers such as the ones run by the security company Flock Safety. “The Constitution does not disappear because technology advances,” Anders added. The caucus plans on combatting the cameras and surveillance technologies by reintroducing a previously failed legislative measure called the Fourth Amendment Restoration Act. The bill would prohibit a series of AI-powered surveillance technologies from being used by law enforcement and other agencies in the state. The technologies it would ban include facial recognition software, surveillance drones, license plate readers and more. “For two consecutive years, the Fourth Amendment Restoration Act has been introduced in the West Virginia Legislature, yet it has failed to reach the Governor’s desk. That must change,” Anders also said, placing blame for the bill’s previous failures at the feet of the state’s legislative leadership. “Despite growing public concern over government surveillance, Speaker Roger Hanshaw and House Judiciary Chairman JB Akers declined to bring the bill forward for consideration. As a result, the House was never given the opportunity to debate or vote on the legislation,” Anders wrote in an email to Fox News Digital. “If House leadership continues to deny the people’s elected representatives the opportunity to vote on this fundamental constitutional issue, the Freedom Caucus will use every parliamentary tool available to insist that the Fourth Amendment Restoration Act receive an up-or-down vote in both chambers. Constitutional rights should never be quietly buried in committee,” Anders added. Chairman Akers, in a response to Anders’ comments, told Fox News Digital, “We actually passed a bill last session that limits the amount of surveillance law enforcement may engage in on private property. Unfortunately, Chris Anders submits sloppily drafted bills given to him by outside groups. In the 4th Amendment context, his proposals would prevent even normal law enforcement actions that conservatives support.” “Last session, he tried to amend a bill in a way that would have prevented police from entering property even if a dead body were in plain view in the front yard. Bluntly, his idea was dumb,” Akers said of Anders’ proposal draft. “He left me no choice but to say that. If he’s going to blame others for failing to get his bills through, then he needs to do better work. Frankly, I think he’d rather see his bad bills fail so he can then scream RINO for clicks.” Other Freedom Caucus members also objected to the Flock cameras. “The Fourth Amendment was written specifically to stop the government from engaging in generalized surveillance and warrantless searches,” West Virginia Freedom Caucus Secretary Henry Dillon said in a statement. He argued that “Flock cameras don’t just identify criminals — they create a database documenting where law-abiding citizens worship, seek medical care, conduct business, and travel.” “That is fundamentally incompatible with a free society,” he said. JOHNSON FACES GOP REVOLT OVER WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE POWERS AHEAD OF KEY VOTE Another Freedom Caucus member, state Sen. Craig Hart, pointed to a series of alleged police abuses involving Flock cameras in Georgia, including a 2025 incident in which Braselton Police Department Chief Michael Steffman was arrested for allegedly using automated license plate readers to stalk and harass people. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Atlas of Surveillance, at least five West Virginia municipalities incorporate Flock Safety license plate readers, while other municipalities like Wheeling and the state capital of Charleston operate drones, camera registries and intelligence fusion centers. The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the West Virginia city of Huntington after its mayor and city council agreed to a $2.1 million deal with Flock for AI-powered surveillance equipment. “If the Court allows the contract to proceed, Huntington would be blanketed in license plate recognition cameras with vehicle fingerprint technology, live video cameras, gunshot detection audio devices, and even automatically dispatched drones,” the ACLU wrote in a statement. The ACLU said more than 50 citizens attended the city council meeting to voice their disapproval of the agreement. Meanwhile, Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell argued that Flock cameras in other states have already helped catch West Virginia suspects. Recounting a pursuit of a murder suspect who allegedly shot a woman in the head near Huntington, Farrell said “he was going back to Michigan, and luckily for us, some other city had license plate reader cameras that caught the car.” “That gave us the lead that led to his arrest in Michigan. So it helps our law enforcement do its work faster, more efficiently, and that’s the kind of success that I think we need more of,” the mayor said. Despite the safety argument, Anders and his caucus insist the technology violates the Constitution. “The Founders did not fight a revolution so government could monitor innocent citizens everywhere they travel,” Anders told Fox News Digital. “George Orwell’s 1984 was intended as a warning, not an instruction manual. We should be striving for more 1776, not more 1984.” “The Fourth Amendment Restoration Act does not prevent police from investigating crime. It simply requires government to do what the Constitution
New audio undercuts Dems who defended Biden, slammed Hur after classified docs report revealed memory loss
