The Pentagon agreed to purchase $400 million of preferred stock in MP Materials, which operates the only rare earth minerals mine in the United States, the company announced on Thursday.
The mine, located in Mountain Pass, California — 60 miles southwest of Las Vegas — extracts rare earth minerals that are vital for the U.S. military, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/10/pentagon-to-become-largest-shareholder-in-rare-earth-magnet-maker-mp-materials.html">reported</a>. The Defense Department&#8217;s move is part of the Trump administration&#8217;s plan to break its dependence on China for rare earths, a goal that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL1kagSsIk8">discussed</a> in April.
“This initiative marks a decisive action by the Trump administration to accelerate American supply chain independence,” <a href="https://investors.mpmaterials.com/investor-news/news-details/2025/MP-Materials-Announces-Transformational-Public-Private-Partnership-with-the-Department-of-Defense-to-Accelerate-U-S--Rare-Earth-Magnet-Independence/default.aspx">said</a> James Litinsky, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of MP Materials. “We are proud to enter into this transformational public-private partnership and are deeply grateful to President Trump, our partners at the Pentagon, and our employees, customers and stakeholders for their unwavering support and dedication.”
Rare earths are used to produce magnets that are incorporated into critical U.S. military weapons systems, including those for drones, submarines, and the F-35 fighter jet, CNBC reported. Shortly after taking office, Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-takes-immediate-action-to-increase-american-mineral-production/">signed</a> an executive order to ramp up American rare earth mining, bemoaning the fact that 70% of the United States&#8217; imports of rare earths come from China. Trump stated that he wants to make the United States “the leading producer and processor of non-fuel minerals, including rare earth minerals.”
China currently produces around 60% of the world&#8217;s rare earths and refines nearly 90%, <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/what-chinas-ban-rare-earths-processing-technology-exports-means">according</a> to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Rare earth minerals are also used to manufacture electronics, including smartphones and laptops, as well as electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies. After Trump levied tariffs on China, the communist country halted shipments of rare earth minerals to the United States. The administration <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-says-deal-related-trade-was-signed-with-china-wednesday-2025-06-26/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> late last month that it had reached an agreement with China to restart rare earth imports.
MP Materials&#8217; agreement with the Pentagon will result in the construction of the company&#8217;s &#8220;second domestic magnet manufacturing facility (the &#8217;10X Facility&#8217;) at a soon-to-be-chosen location to serve both defense and commercial customers.&#8221; The &#8220;10X Facility&#8221; is expected to be completed in 2028, which will boost MP Materials&#8217; manufacturing capacity to 10,000 metric tons, according to the company. The Pentagon&#8217;s agreement with MP Materials is for 10 years and establishes &#8220;a price floor commitment&#8221; to ensure that the company is protected from &#8220;non-market forces.&#8221;
Shares of MP Materials <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=mp+materials+stock&amp;rlz=1C5GCCM_en&amp;oq=mp+materials+stock&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgAEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyDQgAEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyDQgBEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyBwgCEAAYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBwgFEAAYgAQyBwgGEAAYgAQyBwgHEAAYgAQyBwgIEAAYgAQyBwgJEAAYgATSAQgyOTIxajBqN6gCALACAA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">jumped</a> nearly 50% on Thursday, hitting $44 as of Thursday morning. The company&#8217;s all-time high was $56.54, reached on April 1, 2022.
News of the agreement comes shortly after Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-cotton-introduces-bill-to-break-chinas-monopoly-on-rare-earth-minerals-for-u-s-defense">introduced</a> a bill to expedite the extraction of rare earth elements in the United States, aiming to better protect America&#8217;s national security.
“Current environmental laws put our readiness to counter Communist China at risk and waste taxpayer dollars on projects that stall out and die on the vine,” Cotton <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-republican-moves-give-u-s-edge-china-harvesting-minerals-weapons-systems">told</a> Fox News Digital. “This bill will create jobs, better arm and prepare our soldiers, and spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently.”

Department of Defense

Defense Department Becomes Largest Shareholder Of Company That Owns America’s Lone Rare Earth Mine

