America 250 organizers unveil sweeping plans for the country’s historic birthday celebration
Organizers for the America 250 celebration touted a slew of plans to commemorate the country’s historic anniversary on July 4, detailing the programs in the works and hinting that more information would become publicly available in the coming weeks. Rosie Rios, former U.S. Treasurer and chairwoman of America 250, said the festivities themselves would begin on July 3 and extend into July 4. “We are doing the first-ever ball drop in the history of Times Square outside of New Year’s Eve. This will happen on July 3,” Rios said. But Rios also described how America 250’s planning hoped to go farther than a single event, framing their efforts as a cultural moment that would reframe the traditions around Independence Day. PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER BRINGING INDYCAR RACE TO DC FOR AMERICA250 Among other smaller items, Rios announced organizers would compile “America’s soundtrack,” a combination of the country’s most iconic music put together by Emilio Estefan, a 19-time Grammy Awards winner. It would include a time capsule set to be opened in another 250 years. And it would attempt to foster a sense of generosity around July 4 that would extend to future years. “Over the past two years, we’ve already launched incredibly national, values-based programs that will extend long after the fireworks fade on July 4,” Rios said. For the July 4 events themselves, Rios said organizers hoped to pull off a kind of decentralized celebration. Organizers stressed the cultural and organic nature of their plans, outlining designs they hoped would be remembered for generations — but also a hope that those plans would meld with existing Independence Day celebrations across the country. America 250 is partnering with local events across the country to create American “block parties,” which will act as nodes for the celebration. “On July 4 is the launch of America’s Block Party. Think about this, I wouldn’t call them viewing parties because I don’t think that does it justice. These are interactive experiences all across the country,” Rios said. So far, the organization has announced two key partnerships: Milwaukee Summerfest, a music festival in Wisconsin, and the Fort Campbell Festival, an annual carnival-like event in Kentucky. $20M ‘ONE SMALL STEP’ CAMPAIGN AIMS TO REBUILD AMERICAN PRIDE AHEAD OF 250TH ANNIVERSARY The organizers said other cities had approached them about potentially being a part of the designs but did not detail what other locations or how many might participate. “I can’t tell you what it’s going to look like, but I know what it is going to feel like. It’s going to be organic,” Rios said. Rios explained that while America 250 is cooperating with plans for the event in Washington, D.C., the Trump Administration is spearheading efforts there for the parade and other festivities at the White House. More broadly, Rios said they hope to introduce a tradition of generosity and charity to the July 4 holiday. “We wanna make July Fourth the largest day of charitable contributions ever recorded in our country,” Rios said. “The point of this initiative that we’re calling Giving Forth is to make July 4th the new day for giving back.“ “We believe that this is possible.” And following July 4 itself, she described hopes that July 5 would also take on special meaning. RARE, HISTORIC US DOCUMENTS TRAVELING COUNTRY ON ‘FREEDOM PLANE’ AHEAD OF AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY “After the fireworks, this is where the rest of the work also begins. We’re calling Sunday, July 5, our Day of Reflection. The Day of Reflection can mean many different things to many different people,” Rios said. “For some people on that Sunday, July 5, it could be a day of prayer. For some others, for example, there are many states that are actually trying to plan community potlucks. I love that idea.”