After special counsel Robert Hur’s 2023 investigation and the subsequent report into former President Joe Biden’s retention of classified documents, Democrats rushed to defend the 46th president from his characterization that Biden was an “elderly man with a poor memory.” The left-wing’s narrative surrounding Biden’s mental cognition — especially as he was running for re-election against President Donald Trump — is now crumbling after audio tapes from the investigation were revealed Monday night. Prominent Democrats lined up to defend Biden when the initial report was released in 2024, many using the same line that Hur’s report was “gratuitous.” Then-Vice President Kamala Harris was chief among the chorus of defenders, saying that the report was “inaccurate and inappropriate.” “The way that the president’s demeanor in that report was characterized could not be more wrong on the facts,” she told reporters at an event in Washington at the time. She also said the report was “clearly politically motivated, gratuitous.” Months later, Biden dropped out of the presidential race and was replaced on the ticket by his No. 2 without a primary election to decide his replacement. BIDEN’S HUR INTERVIEW TAPES COULD NOW GO PUBLIC AFTER HIS ATTORNEYS WAVE WHITE FLAG “What everyone will soon realize is that this is a Republican special counsel who completely went out of his way to editorialize, to include material in his report that is unnecessary and irrelevant to what he was tasked with doing,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., piled on in comments to ABC at the time. Hur’s appointment was nonpartisan. In 2023, Hur was investigating Biden for retaining classified information. At the center of the investigation were audio tapes of Biden from interviews with his “Promise Me, Dad” memoir ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, from 2016 and 2017. Hur’s report concluded that Biden did, in fact, retain classified documents, but that prosecuting him might not lead to a conviction, because he could be viewed “as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” “Mr. Biden’s memory was significantly limited, both during his recorded interviews with the ghostwriter in 2017 and in his interview with our office in 2023,” the report said. BIDEN’S FIGHT TO KEEP HUR INTERVIEW TAPES UNDER WRAPS SUFFERS FRESH COURT BLOW After a prolonged legal battle during which Biden sought to keep the audio tapes private, a nonprofit called the Oversight Project obtained them via public records requests. The damning tapes reveal Biden’s inability to remember basic names and dates. In one instance, on April 24, 2017, Biden struggled to recall the names of two economic advisers. “I’ll think of his name,” said Biden, who at the time was a private citizen and former vice president. “I should write the names down because I keep forgetting them.” There was then a long pause before Zwonitzer prompted Biden by saying Alan Krueger’s name. BIDEN SCORES TEMPORARY COURT VICTORY AS TRUMP-APPOINTED JUDGE DELAYS RELEASE OF HUR INVESTIGATION MATERIALS In another instance, when trying to recall a memorial he attended for a fallen service member, Biden forgot the date of the service and name of the deceased. “I think I went to that memorial service in Wilmington. It says [REDACTED] December the 4th, but I don’t — I know what this means. Memorial service — [REDACTED] gets names really f—ed up,” said Biden. “So it says memorial service for [REDACTED]. I don’t think her name was [REDACTED]. Or I forget [REDACTED].” The interviews were marked by consistent lapses in memory. But in 2024, that didn’t stop Democrats from accusing Hur of being a partisan activist who intentionally tried to tarnish Biden and his chances in a rematch against Trump. Andrew Weissman, a former general counsel to the FBI, cried foul on MSNBC. “That is not the role of the Department of Justice … to talk about your memory today — irrelevant, it is gratuitous,” he reportedly said. “And it is also exactly what you’re not supposed to do, which is putting your thumb on the scale that could have political repercussions.” Ian Sams, a spokesperson for Biden’s general counsel, said at the time that the report was “gratuitous.” “When you are the first special counsel in history not to indict anybody, there is pressure to criticize and to make, you know, statements that maybe in otherwise you wouldn’t make,” Sams reportedly said. “I think this issue of age is already out there, and when November comes, it’s going to be a choice between two people,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., told POLITICO. “I was with a congressional leadership about two weeks ago, and no one walked out of that meeting, saying, ‘Oh, my God, it was like he wasn’t in charge.’” Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., who at the time had just spent a day traveling with Biden, insisted that he was, “at the very top of his game, all the way through it, both in private and in person.” Later in 2024, Biden was yanked from the top of the presidential ticket after an embarrassing debate performance against then-candidate Donald Trump, which showcased his apparent mental decline. Harris, serving as vice president at the time, was then coronated as the party’s presidential nominee despite never winning a primary. When she ran in 2020, Harris never made it to the primaries, dropping out on December 3, 2019, months before the first elections took place. A Biden spokesperson ducked the former president’s memory in a statement to CBS. “President Biden’s conversations for a book a decade ago that discussed his late son are private, and were provided to the Department of Justice on the express condition they stay that way,” TJ Ducklo told the outlet. “Reversing course and making them public is just the latest example of this Administration weaponizing the DOJ for political retribution.” “It’s wrong, and while President Biden disagrees with today’s decision, he also respects the courts and the vital role an independent judiciary plays in a healthy democracy.”