Business

China

Donald Trump

Military

Pentagon

rare earth minerals

The legacy media have stonewalled letting President Trump have the win he deserves for his strike on the Iranian nuclear facilities. What President Trump did in Iran is one of the most historic wins of my lifetime.
Just to recap, Israel launched an overwhelming aerial assault on the Iranian facilities, nuclear and missile-based. They were going after ballistic missile development factories in Iran — their ballistic missile stockpiles, their missile launchers — as well as their nuclear facilities.
For nearly two weeks, Israel hammered the Iranians. But there was one facility in particular, Fordo, which was some 250-300 meters underground. And Israel did not have the ordnance capable of penetrating that facility. So President Trump authorized a B-2 strike using 30,000 pound bombs on Fordow, and in his words, “obliterated” the site.
The media won&#8217;t let that be the case, that President Trump used force to end the Iranian nuclear program and then declared the war over — and it was over.
It was, in fact, a historic win, and a win that we haven&#8217;t seen in American foreign policy in my lifetime: One strike on the Iranian nuclear facilities, a complete reshuffling of the deck in the Middle East with Israel as a regional powerhouse and Iran a supplicant, and no continuous war between Israel and Iran, no hot war continuing.
With no American casualties, by the way.
An amazing accomplishment.
But the media just won&#8217;t let President Trump have it. They won&#8217;t. They keep claiming over and over and over that, actually, maybe Fordo wasn&#8217;t destroyed. In fact, Fordo is fine. Maybe the Israeli-American effort was completely for naught, they claim.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2227-member-exclusive?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=The+Ben+Shapiro+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
They have no basis upon which to say this, other than the word of Ayatollah Khamenei, who has been tweeting that everything is hunky dory from his bunker, presumably in Tehran, <a href="https://x.com/khamenei_ir/status/1938180907887698222">claiming</a> with astonishing chutzpah: 
<blockquote>With all that commotion and all those claims, the Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic.</blockquote>
You have to be high on drugs to believe this. He was literally hiding in a bunker for the entirety of the war. His regime was so weak that the Israeli Air Force was flying continuous sorties unhindered over Iranian airspace, with zero casualties on the IAF side, zero, for two weeks.
And yet <a href="https://x.com/khamenei_ir/status/1938184845873844536">he says</a> that, in reality, the “Zionist regime,” Israel, was practically knocked out and crushed:
<blockquote>My congratulations on our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing.</blockquote>
The Baghdad Bob aspect in the Middle East is always absurd to Westerners. Ayatollah Khomeini trying to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, at least in terms of public perception, does not mean that he was not, in fact, hammered or that the nuclear program is intact.
But Khamenei <a href="https://x.com/khamenei_ir/status/1938185956793761808">tweeted out:</a>
<blockquote>The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face. It attacked and inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key US bases in the region.</blockquote>
Nope. Actually, he called and he whined and begged the Qataris and the Americans to allow him to send a few missiles at the base, none of which actually hit.
Why am I telling you what Khamenei is saying? Because you&#8217;re hearing it echoed by the media. The New York Times and CNN reported that there was a Defense Intelligence Agency estimate that Fordo had not been knocked out, not been obliterated, not even been severely damaged.
It turned out that that was a low-confidence assessment by one of 18 intelligence agencies under the DIA. It didn’t matter. The media ran with it anyway. This became the top story in the media.
<h3><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/">JULY 4 SALE: Get Six Months Of DW+ Free</a></h3>
How do we know that it&#8217;s stupid? According to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/world/middleeast/centrifuges-fordo-damage-iran.html">UN nuclear watchdog</a> head, the director general of the IAEA, there was “no escaping significant physical damage after the U.S. strike on the Iranian facility.” Barak Ravid of Axios, a front man for Left-wing and isolationist agitprop coming out from various leak-driven parts of various administrations, <a href="https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/1938229914244682140">tweeted</a>, “I told Jake Tapper that a senior Israeli intelligence official told me that other than the word ‘obliterated’ the reality regarding the results of the attack on Iran is much closer to where Trump says it is than to where the initial DIA report said it was.”
All of this came to a head yesterday when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did a press conference. He crushed the fake news that&#8217;s been targeting President Trump, declaring:
<blockquote>Because you cheer against Trump so hard — it&#8217;s like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad — you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes. You have to hope maybe they weren&#8217;t effective. Maybe the way the Trump administration represented them isn&#8217;t true. So let&#8217;s take half-truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it. Spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the public mind over whether or not our brave pilots were successful.
This was an historically successful attack. We should celebrate it as Americans, and it gives us a chance to have peace, a chance to have a deal and an opportunity to prevent a nuclear Iran, which is something President Trump talked about for 20 years.</blockquote>
He was correct.
Hegseth wasn’t done. He called on Jennifer Griffin of Fox News, who&#8217;d been one of the people who reported this particular DIA assessment.
<blockquote>Griffin: Do you have certainty that all the highly enriched uranium was inside the Fordo mountain, or some of it, because there were satellite photos that showed more than a dozen trucks there two days in advance. Are you certain none of that highly enriched uranium was moved?</blockquote>
<blockquote>Hegseth: Of course, we&#8217;re watching every single aspect. But, Jennifer, you&#8217;ve been about the worst, the one who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says.
Griffin: I was reporting about the ventilation shafts on Saturday night. And in fact, I was the first to describe the B-2 bombers, the refueling, the entire mission with great accuracy. So I take issue with that.
Hegseth: I appreciate you acknowledging that this was the most successful mission, based on operational security, that this department has done since you&#8217;ve been here. I appreciate that. So, we&#8217;re looking at all aspects of intelligence and making sure we have a sense of what was what.</blockquote>
Hegseth got feisty with the media, and a lot of it was deserved. Some of the questions he was asked were absolutely ridiculous. He was asked by a reporter about the fact that he had suggested that it was “brave boys” who flew the plane when one of the people in the plane was a woman, and here was his response:
<blockquote>So when I say something like our boys and bombers, see, this is the kind of thing the press does, right? Of course. The chairman mentioned a female bomber pilot. That&#8217;s fantastic. She&#8217;s fantastic. She&#8217;s a hero. I want more female bomber pilots. I hope the men and women of our country sign up to do such brave and audacious things.
But when you spin it as, because I say “our boys,” — and bombers is a common phrase — I&#8217;ll keep saying things like that, whether they&#8217;re men or women. Very proud of that female pilot. Just like I&#8217;m very proud of those male pilots. And I don&#8217;t care if it&#8217;s a male or a female in that cockpit, and the American people don&#8217;t care. But it&#8217;s the obsession with race and gender in this department that&#8217;s changed priorities. And we don&#8217;t do that anymore. We don&#8217;t play your little games.</blockquote>
You could see how deeply, deeply annoyed Hegseth was along with the entire administration, having to explain that when you drop 12 bunker-busters on an Iranian nuclear site and destroy their nuclear facilities — or at the very least render them completely inoperable — and then the media lie about it and seek any speck of information to discredit that — it is deeply annoying.
And it should be deeply annoying. The media refuse to give President Trump the win he deeply deserves.
Simply put, they are trash.

Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth Holds Pentagon Press Conference On Iran Strikes

Hegseth Wrecks Trump-Hating Media

Ben Shapiro

Iran

Iran Airstrike

Legacy Media

Middle East

Opinion

Pete Hegseth

President Trump

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine in a Thursday press conference with Defense Secratary Pete Hegseth provided a detailed description of the American strikes and released video showing how bunker-buster bombs crippled Iran&#8217;s nuclear facilities.
Caine revealed that the United States military had developed the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, better known as bunker buster bombs, more than 15 years ago, specifically with Iran’s nuclear program in mind.
He showed several military graphics and videos showcasing exactly how the bombers were to inflict extensive damage at Iran&#8217;s Fordo nuclear site.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Gen. Dan &#8220;Razin&#8221; Caine demonstrates how GBU-57 MOPs work: &#8220;Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won&#8217;t see an impact crater because they&#8217;re designed to deeply bury and then function &#8230; All six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/iQs3oWcJ4X">pic.twitter.com/iQs3oWcJ4X</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1938215092128231753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“All six weapons at each vent at Fordo went exactly where they were intended to go. A bomb has three effects that causes damage: blast, fragmentation, and overpressure,” Caine said. “In this case, the primary kill mechanism in the mission space was a mix of overpressure and blast ripping through the open tunnels and destroying critical hardware.“
Thursday&#8217;s press conference comes after the Trump administration accused CNN, The New York Times, and other legacy media outlets of attempting to torpedo the success of the strikes, quoting a leaked preliminary assessment that said the attack only set Iran’s nuclear program back by months.
“The majority of the damage we assessed based on our extensive modeling was a blast layer combined with the impulse extending from the shock. Imagine what this looks like six times over,” Caine added.
The media asked Gen. Caine if he was pressured to provide a rosy assessment of the destruction at Fordo, to which he pushed back, “No, I have not, and no, I would not.”
The U.S. strike on Fordo primarily focused on two ventilation shafts as the “primary point of entry into the mission space,” Caine said.
“In the days preceding the attack against Fordo, the Iranians attempted to cover the shafts with concrete to try to prevent an attack,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I won’t share the specific dimensions of the concrete cap, but you should know that we know what the dimensions of those concrete caps were. The planners had to account for this. They accounted for everything.”
“The cap was forcibly removed by the first weapon, and the main shaft was uncovered. Weapons two, three, four, five were tasked to enter the main shaft, move down into the complex at greater than 1,000 feet per second, and explode in the mission space. Weapon number six was designed as a flex weapon to allow us to cover if one of the preceding jets or one of the preceding weapons did not work. There were six on each side.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/thejointstaff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thejointstaff</a> Chairman General Dan Caine describes the devastating weaponry dropped on Fordow in last Saturday&#8217;s strikes: <a href="https://t.co/Ol9SE9rmvN">pic.twitter.com/Ol9SE9rmvN</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1938214162812879293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Pete Hegseth – Dan Caine holds a joint press conference in DC

WATCH: Gen. ‘Razin’ Caine Unveils Footage Demonstrating Fordo Collapse After Devastating Iran Strike

Fordo

News

Nuclear

Trump Administration

U.S.

Seven B-2 bombers that took off from an air base in Missouri early Saturday morning returned home just before noon on Sunday after conducting a bombing run over Iranian nuclear facilities.
The B-2 pilots touched back down at Whiteman Air Force Base after a roughly 36-hour flight to Iran and back. The mission, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, involved decoys and multiple in-flight refuelings for the strike team to get to Iran and back, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine explained at a Sunday press conference.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NEW VIDEO: B-2 bombers land back at Whiteman Air Force Base today in Knob Noster, Missouri, after about a 36-hour flight to strike targets in Iran. 
Seven B-2s took off from Whiteman just after 12 a.m. on Saturday. The first bombers back landed just before 12 p.m. Sunday. <a href="https://t.co/g7IbwWD6NH">pic.twitter.com/g7IbwWD6NH</a>
&mdash; Matt Evans (@MattEvansKMBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattEvansKMBC/status/1936858341910733208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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As the bombers crossed the Atlantic and resumed flight over land, a team of fighters joined to cover the bombers on their entry into Iranian airspace.
“As the Operation Midnight Hammer strike package entered Iranian airspace, the U.S. employed several deception tactics, including decoys, as the 4th and 5th generation aircraft pushed out in front of the strike package at high altitude and high speed, sweeping in front of the package for enemy fighters and surface to air missile threats,” said Caine.
The bomber team appears to have entered Iranian airspace and reached their targets without alerting Iran’s military.
“As the strike package approached Fordo and Natanz, the US protection package employed high-speed suppression weapons to ensure safe passage of the strike package with fighter assets employing preemptive suppressing fires against any potential Iranian surface to air threats,” Caine continued. “We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the US strike package on the way in.”
The bomber struck targets at Fordo and Natanz beginning around 6:40 p.m. ET. Tomahawk missiles fired from a United States submarines hit Isfahan moments later. The entire attack took place within a 25-minute window between 6:40 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. ET.
“Following weapons release, the midnight hammer strike package exited Iranian airspace, and the package began its return home. We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out. Iran&#8217;s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran&#8217;s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us. Throughout the mission, we retained the element of surprise,” Caine said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Chairman Caine just laid out the PERFECT execution of Operation MIDNIGHT HAMMER. <a href="https://t.co/11NpibQhbi">pic.twitter.com/11NpibQhbi</a>
&mdash; DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1936768363306307763?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/warriors-read-hegseths-full-statement-to-america-regarding-strike-on-irans-nuclear-facilities?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=11&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=%E2%80%98Warriors%E2%80%99%3A+Read+Hegseth%E2%80%99s+Full+Statement+To+America+Regarding+Strike+On+Iran%E2%80%99s+Nuclear+Facilities">praised</a> the strike team and others involved in the operation after its success.
“I want to recognize pilots who flew those bombers; who flew those fighters; who flew those refuelers: Warriors. I want to recognize the sailors, on those destroyers, in those subs. on those carriers: Warriors. All of them. I want to recognize our soldiers doing air defense, base defense, QRF: Warriors. All of them,” Hegseth said in a statement after the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. “Every American involved in this operation performed flawlessly.”