Trump tells ‘strange’ Iranian negotiators to ‘get serious soon’ or ‘it won’t be pretty’
President Donald Trump challenged the “strange” Iranian negotiators to “get serious” about a deal to end the fighting Thursday. “The Iranian negotiators are very different and ‘strange,’” Trump wrote in a Thursday morning Truth Social post. “They are ‘begging’ us to make a deal, which they should be doing since they have been militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback, and yet they publicly state that they are only ‘looking at our proposal.’ “WRONG!!! They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!” The comments sharpened a threat delivered a day earlier by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said Trump was prepared to “unleash hell” if Iran refused to accept a deal. Leavitt said Iran had “already been defeated” and warned the regime not to “miscalculate again,” arguing that continued resistance would bring even heavier U.S. retaliation. TRUMP VOWS TO HIT IRAN ‘VERY HARD’ AFTER OBLITERATING NEARLY ’90 PERCENT’ OF REGIME MISSILES “President Trump does not bluff, and he is prepared to unleash hell,” Leavitt said at the beginning of Wednesday’s White House press briefing. “Iran should not miscalculate again. Their last miscalculation cost them their senior leadership, their navy, their air force and their air defense system. “Any violence beyond this point will be because the Iranian regime refused to understand they have already been defeated and refused to come to a deal.” Trump also lashed out at NATO, accusing alliance members of doing “absolutely nothing” to help confront Iran as the conflict entered its fourth week. “NATO nations have done absolutely nothing to help with the lunatic nation, now militarily decimated, of Iran,” Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post. “The U.S.A. needs nothing from NATO, but ‘never forget’ this very important point in time!” DEFIANT IRAN VOWS TO FIGHT ‘UNTIL COMPLETE VICTORY,’ DESPITE HEAVY MILITARY LOSSES The back-to-back statements come as Trump’s five-day deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is coming by this weekend – as the administration tries to force Tehran to the table while projecting that U.S. military operations have badly weakened Iran’s leadership, air defenses and naval capacity. At a Union Station fundraiser for the National Congressional Committee on Wednesday night, Trump joked that he had to stop referring to the “military action” on Iran as a “war,” because the latter requires congressional approval. “I won’t use the word ‘war’ because they say if you use the word ‘war,’ that’s maybe not a good thing to do,” Trump told the crowd of GOP lawmakers at the fundraiser dinner that raised a record-breaking $36.8 million for the NRCC, which seeks to fund the midterms to help keep the narrow House GOP majority (217-214). WATCH LEAVITT’S WARNING TO IRAN: “They don’t like the word ‘war’ because you’re supposed to get approval. So, I’ll use the word ‘military operation’, which is really what it is. It’s a military decimation.”
Indicted Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick faces rare House ethics hearing
An embattled lawmaker facing five decades in prison will face the congressional spotlight Thursday during an ethics trial that could result in her expulsion from the House of Representatives. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., is expected to testify before the House Ethics Committee during a rare public hearing Thursday afternoon. The case is separate from a sprawling federal indictment accusing Cherfilus-McCormick of stealing more than $5 million in disaster relief funds to finance her inaugural congressional run in 2021 and purchase luxury items, including a large diamond ring. The Florida Democrat is also alleged to have participated in a straw donor scheme and conspired to file a false federal tax return. Cherfilus-McCormick has repeatedly sought to delay the hearing, citing the ongoing federal criminal case and losing her legal representation earlier in March. It is not clear whether the Florida Democrat will be represented by an attorney at the hearing. Cherfilus McCormick said in a statement sent to Fox News that she is “deeply disappointed” the bipartisan committee chose to proceed with a trial, alleging a violation of her due process rights. NANCY MACE TO FORCE VOTE TARGETING FELLOW GOP LAWMAKER ACCUSED OF AFFAIR WITH STAFFER “I urge the Committee to follow its own precedents and uphold fairness and not allow this process to be driven by politics or numbers,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight and challenge these inaccuracies, when I am legally able to do so.” Cherfilus-McCormick has denied wrongdoing after being indicted in November 2025 and pleaded not guilty in federal court. She has repeatedly defied calls from Republicans to resign — a move that would have avoided the ethics hearing and possible expulsion. According to the indictment, Trinity Health Care Services, a company owned by Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, received $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) overpayment from the state of Florida for a COVID-19 vaccine contract. Rather than return the money, federal prosecutors allege the duo laundered it through multiple bank accounts to hide its origin. The House Ethics Committee unveiled a 27-count “statement of alleged violations” against Cherfilus-McCormick that is expected to be presented during the hearing Thursday. The hearing itself is extremely rare. It will be the first time the eight-member panel will hold a public hearing against a lawmaker since 2010. MIKE JOHNSON ASKS EMBATTLED HOUSE REPUBLICAN TONY GONZALES TO DROP RE-ELECTION BID Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., has said he would move forward with a resolution seeking to expel Cherfilus-McCormick regardless of the trial’s outcome. Under House rules, two-thirds of lawmakers — meaning a swath of