Kamala Harris backs US Senate candidate who replaced Graham Platner: ‘I know what it is like’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris backed Democratic Maine U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson. “I know what it is like to step up to the plate with a short runway to Election Day. Troy will have just 101 days between his nomination for Senate and when voters in Maine will cast their ballots,” Harris said in a Monday fundraising email. Harris was tapped as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee after incumbent President Joe Biden dropped out in the wake of a widely-panned debate performance against then-former President Donald Trump. MAINE DEMOCRATS CROWN TROY JACKSON AS PLATNER REPLACEMENT AS FRESH SCRUTINY CLOUDS SENATE RESET Jackson, a former state senator who ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic Maine gubernatorial primary this year, was tapped as the U.S. Senate nominee at the Maine Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate Nominating Convention on Saturday. The general election will be on Nov. 3. Graham Platner, who won the 2026 Maine Democratic U.S. Senate primary last month, dropped out of the race earlier this month in the face of a rape allegation, though he had asserted, “Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false.” Fox News Digital reached out to Jackson’s campaign on Tuesday. BERNIE SANDERS REJECTS REGRET OVER EARLY GRAHAM PLATNER SUPPORT DESPITE ‘WARNING SIGNS’ Jackson is challenging long-serving incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has been in office since 1997. Collins campaign spokeswoman Blake Kernen said in a statement to Fox News on Monday that Harris “knows exactly what he’s going through.” FORMER PLATNER ALLY TROY JACKSON LOCKS DOWN DELEGATES AS TOP RIVALS FOR DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINATION DROP OUT “Nice to see two people bond over their shared passion for completely bypassing primary voters,” the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) noted in a Monday statement to Fox News. The Associated Press, Fox News’ Alexis McAdams and Fox News’ Jessica Sonkin contributed to this report.
Fetterman strongly supports the filibuster as Trump urges Senate Republicans to scrap it
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., expressed strong support for the filibuster in a Monday opinion piece, acknowledging that he has reversed his position on the issue since his 2022 campaign. President Donald Trump on Monday was pressuring Senate Republicans to nix the filibuster. “When Democrats had the presidency and a majority in both chambers, they were frustrated with the 60-vote threshold needed to advance legislation. Senate Democrats attempted to end the filibuster to push through President Joe Biden’s agenda — an effort I fully supported during my 2022 campaign,” Fetterman wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece. “Halfway through my first term, I now recognize how important the filibuster is and the state our country would be in without it,” he noted. FETTERMAN TROLLS THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA AS ISRAEL KILLS HAMAS TERRORISTS: ‘CRY HARDER’ “The rule is a critical line of defense that prevents President Donald Trump from having a fill-in-the-blank government with new laws, deregulation or procedures of its choosing,” he wrote. The president issued Truth Social posts on Monday advocating for Republicans to scrap the filibuster. “John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929! The Dumocrats will do it on day one, and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership. Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!” Trump wrote. DEMS CLASH OVER AIPAC MONEY, ‘OGRE’ ATTACK AND ELECTABILITY DURING CRUCIAL SENATE DEBATE In another post, he declared, “Whichever Party Terminates the Filibuster FIRST will be the Party that survives and thrives. If the Dumocrats win this race, however, America will rapidly become nothing more than a Third World Nation!” The three-fifths threshold required for cloture to end a filibuster means that Senate Republicans, even with their 53-seat majority, cannot get to 60 votes without Democrats — the procedural hurdle prevents advancing most legislation with a simple majority. REPUBLICANS SAY THEY’D WELCOME FETTERMAN AS GOP EYES BIGGER SENATE MAJORITY “The one thing that has stopped many unpopular policies since the beginning of 2025 isn’t the Democrats — it is the filibuster,” Fetterman wrote in his opinion piece.