B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber

B-2 Bombers Arrive Back In Missouri After Hammering Iranian Nuclear Sites

Missouri

United States

Colonel Nathan McCormack, who was tasked with helping advise the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Israel-related matters, has been removed from his position after his anti-Israel social media posts were brought to light.
McCormack, who was the Levant and Egypt branch chief at the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s J5 planning directorate, according to his LinkedIn, posted several controversial tweets on his X account. He called Israel a “death cult” and referred to the Israeli government as “Netanyahu and his Judeo-supremacist cronies,” among other things, <a href="https://www.jns.org/chief-israel-planner-at-pentagon-bashes-jewish-state-publicly-extensively/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jewish News Syndicate </a><a href="https://www.jns.org/chief-israel-planner-at-pentagon-bashes-jewish-state-publicly-extensively/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
A Joint Staff official told The Daily Wire that the Department of Defense said McCormack was removed from his position with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and that the matter is being handed over to the U.S. Army for further action.
The official added that McCormack’s posts do not reflect the position of the Joint Staff or the Department of Defense.
“Our global alliances and partnerships are vital to our national security, enhancing our collective defense, deterrence, and operational reach,” the official said.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-has-been-clear-for-14-years-that-iran-cannot-have-a-nuclear-weapon?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Has+Been+Clear+For+14+Years+That+Iran+Cannot+Have+A+Nuclear+Weapon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRUMP HAS BEEN CLEAR FOR 14 YEARS THAT IRAN CANNOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON</a>
McCormack’s semi-anonymous account has been deleted following JNS’s report.
The J5 directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff advises the chairman of the Joint Chiefs on military strategy, planning, and policy across a wide range of national security issues. McCormack’s role tasked him with preparing senior leadership to speak with partner nations —including Israel.
McCormack made the posts on an X account where he calls himself “Nate,” but has posted several times about his job and even <a href="https://archive.ph/ox92m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared a photo</a> of his Meritorious Service Medal certificate.
Since assuming his position — which his LinkedIn says he began in June 2024 — McCormack has posted numerous times about his views on the Jewish state, especially after Hamas’s October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-israel-strikes-iran?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=LIVE+UPDATES%3A+Trump+Calls+For+Iran+To+Surrender%2C+Says+The+Ayatollah+Is+An+%E2%80%98Easy+Target%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LIVE UPDATES: Trump Calls For Iran To Surrender, Says The Ayatollah Is An ‘Easy Target’</a>
“The Western states go to great lengths to avoid criticism of Israel, much out of Holocaust guilt,” McCormack <a href="https://archive.ph/2025.06.17-203853/https://x.com/mick_or_mack/status/1909570169850016150" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted in April</a>.
In May, <a href="https://archive.ph/2025.06.17-203737/https://x.com/mick_or_mack/status/1926700593134915740" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he posted</a> that “Netanyahu and his Judeo-supremacist cronies are determined to prolong the conflict for their own goals: either to remain in power or to annex the land.”
In April 2024, <a href="https://archive.ph/2025.06.17-203813/https://x.com/mick_or_mack/status/1777077484426543148" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McCormack questioned</a> if the United States was a proxy of Israel.
“I’ve lately been considering whether we might be Israel’s proxy and not realized it yet,” he posted. “Our worst ‘ally.’ We get literally nothing out of the ‘partnership’ other than the enmity of millions of people in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.”
According to JNS, in response to a post about Gazans potentially seeking refuge outside the Gaza Strip, McCormack claimed that Israel aims “to expel them and cleanse ‘Eretz Israel’ of ethnic Palestinians.”
Before starting his role with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but while still serving as a U.S. Army officer, McCormack shared his views following Hamas’s October 7 massacre of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-had-to-act-netanyahu-reveals-why-he-struck-iran-in-first-interview-since-rising-lion-launch?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘We+Had+to+Act’%3A+Netanyahu+Reveals+Why+He+Struck+Iran+In+First+Interview+Since+‘Rising+Lion’+Launch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israeli</a> civilians.
“I agree that Israel has an absolute right to respond militarily, and that civilians may legally be caught in the crossfire, but you are ignoring the requirement of proportionality,” McCormack <a href="https://archive.ph/2025.06.17-203744/https://x.com/mick_or_mack/status/1712058063039967375" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a>. “Israel’s responses always (always—not hyperbole) disproportionately target Palestinian civilians.”
McCormack has also disclosed details about his official duties on the account, <a href="https://archive.ph/2025.06.17-204215/https://x.com/mick_or_mack/status/1822968484378075143" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claiming in</a> August 2024 that “we” warned Israel it would be “fuxked” if it escalated into an offensive against Lebanon. Despite the warning, Israel launched an invasion two months later and decimated the terrorist group Hezbollah. He also shared information about his conversations and briefings with Israeli Defense Forces officers.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irans-supreme-leader-responds-to-israels-attack?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Iran%E2%80%99s+Supreme+Leader+Responds+To+Israel%E2%80%99s+Attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER RESPONDS TO ISRAEL’S ATTACK</a>
McCormack’s account also shared information about his movements and work trips <a href="https://archive.ph/2025.06.17-203856/https://x.com/mick_or_mack/status/1933610456154857488" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being canceled</a>, according to JNS.
On Monday, McCormack reportedly claimed the Department of Defense endorses the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty numbers.
“Along with the World Health Organization and United Nations, we (Department of Defense, Department of State and the U.S. Intelligence Community) consider the Gaza Health Ministry figures to be generally reliable (though not precise),” he wrote, “but probably less so now than they were originally due to the general destruction and chaos in Gaza.”
The Department of Defense has strict social media guidelines, including telling service members to “avoid use of Department of Defense titles, insignia, uniforms or symbols in a way that could imply DoD sanction or endorsement of content on your personal page.”