Democrats — would need to vote in the affirmative to expel the Florida Democrat. “You’re in a situation where you have a sitting member of Congress who’s allegedly stolen over $5 million in taxpayer funds,” Steube told reporters Tuesday. “She should immediately resign instead of going through this process. But she’s going to force us to do this.” Steube also said a possible recommendation of expulsion from the committee could force Democrats to support his resolution. “If the committee in a bipartisan manner, it recommends an expulsion that puts the Democratic caucus in a very tough position because you would be undermining your own members on the Ethics Committee.” But House Democratic leadership, who have largely defended Cherfilus-McCormick, has yet to say whether they would support an expulsion resolution following the hearing’s conclusion. Cherfilus-McCormick was among a group of Democrats who stood behind House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., when he gave remarks on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown outside the U.S. Capitol last week. He responded, “next question,” when asked by Fox News about the expulsion threat on Tuesday. “I’m not going to prejudge the outcome that they arrive to,” House Democratic Conference Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said Wednesday. “I respect the members of the ethics committee and the work that they have to do.” Democrats’ refusal so far to condemn Cherfilus-McCormick has prompted sharp criticism from Republicans. “So-called ‘Leader’ Hakeem Jeffries talks a big game on corruption, but when it’s one of his own, he suddenly loses his voice,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement. Some Republicans have also complained about a double standard with the chamber’s treatment of Cherfilus-McCormick by making comparisons to former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. The scandal-plagued lawmaker was expelled from Congress in 2023 before an ethics hearing or criminal conviction. “It seems like what happened to George was just like a runaway freight train up here,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said Wednesday. “They didn’t even give George an opportunity to get fully through ethics. And so this one’s been a little bit more deliberate.” “I think going forward, how this one’s been conducted is how it should go,” Donalds added, referring to the anticipated Cherfilus-McCormick hearing. “It should be deliberate before these kind of judgments just end up on the House floor.”
Epstein’s accountant and lawyer reveal DOJ never questioned them about disgraced financier’s crimes
A former accountant and lawyer for the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein both told the House Oversight Committee earlier this month that the Department of Justice had never interviewed them about Epstein’s crimes. “I’ve never been questioned by any government authority,” Epstein’s ex-accountant Richard Kahn said. He noted that he had received a grand jury subpoena from the Southern District of New York and from the U.S. Virgin Island’s Department of Justice for documents about Epstein’s property. “Both of the requests were for the same thing. They were asking for Epstein’s estate documents. They wanted to see his will and his 1953 trust,” Kahn said. HOUSE OVERSIGHT SUBPOENAS AG BONDI IN PROBE OF EPSTEIN CASE ‘MISMANAGEMENT’ Similarly, Darren Indyke said he had never been asked about Epstein’s dealings. “Personally, no,” Indyke told the Oversight Committee. “I don’t believe I have.” When asked if that surprised him, Indyke told investigators he believed it was consistent with the scope of his employment. “Given my role as a transactional attorney for Mr. Epstein, no,” Indyke said. Epstein, a former financier with a formidable social circle, died in 2019 while imprisoned on charges of sex trafficking minors. His death, which was ruled a suicide, left behind questions about whether Epstein had facilitated illegal sexual encounters for some of his contacts and prompted public demands for accountability for possible accomplices. Like many public figures, Kahn and Indyke both appear in the Epstein Files — troves of documents released by the DOJ in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE CALLS BILL GATES, LEON BLACK TO TESTIFY OVER JEFFREY EPSTEIN TIES Their communications in the files do not, on their own, implicate any wrongdoing, and neither does their appearance before the House Oversight Committee. Their depositions come among a series of other interviews from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Interviewers have called figures like former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, billionaire businessman Les Wexner and Epstein’s accomplice and romantic partner Ghislaine Maxwell to deliver testimony. So far, none of the subjects interviewed by the Oversight Committee has faced charges for their proximity to Epstein, except for Maxwell. She was convicted in 2022 on charges of exploiting underage girls. Indyke, the attorney, said he was aware of Epstein’s original 2008 plea deal in Florida, where he admitted to soliciting a minor for prostitution. “He was adamant that he had no idea that anyone involved was underage and personally assured me that he would never again let himself be in that position. I believed him, and I made the mistake of believing that Mr. Epstein would not again commit a crime,” Indyke said. GHISLAINE MAXWELL PLEADS FIFTH AMENDMENT, DODGES QUESTIONS IN HOUSE OVERSIGHT EPSTEIN PROBE Kahn, Epstein’s accountant, gave a similar statement. “Epstein told me his 2006 arrest was a mistake, that he did not know the woman was underage, and that nothing like that would happen again,” Kahn said. “I believed him at the time and never saw what appeared to be a minor in his presence. Had I learned of his horrific behavior, I would have quit work immediately,” Kahn added. Fox News Digital reached out to Kahn and Indyke for comment.