GOP senator unveils BOASBERG Act to stop ‘rogue’ judges from handpicking Trump cases
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican is planning to curb so-called “rogue” judges, and he is using one of President Donald Trump’s greatest foils in the judicial branch as the launching point. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is planning to introduce the Blocking Overt Attempts at Shopping By Enforcing Randomization Guidelines Act in an attempt to curb judge shopping in federal cases. The bill, shortened to the BOASBERG Act, is named after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, one of Trump’s main antagonists on the bench. Schmitt’s legislation, first obtained by Fox News Digital, would broadly require that federal cases be randomly assigned in a bid to limit the ability of judges and litigants to influence who gets to hear and oversee a case. OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S ELECTION ORDER AS SAVE AMERICA ACT FIGHT INTENSIFIES “Judge Boasberg is the poster child for a rogue judge and exposed serious loopholes in our judicial system,” Schmitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Randomly assigning cases among judges ensures the American people can have confidence in the impartiality of our courts.” Schmitt’s legislation adds several guardrails to the selection process for federal cases and gives courts 120 days after enactment to implement them. It would require the random assignment of federal civil cases, prohibit chief judges from influencing case assignments, require courts to publicly disclose their case assignment practices, create penalties for meddling with or manipulating the assignment process, and require the random reassignment of a case if the Supreme Court intervenes in a ruling. DC APPEALS COURT ORDERS JUDGE BOASBERG TO HALT TRUMP CONTEMPT PROBE OVER DEPORTATION FLIGHTS Boasberg, who was first appointed to the federal bench by former President Barack Obama in 2010, has become a flashpoint for Republicans and the White House for his role in several high-profile cases against Trump and his administration during his two non-consecutive stints at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It’s caused Trump to call for his impeachment and the Justice Department to file a misconduct claim against him. Boasberg most recently blocked the State Department from restricting visas for foreign officials and other foreign nationals that the administration has accused of suppressing or helping suppress American free speech. SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRUMP EFFORT TO TERMINATE TEMPORARY PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIAN, SYRIAN MIGRANTS That latest move is just the tip of the iceberg in a long-running set of clashes between Boasberg and Trump. Boasberg has been a key player in the administration’s attempt to deport Venezuelan migrants. He tried to temporarily block the administration’s fast-paced deportation of Venezuelan migrants that the White House alleged were Tren de Aragua gang members. He later ordered the administration that the men had to be returned to the U.S. for violating due process in their removal. Boasberg also landed the case surrounding “Signalgate,” where top members of Trump’s Cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and then-National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, among others, accidentally included a journalist in their encrypted group message discussing strikes in Yemen. He ordered the administration to preserve any of the messages related to the group chat, but stopped short of requiring that the administration salvage any that may have been deleted. Schmitt hopes that his legislation will create a new operating standard moving forward. “The BOASBERG Act prevents judges from forcing their way onto cases and is an important piece of court transparency legislation that will help restore the American people’s confidence in our judiciary,” Schmitt said.