Col. Nathan McCormack c

Pentagon Official Removed From Joint Chiefs Of Staff For Anti-Israel Posts

Global Politics

Israel

Joint Chiefs of Staff

U.S. Army

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth celebrated the 250th birthday of the United States Army on Saturday, telling his former colleagues at &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends: Weekend&#8221; that without the creation of a cohesive fighting force in 1775, the events that followed in 1776 would not have been possible.
Hegseth raised the point in defense of President Donald Trump&#8217;s plan to host a parade in Washington, D.C., celebrating Flag Day and the Army&#8217;s 250th birthday.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> “There is no 1776 without 1775.” 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 <a href="https://t.co/i4aqTjdvYF">pic.twitter.com/i4aqTjdvYF</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1933885942831489044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It&#8217;s because of strong men and women who stand up and are willing to fight for it,&#8221; Hegseth began. &#8220;There is no 1776 without 1775, and that&#8217;s why the president is right to celebrate it today. The haters can hate, let &#8217;em. We don&#8217;t care. This is celebrating 25o years of freedom and strength.&#8221;
&#8220;Do you know why I joined the military in large part?&#8221; Hegseth asked then. &#8220;Because of a parade that went down Main Street of Wanamingo, Minnesota — in southern Minnesota — that, as a young kid, my parents used to take me to and I would see the dozen vets walking down the street. And I&#8217;d look up and say, &#8216;Man, look at what they did. Maybe someday I could do that.'&#8221;
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&#8220;You know, imagine the effect of the American people seeing the hardware and the men and women, and the parades of who we are and how we defend freedom — we believe that will motivate. We believe that supports recruitment. That supports morale. That supports the general sense and the feeling that President Trump talks about all the time that America&#8217;s back! And we&#8217;re here to stay. And our allies know that and our enemies are on notice.&#8221;
The U.S. Army also posted a video celebrating the milestone, saying that the service branch&#8217;s mission — even 250 years later — was still the same, and could be boiled down to just three words: &#8220;This we&#8217;ll defend.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
After 250 years, it still comes down to three words.
THIS. WE&#8217;LL. DEFEND. 
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Army250?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Army250</a> <a href="https://t.co/4V3faxVa96">pic.twitter.com/4V3faxVa96</a>
— U.S. Army (@USArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/USArmy/status/1933856987604734186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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President Trump Holds “Make America Wealthy Again Event” In White House Rose Garden

Pete Hegseth Celebrates The U.S. Army’s 250th Birthday: ‘There Is No 1776 Without 1775’

Pete Hegseth Celebrates The U.S. Army's 250th Birthday: 'There Is No 1776 Without 1775'