New Jersey Gov Sherrill signs law barring ICE agents from wearing face coverings to shield identities
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, signed legislation on Wednesday to limit the use of face coverings for law enforcement, including federal ICE agents, The law, which requires officers to present identification before detaining someone, comes as some federal agents have sought to hide their identities during immigration raids in communities across the country. Sherrill, who was sworn into office in January, said the mask restriction is part of an effort to ensure the safety of residents of the Garden State. “I can’t believe we have to say this, but in the United States of America, we’re not going to tolerate masked roving militias pretending, pretending to be well-trained law enforcement agents,” she said. NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR TO LAUNCH PORTAL FOR UPLOADING VIDEOS OF ICE TACTICS: ‘THEY HAVE NOT BEEN FORTHCOMING’ The law is part of a package that the governor said will “protect people’s privacy and their rights” and “strengthen trust between law enforcement and our communities.” Democrats in Congress and in various state legislatures have sought for months to adopt measures that would ban immigration agents from wearing masks to hide their identities, arguing that such legislation is needed to ensure transparency. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, also signed a law earlier this month limiting face coverings for ICE agents. The Department of Homeland Security has criticized efforts to unmask ICE agents, including calling the new Washington state measure “irresponsible, reckless and dangerous.” BOSTON’S WU ORDERS RELEASE OF ICE SURVEILLANCE AND BODY CAM FOOTAGE, SAYS FED GOVERNMENT ‘HIDES BEHIND MASKS’ “To be crystal clear: we will not abide by this unconstitutional ban,” the department said at the time. Sherrill’s signature on Wednesday comes as she continues to target the Trump administration’s immigration raids. Earlier this year, she announced a portal to allow residents to upload photos and videos of ICE agents conducting immigration operations. “If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out, we want to know,” Sherrill said at the time. “They have not been forthcoming. They will pick people up, they will not tell us who they are, they will not tell us if they’re here legally, they won’t check. They’ll pick up American citizens. They picked up a five-year-old child. We want documentation, and we are going to make sure we get it.” “We saw people in the street with masks and no insignia. So not accountable at all, hiding from the population — and we saw again and again an undermining of what law enforcement should do to keep people safe,” she added. The Trump administration is also suing New Jersey over Sherrill’s executive order last month that prohibits federal immigration agents from making arrests in nonpublic areas of state property, including correctional facilities and courthouses. The order also blocks the use of state property as a staging or processing area for immigration enforcement. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump admin makes new criminal referrals to DOJ targeting New York AG Letitia James
The Trump administration has made new criminal referrals to the Department of Justice targeting New York Attorney General Letitia James, Fox News has confirmed. The referrals, submitted by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, allege potential insurance fraud tied to properties linked to James and have been sent to U.S. attorneys in Florida and, reportedly, Illinois for review. “The Department of Justice can confirm that referrals were received by our U.S. Attorney Offices,” a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News. One of the referrals obtained by Fox News alleged “suspected homeowners insurance fraud.” WATCHDOG GROUP HITS LETITIA JAMES WITH BAR COMPLAINT AFTER FEDERAL JUDGE TOSSES CASE The criminal referral was transmitted to Jason Quinones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, who will determine whether to move forward with a prosecution. His office would then need to seek a grand jury indictment. The referral comes after bank fraud charges against James were dismissed late last year by a Clinton-appointed judge, and a grand jury in Virginia later refused to re-indict her. The judge threw out the indictments against James and former FBI Director James Comey after finding they were illegitimate because they were brought by an unqualified U.S. attorney. FEDERAL JUDGE HITS DOJ FOR ‘INDICT FIRST, INVESTIGATE LATER’ APPROACH IN COURT HEARING In one of the criminal referrals, Pulte said it appears that James “may have falsified information on her homeowners insurance application” to a Fort Lauderdale-based company, Universal Property Insurance. The referral cites social media posts from Mike Davis, a longtime attorney and ally to President Donald Trump. Pulte stated that based on the post from Davis, the New York attorney general “may have made false representations that her property would be unoccupied five months out of the year.” According to the post, that information may be false, Pulte said. “The house was, in fact, occupied year-round by her niece,” he continued. “As such, it appears Ms. James may have defrauded the Florida-based insurance company,” Pulte added. Fox News Digital has reached out to James’ office and her attorney for comment.