Battleground Democrat flip-flops on conversion therapy after left-wing backlash
A Democratic House candidate vying to flip a key Republican-held seat is on the defensive after reversing her position on conversion therapy following backlash from the party’s left flank. Rebecca Cooke, a Democratic challenger vying to unseat Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., repeatedly declined to endorse a federal ban on conversion therapy during several forums held ahead of the Aug. 11 primary. But after drawing criticism from some progressive voters, Cooke reversed course, saying the federal government should prohibit the controversial practice, which often involves mental health professionals offering talk therapy for individuals struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity. The issue gained renewed attention when the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that Colorado could not enforce a state-level ban on conversion therapy over free speech concerns, sparking backlash from some Democrats. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: DEMOCRATS LEAD IN THE HOUSE, BUT REDISTRICTING KEEPS THE GOP IN THE GAME The reversal comes as Cooke appears to be walking a political tightrope on LGBTQ issues in the Trump-friendly swing district, where she must appeal to both Democratic primary voters and the broader electorate. Before Cooke can seek a rematch against Van Orden, she must first overcome a primary challenge from former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge, who is running to her left. Asked what lawmakers could do to push back against the Supreme Court ruling at a May forum in La Crosse, Cooke sidestepped the question and said she preferred “local communities having control.” “I’m in favor of that sort of local control when making policies like this,” the Wisconsin Democrat said. Wisconsin’s conversion therapy ban took effect in 2022, while the city of Eau Claire, in Van Orden’s district, prohibited the practice in 2018. Meanwhile, at a June candidate forum in Platteville, Cooke said “no” when asked if the federal government should pass legislation to ban conversion therapy. Her answers prompted outrage from some progressive voters. “I find it interesting that not in one, but TWO forums you said you would leave conversion therapy up to the states to decide,” one user wrote on Facebook. “That is not protecting the LGBTQ community.” “I don’t know how you can say ‘Happy Pride’ if you aren’t willing to stand up for people you want to represent in Congress,” another account replied. “If you are willing to sell out the LGBTQIA+ community for votes, who is next?” CHRISTIAN COUNSELORS CHALLENGE WISCONSIN CONVERSION THERAPY BAN AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING Amid the backlash, Cooke said she “misunderstood” the moderator’s question and said she supported a federal ban on conversion therapy in a statement posted on a third-party account after the debate. During a July forum in Eau Claire, Cooke clarified, “I do not support conversion therapy whatsoever.” Berge, who helped enact Eau Claire’s local conversion therapy ban, was clear throughout the candidate forums in denouncing the practice. “As a therapist, conversion therapy has no place in our society, in our culture,” she said during the June event. Republicans sharply criticized Cooke’s reversal on conversion therapy bans. Van Orden’s campaign argued Cooke, who counts Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., among her endorsers, flip-flopped on her stance while still trying to “portray herself as a moderate.” “Rebecca Cooke is so desperate to appease the far-left woke mob that Wisconsin voters can’t be sure where she actually stands,” Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesman Hunter Lovell told Fox News Digital. “She’s trying to be one candidate for liberal activists and another for everyone else,” he continued. “Whether it’s caving to the far left or scrambling to rebrand herself for the general election, Cooke owes Wisconsinites an answer: Which Rebecca Cooke would show up in Congress?” Fox News Digital reached out to Cooke for comment. Cooke, a former Democratic consultant, fundraiser and small business owner, has consistently supported expanding LGBTQ rights during her previous two failed bids for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. In her third run for the seat, the repeat candidate is making clear that the Democrat-backed Equality Act — legislation that would make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes under federal civil rights law potentially affecting women-only spaces and female sports teams — is a “centerpiece” of her campaign. She is also endorsed by the progressive Human Rights Campaign, which has advocated for sex change procedures for minors, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers. President Donald Trump comfortably carried the sprawling swing district by more than seven points in 2024, meaning Cooke would likely have to win over a segment of the president’s voters to prevail in November. Cooke, who significantly outperformed former Vice President Kamala Harris, lost to Van Orden in the general election by just under three points in 2024, according to analysis from The Downballot. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the battleground contest as a “toss-up.”