1776

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) immediately regretted his decision to demand an example from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of a medical research project that he believed the Defense Department was justified in terminating.
Hegseth appeared on Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Durbin used some of his time in an attempt to attack Hegseth by claiming that, under his leadership, the Defense Department was cutting funding to vital medical research efforts.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
SEN. DURBIN: &#8220;Give me an example of a &#8216;boondoggle&#8217; in medical research &amp; defense health.&#8221;
SEC. HEGSETH: &#8220;We&#8217;re talking about some stuff I shouldn&#8217;t say in public. You know, marbles in the rear ends of cats, tens of millions of dollars.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/0qOkozf9p7">pic.twitter.com/0qOkozf9p7</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1932867157135696174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Durbin began by touting his own actions, saying that during his tenure on that committee they had &#8220;dramatically increased the medical research to protect the men and women in uniform &#8230; It is enough for me that they risk their lives for our country. We shouldn&#8217;t make it a more dangerous situation, and we ought to understand what&#8217;s going on in their minds and their bodies when they serve.&#8221;
He then turned to Hegseth, complaining that millions of dollars in research projects had been canceled since he became Defense Secretary: &#8220;Your budget cuts two thirds — two thirds of that amount for defense health research. How can that be consistent with our mutual goal of making the military life a safer life for our men and women in uniform?&#8221;
&#8220;Senator, I would take issue with your characterization that all two-thirds of that — whatever was reduced — is focussed on the issues that you just spoke about,&#8221; Hegseth replied, saying that if the funding had been used for research that improved service members&#8217; lives, he would support it.
&#8220;My team knows that&#8217;s exactly the type of research that we would fund,&#8221; Hegseth continued. &#8220;But we did find lots of other research inside the Defense Department to the tens of millions and in some cases hundreds of millions of dollars that was a boondoggle for the American people.&#8221;
&#8220;Give me an example of a &#8216;boondoggle&#8217; in medical research and defense health,&#8221; Durbin interrupted.
&#8220;We&#8217;re talking about — some stuff I shouldn&#8217;t say in public. You know, marbles in the rear ends of cats, tens of millions of dollars. Things that don&#8217;t have —&#8221; Hegseth obliged.
Durbin, clearly wishing he could withdraw the question, attempted to deflect: &#8220;Is this like the 300 — 300 — is this like the 350-year-old Social Security check that the president told us about?&#8221;
&#8220;Senator, I respect completely the issue that you&#8217;re speaking with &#8230; the Defense Department has been a place where organizations, entities, and companies know they can get money almost unchecked whether or not it actually applies to things that happen on the battlefield. That&#8217;s what we worked very hard to find in ways that other secretaries have not. This committee and others talk about waste, fraud, and abuse all the time. We have actually gone after waste, fraud, and abuse. Because every dollar that was spent is another dollar we can pour into the war-fighters.&#8221;
Durbin tried one last time, saying that cutting two-thirds of the spending — would not &#8220;Make America Great Again&#8221; for the families of service members: &#8220;I don&#8217;t think so.&#8221; He did not address Hegseth&#8217;s point regarding the fact that much of the spending had been found to be &#8220;waste, fraud, and abuse&#8221; — and instead, he changed the subject to complain about the military parade scheduled for Flag Day.

Senator Dick Durbin

Top Democrat Demands Example Of Research The Defense Department Should Axe, Regrets It Immediately

Dick Durbin

Politics

research

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth left no doubt in anyone&#8217;s mind that he was serious about rooting out Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the military and returning to traditional priorities. &#8220;DEI is dead,&#8221; he declared from Capitol Hill during a Tuesday hearing.
Hegseth laid out the priorities of the Defense Department under his leadership and that of President Donald Trump, saying first that &#8220;restoring the Warrior Ethos&#8221; was at the top of the list. The Warrior Ethos, as described in the Soldier&#8217;s Creed, is as follows: &#8220;I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.&#8221;
&#8220;President Trump has charged me with focusing on war-fighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness,&#8221; Hegseth explained, adding that there was no room for DEI in a DoD with those priorities. &#8220;That&#8217;s exactly what we&#8217;re doing.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> &#8220;We are focused on what is important. WARFIGHTING and WARRIORS&#8230;
DEI IS DEAD. We replaced it with a colorblind gender-neutral merit-based approach.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/TgIeCdN94W">pic.twitter.com/TgIeCdN94W</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1932440827134984453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We are focused on what is important. War-fighting and warriors. We&#8217;re sweeping away distractions and bloated bureaucracy. We&#8217;ve set standards that are high, equal, and unwavering. DEI is dead. We replaced it with a colorblind, gender-neutral, merit-based approach.&#8221;
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Hegseth went on to say that the response to those changes had been positive — and, in fact, had led to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/less-woke-more-lethal-military-hits-major-milestones-under-trump-and-hegseth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">record recruitment numbers</a> in recent weeks.
Later on in the hearing, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) ribbed Hegseth about the changes, asking whether any troops had complained about not being able to include their preferred pronouns in military correspondence.
&#8220;Is that not a priority for the folks that are now signing up for our military?&#8221; he asked.
Hegseth laughed: &#8220;Well, sir, if they wanted to get a woke indoctrination, they could just go to college. Instead, they are joining the military, where we are focused on basics. We know men are men and women are women. Standards will be high, and we&#8217;re getting rid of the distractions, the ideologies, the politicization that was in our ranks so that soldiers, men and women can do their jobs on behalf of the nation.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Q: Is it not a priority for the folks of our military to use pronouns. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> &#8220;If they want to get a woke indoctrination they can just go to college. Instead, they are joining the military where we are focused on basics.
We know MEN ARE MEN and WOMEN ARE WOMEN. STANDARDS WILL… <a href="https://t.co/G0uvpdqTrB">pic.twitter.com/G0uvpdqTrB</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1932455613616853131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth Meets With El Salvador Minister Of National Defense Rene Merino Monroy At The Pentagon

‘DEI Is Dead’: Pete Hegseth Says In Trump’s Defense Department, ‘Men Are Men And Women Are Women’