DOJ settles with Michael Flynn over Russia probe after wrongful prosecution claim: ‘Historic injustice’
The Department of Justice (DOJ) reached a settlement Wednesday with Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor to President Donald Trump, over a legal battle tied to his contacts with a Russian diplomat during the Mueller probe. Official court papers seen by Fox News Digital do not disclose the financial terms of the settlement, but the government is said to be paying Flynn approximately $1.2 million to resolve the matter, The Associated Press reported. The agreement concludes a lengthy legal saga stemming from the Russia investigation. Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2017, to giving false statements to the FBI about his communications with Russia’s ambassador to the United States. JAMES COMEY SEEKS TO DISMISS HIS CRIMINAL CASE, CITING ‘VINDICTIVE’ PROSECUTION Those discussions included Russia’s response to U.S. sanctions and a United Nations Security Council resolution regarding Israel. The charge stemmed from Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference and possible links between Trump campaign officials and Russian figures. Mueller, a former FBI director who led the bureau from 2001 to 2013, later served as special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, a probe that shadowed much of Trump’s presidency. He brought charges against multiple Trump associates, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Flynn. JUDGE ORDERS DOJ TO GIVE COMEY GRAND JURY RECORDS, CITING PROSECUTOR’S MISCONDUCT His final report detailed extensive contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia, but did not establish a criminal conspiracy. Flynn later sought to withdraw his guilty plea and accused federal prosecutors of acting in bad faith. By 2019, he claimed innocence, citing alleged FBI misconduct. Although Flynn was pardoned by Trump in late 2020, he filed a lawsuit in 2023 seeking at least $50 million in damages, alleging wrongful and malicious prosecution. He argued the case, brought by what he described as a “virulently anti-Trump leadership” within the FBI, cost him tens of millions of dollars in business opportunities and future earning potential. FORMER FBI DIRECTOR ROBERT MUELLER DIES AT 81; TRUMP REACTS Under the previous administration, the DOJ moved to dismiss Flynn’s complaint. Now, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, a critic of the Russia probe, the department changed course. In a statement, the DOJ called the settlement an “important step in redressing” what it described as a “historic injustice,” The Associated Press reported. A spokesperson said the department will pursue accountability to ensure such “weaponization of the federal government” does not recur. According to a notice of settlement filed in the Middle District of Florida, the case will be dismissed with prejudice once Flynn confirms receipt of the funds, preventing the claims from being refiled. The filing states each party will bear its own legal costs and that the court will not retain jurisdiction over the agreement. In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said: “The Department of Justice’s reported decision to pay out more than $1 million of taxpayers’ dollars to Michael Flynn is as outrageous as it is indefensible.” Warner also described the settlement as one that “sends exactly the wrong message to our adversaries, to our intelligence professionals, and to the American people. “It undermines the rule of law, demeans the work of the men and women who safeguard our national security, and suggests that accountability depends on who you are and who you know, not what you’ve done.” The DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
US moves airborne troops, Marines as Iran rejects ceasefire, raising ground war potential
The U.S. is positioning ground-capable forces in the Middle East after Iran rejected a ceasefire proposal Wednesday, a shift that gives Washington new — though limited and high-risk — options for potential operations inside Iran. Military experts say the deployments are not a precursor to a large-scale invasion but instead position the U.S. for targeted, short-duration missions, options that have taken on new relevance as diplomatic off-ramps narrow. In recent days, the Pentagon has moved ground-capable forces into the region, including around 1,000 paratroopers with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Among them is the 1st Brigade Combat Team, a core component of the military’s Immediate Response Force rapid-response unit designed to deploy on short notice to crises anywhere in the world. Also deployed were a few thousand Marines and sailors assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and its Amphibious Ready Group, led by the amphibious assault ship Tripoli. Marine expeditionary units and airborne