Russia exposes NATO weapons gap as top commander warns ‘the math is not in favor of the West’
Days after NATO allies committed tens of billions of dollars to new air and missile defenses, the alliance’s top transformation commander warned that the West must fundamentally redesign its weapons and industrial base to withstand attacks at the scale now being demonstrated in Ukraine and the Middle East. “Today, the math is not in favor of the West,” Adm. Pierre Vandier, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview following the alliance’s summit in Ankara, Turkey, in early July. The summit produced commitments to acquire 900 Patriot missiles and invest more than $40 billion in counter-drone capabilities throughout five years. But Vandier argued that simply buying more of the West’s existing weapons will not solve the underlying problem. TRUMP ENTERS FINAL NATO SUMMIT DAY AS UKRAINE, DEFENSE SPENDING TAKE CENTER STAGE Russia’s nightly barrages against Ukraine have exposed an air-defense model designed for smaller numbers of incoming threats. The U.S.-Iran conflict has simultaneously intensified demand for the high-end interceptors needed to defeat ballistic missiles, including Patriots and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) that cannot quickly be replaced. “There is no way to produce 50,000 Patriots a year,” Vandier said. “We don’t have the supply chain, and it’s not worth doing that given the cost of the weapon.” Instead, Vandier said NATO needs a layered mix of defenses: cheaper weapons that can be mass-produced to counter waves of drones, while preserving advanced interceptors for ballistic missiles and other sophisticated threats. THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT AMERICAN WEAPONS SYSTEMS NATO IS EAGER TO HAVE “You need to have attritable, low-cost, mass-produced weapons to just kill the low-cost weapons that are coming by big waves,” Vandier said. “And then you need still the exquisite, complex weapons to kill the most complex weapons, as ballistic missiles.” Trump announced at the summit that the United States would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot interceptors, potentially allowing Kyiv to build more of the weapons it urgently needs to defend against Russian ballistic missiles. But asked whether the announcement changed his assessment that Patriots alone could not protect Europe throughout the next five years, Vandier pointed to a deeper obstacle: Western weapons were designed around an industrial base that no longer exists. UKRAINE’S BATTLEFIELD IS TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE OF NATO “The design needs to change,” Vandier said. “We are at a moment where some stuff will be redesigned under pressure to be mass-produced.” NATO also is attempting to transform against a threat that is changing in real time. Asked about a recent Russian live-fire exercise on Lake Peipus, between Estonia and Russia, which Estonia’s defense minister assessed was likely practice against Ukrainian-style naval drones, Vandier said Russia has demonstrated an ability to absorb battlefield lessons and adjust “on a weekly basis.” “War — if you do not adapt, you die,” Vandier said. “All your brain is about how you outmatch, outpace, outrun the enemy. And so Russia is not that bad at that.” “For NATO now, it’s a question of speed of adaptation,” Vandier said. “It’s a mind game.” Ukraine’s defense industry, meanwhile, is increasingly setting the pace for the larger Western manufacturers that once supplied most of its weapons, Vandier said. Ukrainian companies have been able to develop, field and modify systems quickly in response to changes on the battlefield. “The very agile and fast-evolving industrial base in Ukraine is now giving the pace to the European and Western industry,” Vandier said. But the technological competition is not confined to drones and air defenses. Vandier warned that the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has reopened a broader race over long-range missiles in Europe, as Russia and NATO allies seek weapons capable of holding targets farther behind enemy lines at risk. The 1987 treaty prohibited the United States and Russia from possessing ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. The first Trump administration withdrew from the agreement in 2019 after accusing Moscow of violating it, an allegation Russia denied. Vandier said the disappearance of those limits has produced a period of “complete strategic instability,” with both sides under pressure to develop new capabilities to preserve deterrence. “The Pandora’s box is open again,” Vandier said, “and we’ll try to close it down one day.”
WATCH: Rand Paul says Fauci lobbied for $1M prize while leading COVID response
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wants answers from former chief White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci on why he used his rising fame to lobby colleagues to nominate him for a $1 million prize. Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is gearing up for a blockbuster hearing with Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for his role as spokesman and policy craftsman during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of the hearing, Paul dumped over 1,000 pages of Fauci’s diary, and he told Fox News Digital that one of the issues that would soon come to light during Wednesday’s fight in the Senate was Fauci’s alleged dogged pursuit of a hefty cash prize while serving under former President Joe Biden. FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED “We have conversations where he’s telling other people at the NIH to nominate him,” Paul said. “Like, ‘Will you nominate me? I’ll write up my nominating background for you, and then you nominate me.’” “Why would we let — politicians aren’t supposed to get more than $50,” he continued. “Why would we let a guy that runs a bureaucracy, why would we want him to be allowed to have a $1 million prize? That just boggles my mind.” In 2021, Fauci was awarded the Dan David Prize, a $1 million award disbursed by the Israel-based Dan David Foundation headquartered at Tel Aviv University. Per the rules of the award, 10% of the prize was meant to be designated for academic scholarships in Fauci’s field. LINDSEY GRAHAM’S FINAL MISSION NEARS FINISH LINE AS WORLD LEADERS GATHER TO HONOR HIM The foundation said in a statement at the time that as the pandemic unraveled, Fauci “leveraged his considerable communication skills to address people gripped by fear and anxiety and worked relentlessly to inform individuals in the United States and elsewhere about the public health measures essential for containing the pandemic’s spread.” Despite advising seven presidents and serving at the NIH since the 1980s, Fauci was a career civil servant who never required Senate confirmation. Strewn across the pages of Fauci’s diary are several instances, particularly in the early stages of the pandemic, that show an individual with a keen understanding of his role in the media. FAUCI’S DIARY SHOWS HE FED QUESTIONS TO JOURNALISTS, BUILT FRIENDSHIPS WITH MEDIA FIGURES In May 2020, for example, Fauci wrote that a “Big front page article [about] me appeared in the Washington Post.” “Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable,” he said. “It is not [hyperbole] to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable [persons] in the world.” And in another entry shortly after, Fauci noted that the Trump White House was “very upset” about his meteoric rise in the media. When asked about Fauci’s close eye on the media and whether that might have colored his portrayal of the virus, Paul was unsure. “I mean, he wouldn’t be the first person in Washington that publicity went to his head,” Paul said.