'DEI Is Dead': Pete Hegseth Says In Trump's Defense Department, 'Men Are Men And Women Are Women'

Congress

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sharply criticized Minnesota Democratic Governor and failed vice president candidate Tim Walz for his handling of the 2020 Minneapolis riots while defending the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sends-another-2000-national-guard-troops-to-l-a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deployment</a> of National Guardsmen and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles to protect against violent anti-ICE protests.
In a hearing on Capitol Hill, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) noted how both she and Hegseth are from Minnesota and claimed President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles was “premature and escalatory,&#8221; insisting the situation in 2020 was &#8220;more volatile&#8221; when Walz called in the National Guard. Hegseth fired back after the congresswoman got to asking how the deployment in L.A. affected the defense budget and duties.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🔥 WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> calmly dismantles Minnesota Rep. <a href="https://twitter.com/BettyMcCollum04?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BettyMcCollum04</a> when she tries to grill him on the cost of deploying National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles:
&#8220;I recall 2020 quite well when <a href="https://twitter.com/GovTimWalz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovTimWalz</a> abandoned a police precinct and allowed it to be burned to the ground&#8230;… <a href="https://t.co/tltKWcgBEQ">pic.twitter.com/tltKWcgBEQ</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1932444502565744888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;You are right, we are both originally from Minnesota. Which is why I recall 2020 quite well, when Governor Walz abandoned a police precinct and allowed it to be burned to the ground — and also allowed five days of chaos to occur inside the streets of Minneapolis,&#8221; Hegseth said.
Hegseth took a swipe at California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-sues-trump-over-national-guard-deployment-says-president-manufactured-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> Trump, Hegseth, and the Department of Defense <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/06/09/governor-newsom-suing-president-trump-and-department-of-defense-for-illegal-takeover-of-calguard-unit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over</a> the National Guard deployment in Los Angeles because he did not request it.
&#8220;The police precinct, ma&#8217;am, was abandoned and burned to the ground. And because of that, the National Guard was eventually — far too late — mobilized. And President Trump recognizes a situation like that improperly handled by a governor — like it was by Governor Walz — if it gets out of control, is a bad situation for the citizens of any location,&#8221; Hegseth said.
He added, &#8220;So in Los Angeles, we believe that ICE, which is a federal law enforcement agency, has the right to safely conduct operations in any state and any jurisdiction in the country, especially after 21 million illegals have crossed into our country in the previous administration. ICE ought to be able to do its job whether it&#8217;s Minneapolis or Los Angeles.&#8221;
McCollum tried stopping Hegseth, complaining that she had limited time and wanted to keep the focus on the budget — even though she had been the one to bring up the priority of the troop deployment to Los Angeles and Walz&#8217;s response to the Minneapolis riots.
&#8220;You asked about the situation in Los Angeles, and we believe ICE agents should be allowed to be safe in doing their operations,&#8221; Hegseth said. &#8220;And we have deployed National Guard and the Marines to protect them in the execution of their duties, because we ought [to] be able to enforce immigration law in this country, unlike Governor Walz did in 2020.&#8221;

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Hegseth Blasts Tim Walz For Mobilizing National Guard ‘Far Too Late’ During Minneapolis Riot Failure

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Los Angeles

Minneapolis

Minnesota

Protests

Riots

Tim Walz

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced late Saturday night that in addition to the National Guardsmen — who were being deployed to restore order in Los Angeles — he was placing active duty U.S. Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton on high alert.
Hegseth&#8217;s announcement, made via a post on X, came just hours after it was reported that President Donald Trump was deploying a number of National Guard troops as protesters clashed violently with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents across the Los Angeles area.
&#8220;The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil; a dangerous invasion facilitated by criminal cartels (aka Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK. Under President Trump, violence &amp; destruction against federal agents &amp; federal facilities will NOT be tolerated. It’s COMMON SENSE,&#8221; Hegseth said.
&#8220;The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil; a dangerous invasion facilitated by criminal cartels (aka Foreign Terrorist Organizations) and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK.
Under President…
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1931533276985823392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Under normal circumstances, the Posse Comitatus Act prevents the federal government from deploying the military for law enforcement purposes within the United States&#8217; borders, but the Insurrection Act of 1807 — actually a combination of several statutes enacted between 1792 and 1871 — stands as the one major exception to that. Trump could potentially rely on the Insurrection Act when defending his decision to send troops in to quell the unrest in Los Angeles.
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Under the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9qwez9zz7jo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insurrection Act</a>, the federal government can mobilize the military domestically in order to enforce the law or quell rebellion under certain circumstances. It implements Congress&#8217; Constitutional authority to &#8220;provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Donald Trump can and should immediately use the Insurrection Act in Los Angeles. There is historic precedent to do so. <a href="https://t.co/69qy0fwC90">pic.twitter.com/69qy0fwC90</a>
— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarmineSabia/status/1931452202217803787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The law can be implemented if and when a U.S. president determines that &#8220;unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion&#8221; have arisen such that it becomes &#8220;impracticable to enforce&#8221; U.S. laws and maintain order &#8220;by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings.&#8221;