forces often are among the first U.S. units deployed in a conflict to rapidly establish an initial presence and respond to emerging crises. IRAN’S REMAINING WEAPONS: HOW TEHRAN CAN STILL DISRUPT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ The White House has emphasized the deployments are meant to preserve flexibility as the conflict evolves, a posture that now carries greater weight after Iran rejected a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal. “The president likes to maintain options at his disposal,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday at a White House press briefing. “It’s the Pentagon’s job to provide those options to the commander in chief.” Lawmakers on the Armed Services Committees emerged from a classified briefing on Iran Wednesday expressing frustration over a lack of clarity from the administration. “We want to know more about what’s going on, what the options are and why they’re being considered,” House Armed Services Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., told reporters. “We’re just not getting enough answers.” “Let me put it this way, I can see why he might have said that,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in agreement. Military experts said the types of forces being deployed point to a more limited set of options on the ground. “It is not for the type of ground invasion that we saw in Iraq,” James Robbins, Institute of World Politics dean and former special assistant to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, told Fox News Digital. “There simply aren’t enough troops.” The U.S. already maintains roughly 40,000 troops to 50,000 troops across the Middle East, with recent deployments adding several thousand more, including Marines and airborne units. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment. If U.S. forces were used inside Iran, experts say operations likely would focus on specific, high-value objectives rather than holding territory. One likely focus would be along Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping lane that would become a central pressure point in any limited U.S. ground option. Iranian forces have positioned missiles, drones and naval assets throughout the region, creating a persistent threat environment for any operation. “The most logical step is to try to secure the straits by taking some key positions inside Iran,” Ehud Eilam, a former official with Israel’s Ministry of Defense, told Fox News Digital. “For the Marines, it would probably be somewhere along the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf, around the straits or nearby to establish a base of operations,” Robbins said. Trump has said the U.S. Navy could escort commercial tankers through the waterway if necessary after Iranian threats have disrupted traffic in one of the world’s most critical energy choke points. But no plans have been enacted to do so, according to officials. But even limited objectives would be difficult to secure or sustain under constant threat. “It’s a large gulf, and there’s lots of places you could drop a mine or shoot a cruise missile from or shoot a drone from,” said Adm. Kevin Donegan, former commander of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Beyond coastal positions, U.S. forces could be used for short-duration missions targeting specific military assets, such as missile launch sites, radar systems or other infrastructure that cannot be fully neutralized from the air. AFTER THE STRIKES, HOW WOULD THE US SECURE IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM? Eilam said special operations forces could also be used for targeted missions inside Iran, including striking military infrastructure or capturing key personnel. “They may come and capture a certain objective, destroy some Iranian radar or some Iranian facility, take some generals into captivity,” Eilam said. Such operations would be aimed at degrading Iran’s capabilities and supporting broader air and naval operations, rather than holding territory. Some experts noted that small special operations teams can operate inside Iran without public visibility, making it difficult to assess the full scope of current activity. One potential objective for ground forces would be securing Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Nuclear experts have insisted that the material could not be destroyed by airstrikes alone, that a presence on the ground would be essential. Robbins said U.S. troops could be used to secure nuclear material or facilities but not under active fire. “That would have to be more under a permissive environment,” Robbins said. “It could not really well be done under fire.” Iran is believed to have roughly 970 pounds of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, though international inspectors say they can no longer verify the size or location of that stockpile. In past conflicts, U.S. forces have been tasked with securing weapons sites or sensitive materials even in unstable or contested environments, particularly during and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, when specialized units conducted extensive searches of hundreds of facilities. Any such operation in Iran would be complex. Key nuclear facilities are hardened, dispersed and, in some cases, buried deep underground, making them difficult to access or secure quickly. Experts cautioned that some of the more aggressive scenarios being discussed — such as seizing Iran’s key oil export hub at Kharg Island — are unlikely to