Trump welcomes Netanyahu to White House as raging Iran war threatens to sour US-Israel relationship
President Donald Trump will welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House Tuesday for talks that could shape the next phase of the U.S. standoff with Iran. A political shadow is cast over the visit, however, amid renewed calls from the far-left to arrest the Israeli leader. “Every meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump has carried drama and historic weight, but this one comes as the Middle East stands at a genuine crossroads,” Shurat HaDin Law Center President Nitsana Darshan-Leitner told Fox News Digital of the upcoming sit-down. “The decisions made by these two leaders in Washington will have far-reaching repercussions and will determine not only the next chapter in confronting Iran, but whether the region moves toward lasting stability or slips back into dangerous and chaotic escalation,” added Darshan-Leitner. NETANYAHU TO VISIT TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE, ATTEND ‘DEAR FRIEND’ LINDSEY GRAHAM’S MEMORIAL SERVICE Netanyahu is in Washington, D.C., to attend the funeral service of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., whom he has called a dear friend not just to Israel, but to himself. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also in D.C. for the funeral of the late senator and is using the opportunity to meet with Trump. The high-stakes talks between the world leaders come as Israel continues to press for a tougher Iran strategy, while Trump is weighing whether to resume major strikes against Iran. “He’s been a great wartime prime minister,” Trump told reporters Wednesday, speaking of Netanyahu. “We worked with each other very closely. And we went through a very big thing. We did a big thing together.” The Israeli leader’s visit has stirred controversy over Israel’s handling of Gaza as well as its approach to Iran. MAMDANI GOES BACK ON CAMPAIGN PROMISE, SAYS NYC CAN’T ARREST NETANYAHU New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called on the federal government to carry out the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant ahead of a possible Netanyahu visit to the Big Apple for the United Nations General Assembly in September. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio defended Mamdani’s call to have Netanyahu arrested, stating the Israeli leader is “fomenting hate.” The relationship between longtime allies Trump and Netanyahu — who is often referred to as Bibi — appeared to face a rare rift over their differing views in the two countries’ handling of the conflict with Iran. TRUMP CONFIRMS ‘CRAZY’ NETANYAHU CLASH AS QUESTIONS MOUNT OVER PUSH TO HOLD FIRE ON HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS Trump admitted that he called Netanyahu “f—ing crazy” in a heated phone call over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon. “So many in the media attempt to portray deep rifts between the President and the Prime Minister while they need to project unity and strength,” Darshan-Leitner explained to Fox News Digital. “History will likely remember this meeting not simply for what was discussed behind closed doors, but for the course it set for the region — and perhaps the world — for years to come.” Netanyahu is expected to present Trump with intelligence in their meeting on Tuesday alleging Iran is expanding activity at its Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site and is not negotiating in good faith over its nuclear program, according to the New York Post, citing a source in Jerusalem. Trump delayed planned U.S. military strikes against Iran for several days while emphasizing that the United States remains prepared to launch a “massive attack,” if necessary. Trump said Monday Washington is engaged in “good talks” with Iran, but warned that if negotiations fail, the U.S. would resume military action. “From the future of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, to the security of U.S. bases, to the ownership of the Strait of Hormuz and the freedom of global maritime commerce, the stakes extend far beyond Israel’s borders,” said Darshan-Leitner. “This is one of the rare moments when diplomacy and deterrence must move in lockstep.”