House Budget chairman reveals how Republicans will pay for the Iran campaign
House Republicans are lurching forward with a second budget reconciliation package, ending months of speculation about whether the chamber would attempt to marshal a second GOP-only megabill through Congress before November’s midterm elections. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said Wednesday he wants the measure to pay for President Donald Trump’s Iran campaign and enact anti-fraud provisions that offset the cost of the anticipated defense infusion’s large price tag. “It’s an opportunity to solve two problems and address two challenges and advance two great causes: fund the military, provide a strong defense, win the war, achieve the objectives and do it in a way that doesn’t put our kids further in the hole,” Arrington told reporters. “We’re all but ready to mark up a budget resolution,” Arrington continued, adding his panel is still continuing to hash out the details of the package. HOUSE CONSERVATIVES ERUPT OVER SENATE GOP, WHITE HOUSE DEAL AMID SAVE ACT FIGHT The Trump administration has floated a $200 billion request to help pay for the war in Iran but has yet to deliver a formal request. Given Democrats’ expected opposition to a defense supplemental, some House Republicans have said a second reconciliation package is the only viable vehicle to advance the measure and other Trump priorities through Congress. “Democrats have obstructed everything,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “So, we believe, unfortunately, that reconciliation is the only mechanism to move the rest of the President’s agenda.” Republicans have zeroed in on fraud in social services for months and view the enactment of fraud-related spending cuts as a way to offset the cost of the package. The budget reconciliation process would allow Republicans to circumvent the Senate’s 60-vote requirement and pass a spending measure with a simple majority. Arrington said he would be working closely with Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who also announced Wednesday that his panel would begin drafting reconciliation instructions. The South Carolina Republican floated funding increases for the military and law enforcement in addition to voter integrity measures as possible items in a second reconciliation bill. “Let’s put it this way: The reconciliation train is leaving the station,” Graham posted on X after the two lawmakers met to discuss a second megabill Wednesday. GOP MUST RACE FOR NEW ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ TO SLASH COSTS BEFORE MIDTERMS, TOP HOUSE REPUBLICANS WARN Though Republicans are likely to broadly support defense supplemental funding and fraud-prevention measures, a second megabill could still face major hurdles. Republicans narrowly passed Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act in June 2025 after months of intraparty disagreement. Under House Republicans’ razor-thin majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can afford to spare just one GOP defection in a party-line vote. However, Arrington argued that the war in Iran would be a unifying force to get the bill done. “I think funding our military in a time of war, if there’s no sense of urgency and accountability from members of Congress to support our commander in chief, I can’t think of one,” Arrington said. “I do think the big push is going to be supporting our sons and daughters in uniform and making sure they have what they need to be successful.” Arrington did not shut the door on including parts of the SAVE America Act in a GOP-only megabill. However, its sweeping provisions, requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and voter ID requirements, could fail to meet reconciliation’s stringent budget requirements. The Trump-backed election bill has stalled in the Senate due to widespread Democratic opposition, though the upper chamber is continuing to debate the measure. Johnson, who has long pushed for a second budget bill, said Wednesday he was encouraged by Graham moving forward with reconciliation. “I’m glad to know the Senate is interested in reconciliation 2.0,” the speaker said. “I have been a broken record. We need to do that. It’s an important legislative tool.”
California Dems unleashed pressure campaign against USC prior to debate cancellation
Top Democrats in the California state legislature pressured the University of Southern California (USC) to cancel its planned gubernatorial debate after its framework for who got to participate included five White candidates but disqualified four minorities who were not polling or fundraising as well. The “data-driven” candidate viability framework produced a lineup of Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton, as well as Democrats Tom Steyer, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter and Eric Swalwell, all White candidates. The same criteria, developed by a USC professor and defended by the university, ended up axing Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, Betty Yee and Tony Thurman, all Democratic Party minority candidates, due to lower polling and fundraising scores. After news of who made the candidate pool and who did not, the excluded candidates expressed outrage over what they claimed was a racist candidate viability system created by USC that targeted people based on their race. One candidate, former Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra, even likened it to when his father used to talk about “the days when he would encounter signs posted outside establishments that read ‘No Dogs, Negroes or Mexicans Allowed.’” GOP GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL HAILS LEGENDARY GOLFER FOR HEFTY CAMPAIGN DONATION: ‘INCREDIBLY HONORED’ Among those expressing outrage besides the candidates themselves were California state Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, Speaker of the California State Assembly Robert Rivas and a handful of other Democratic Party members within the state legislature who called the decision-making framework “biased” in a letter they signed that also included concerns about one of the selected candidate’s donor ties to the university. They also referred to candidate’s complaints, such as from Becerra, as “valid.” “If USC does not do the right thing, we call on California voters to boycott this debate. If the university will not give voters a fair shot at evaluating everyone running for governor, voters should find other ways to learn about the candidates,” the letter, which included letterhead with the logos of about a half dozen Democratic Party caucuses in California, states. “We are asking you, President Kim, to exercise the leadership this moment calls for: expand the debate stage, and trust California’s voters to make up their own minds.” In an announcement less than 24 hours ahead of the scheduled debate, USC said KABC, the Los Angeles television station broadcasting the debate, could not come to an agreement to allow more candidates and, as a result, decided to cancel the debate. GOP CANDIDATE CITES ‘FAILURE’ OF NEWSOM, DEMS AS NEW POLL SHOWS REPUBLICANS LEADING CROWDED CALIFORNIA FIELD “If you run anything in California, the legislature is very important to you and at the top of the letter, the top signatories to this letter, Robert Rivas, who is the Speaker of the Assembly, and Monique Limon, who’s the head of the Senate, the State Senate and the State Assembly. And that came very late on Monday. They sent this letter to USC. Then what happened? “As we understand it — they’ve been pretty open about it – they get this letter from the legislature, they think, ‘Oh, s—, we better do something. This is now a real threat. This isn’t just the candidates complaining. This is the legislature, which, you know, regulates and affects everything we do,’” Hilton, one of the GOP frontrunners in California’s gubernatorial race, said. “USC apparently went to ABC, the media partner who’s going to broadcast the debate, and said, ‘We want to expand it and put these people back in.’ And USC said, ‘No, I’m sorry. ABC said no.’ Then, that midnight, on Monday night, they put out that statement saying, ‘OK, then we’ll cancel it.’” Reporting from Cal Matters, a local California publication covering state politics, indicated that, directly and indirectly, Porter, Steyer and Swalwell have suggested Mahan, a tech entrepreneur and former mayor of San Jose, was invited to the now-canceled debate despite poor performance data. In the lawmakers’ letter requesting the event allow more candidates or be canceled, which was addressed to USC President Beong-Soo Kim, an unnamed candidate with “notable ties to USC’s donor community” was also alluded to as part of the complaints about the debate. When Rivas’ staff was asked for clarification on whom the letter was referring to, it eventually confirmed it was Mahan. A party-sponsored poll from Democratic State Chairman Rusty Hicks showed Mahan behind Becerra, but it had all other candidates that USC selected ahead of those who did not make it. Two Republicans, Hilton and Bianco, are still leading the field at 16% and 14%, respectively. Porter, Swalwell and Steyer are tied at 10%, and every other Democrat is still in the low single digits. Twenty-four percent of voters remain undecided. Neither Rivas nor Limon provided on-the-record comments to Fox News Digital for this story prior to publication.