Fauci privately took credit for COVID-19 lockdowns despite public denial, newly exposed diary entries reveal
Despite denying on multiple occasions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic that he personally recommended lockdowns, excerpts revealed from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s private diary prove a clear contradiction. In a March 15, 2020, entry in the diary, which begins with “BIG DAY!” written in red letters, Fauci, then the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) recalled a striking conversation he had with then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I spoke with Bill de Blasio (Mayor – NYC) and convinced him based on what I was saying publicly and my conversation tonight to close the NYC schools (he had already decided based on what I was saying on TV),” Fauci revealed in his private notes. FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED “I had a similar call with Ann O’Leary, the [Chief of Staff] of Gov. Gavin Newsom of California,” this particular entry went on. “Ann said that based on my TV appearances today and yesterday, the Governor has decided to close the schools in California as well as the bars and restaurants.” But seven months later, in an Oct. 16, 2022, interview with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, Fauci denied any involvement in inspiring lockdowns. “Let’s go back and look at the transcript. We said we should try as best as we possibly can to keep the children in school,” Fauci said. “Nobody plays that clip.” “They always come back and say, ‘Fauci was responsible for shutting schools down.’ I had nothing to do [with it]!” he insisted at the time. EXPOSED FAUCI DIARY SHOWS HE ESTIMATED COVID-19 DEATH RATE TO BE MUCH LOWER THAN WHAT HE TOLD CONGRESS In 2022, he told The Hill that he “didn’t recommend locking anything down,” clearly going against his own privately recorded entries. On January 9, 2024, years after the end of lockdowns ended, Fauci testified the same thing before the House Oversight Committee. “I did not close the schools,” he said, according to the hearing transcript. And it became the widespread situation where I became a political target.” Fauci recommended to government leaders lockdown measures besides just closing schools, which he would also later deny. INSIDE FAUCI’S PRIVATE DIARY: WHAT HE WROTE ABOUT TRUMP, TV PERSONALITIES AND CELEBRITIES In the March 15, 2020, diary entry, Fauci, once the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said he directed de Blasio to close the city’s bars. “I went on to tell him he should close the bars and restaurants in NYC. He said that he would base this on my recommendation,” Fauci wrote. Five days later, he said he told the mayor to close all of New York City. “Also, had phone call with [Mayor] de Blasio who wants to go to ‘shelter in place for the entire city.[‘] He is asking my advice since Gov. Cuomo is pushing back. I advised DeBlasio [sic] to go ahead and do it. I will try to speak with Cuomo,” the entry said. On March 29, 2020, Fauci recounted a tense meeting with President Donald Trump, who he described as “incorrigible.” The goal of the meeting was to get the president to extend lockdowns after the initial “15 days to stop the spread” period, which began on March 16 of 2020 — about a month after the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in the U.S. “At the end of the day, it was a good outcome since we convinced him to go with 30 day (sic) instead of ending the mitigation prematurely, which I feel would be a disaster,” Fauci said. In a November 28, 2020, diary entry, he recalled lending support to a Los Angeles County health official who wanted to lock the county down. “Got call last night from Mark Ghaly (Deputy Director for Community Health for the LA County Dept of Health Services). He has called me several times for advice,” the diary says. “Frantic call saying that they are surging in LA County and very soon hospital beds will be overrun. He wants to do a 3 weeks shutdown of the city to ‘stop the surge’ and wants my support since there is a large pushback to locking down. I agreed to support him.” But again in 2022, when he joined The Hill’s “Rising” podcast, Fauci denied responsibility for lockdowns. “Well, you know, again, first of all, I didn’t recommend locking anything down,” he claimed. “You’re asking me questions. You’re talking about the CDC is the public health agency that uses their epidemiologists and their science-based approach to make recommendations…” Despite his own denials, Fauci himself told CBS news in the midst of the 2020 chaos that he was behind the lockdowns. “When it became clear that we had community spread in the country, with a few cases of community spread — this was way before there was a major explosion like we saw in the northeastern corridor driven by New York City metropolitan area — I recommended to the president that we shut the country down,” he said on Oct. 7, 2020.