President-Elect Trump’s Cabinet Nominees Meet With Lawmakers On Capitol Hill

Pete Hegseth Puts Nearby U.S. Marines On High Alert As Los Angeles Burns

Marines

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he expects his &#8220;Golden Dome&#8221; missile defense project to be completed by the end of his term.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump announced that his administration had developed a draft architecture of what the Golden Dome would look like. He said that the project, which is expected to cost around $175 billion, would protect America from hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles.
&#8220;Once fully constructed, the golden dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world, and even if they are launched from space, and we will have the best system ever built,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We will truly be completing the job that President Reagan started 40 years ago forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland.&#8221;
Trump said the missile defense project &#8220;should be fully operational by the end of my term,&#8221; adding that the &#8220;one, big, beautiful bill&#8221; making its way through Congress would include the first $25 billion for the project. He first rolled out the plan in January, issuing an executive order for the Department of Defense to develop a next-generation missile defense program.
&#8220;This is very important for the success and even survival of our country, it&#8217;s an evil world out there, so this is something that goes a long way towards the survival of this great country,&#8221; he said, flanked by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Space Force General Michael Guetlein.
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Trump said Canada had already reached out to see if it could participate in the defense program, saying it would pay &#8220;their fair share&#8221; if it joined the project.
Guetlein, who was chosen to lead the initiative, said it was much needed in the face of overseas adversaries improving their missile technology.
&#8220;As you are aware, our adversaries have become very capable and very intent on holding the homeland at risk,&#8221; he said. &#8220;While we have been focused on keeping the peace overseas, our adversaries have been quickly modernizing their nuclear forces, building out ballistic missiles capable of hosting multiple warheads, building out hypersonic missiles capable of attacking the United States within an hour and traveling at 6,000 miles an hour.&#8221;
In a statement, Hegseth noted that the Golden Dome would involve space-based interceptors and sensors and that the system would be constructed in phases, prioritizing areas most vulnerable to threats. He added that the system was being designed with input from North American Aerospace Defense Command, United States Northern Command, and United States Space Command.

President Trump Makes Announcement With Defense Secretary Hegseth In The Oval Office

Trump Reveals New Details About ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Defense System To Protect U.S.

Air and Space

ballistic missiles

Executive

Ronald Reagan

United States Space Force

A high-ranking Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official confirmed that the hotline between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and the Pentagon became inoperable during the Biden administration in March 2022.
On January 29, American Airlines Flight 5342, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers and four crew members on board, collided in midair near the airport with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that had three people on board. Multiple American figure skaters and coaches returning from a training camp were on the flight. There were no survivors.
An internal preliminary report from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/federal-aviation-administration-faa">FAA</a> said that staffing at the tower was &#8220;not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/29/us/plane-crash-washington-dc">according to The New York Times</a>. The newspaper said the controller who was dealing with helicopters around the airport was also instructing airplanes that were landing and departing, tasks which are typically assigned to multiple people.
On Wednesday, Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/5/faa-reauthorization-one-year-later-aviation-safety-air-traffic-and-next-generation-technology_2">questioned</a> Franklin McIntosh, the FAA Deputy COO of air traffic control, about proper procedures.
“On April 25 for the first time since the January 28 mid-air collision, the army resumed flying in the national capital region,” Cruz noted. “Less than a week later, air traffic control had to command two commercial aircraft on final approach to abort their landing at DCA due to an Army Blackhawk on an apparent training mission at the Pentagon, having wandered far too close to the commercial aircraft flightpath.”
“Shortly thereafter, and just 10 days after having resumed limited flight in the national capital region, the army aviation brigade, suspended operations in the DC area,” he continued. “I’ve been told that prior to the army aviation brigade’s decision to suspend operations on May 5, the FAA was preparing to suspend the letter of agreement between the army and the FAA that gives the army the ability to operate the DC air space without having to first ask for FAA clearance for each flight. Was the FAA prepared to suspend the letter of agreement, and if so, what was concerning enough to justify such a decision?”
“We were extremely troubled by the incident that occurred, especially in light of DCA and the events that led up to the accident,” McIntosh admitted. “We were ready to deploy any option available that we could use or that we felt was necessary to bring safety measures and better behaviors from the DOD in this instance. &#8230; We were ready to do any option available to include what you just spoke to, which was removing the ability to fly.”
“Just to be clear, does that mean the FAA did actually draft an order suspending the army’s ability to fly in the DC area?” Cruz asked.
“I’m not 100% aware if we drafted an order, but we did have a discussion if that was an option that we wanted to pursue,” McIntosh replied. “I do know that the DOD came back and suspended operations on their own based on that event so we’re still working with DOD to improve that process.”
“Is it true that the hotline, the direct line between the Pentagon air traffic control and the DCA tower, has been inoperable since March 2022?” Cruz asked. When McIntosh confirmed that the hotline indeed had been inoperable, Cruz continued, ‘Who maintains that hotline?”
“I believe the DOD maintains that hotline but I think the next question would be why were we not aware of it and insist upon it being fixed? “ McIntosh replied. “We take safety responsibilities extremely seriously in the FAA and those were the questions we were asking and we were not aware, but we became aware after that event and now that we became aware of that event we are were insisting upon that line to be fixed before we resume any operations out of the Pentagon.
“While army flights were ongoing, if the hotline was not operational, how did controllers communicate?” Cruz wanted to know.
“We still have landline abilities; we can make phone calls from the helipad to the operation where the supervisor or the controller in charge can answer so we’re aware of the activity and if there was a departure clearance needed, we’d be able to relay it via that mechanism,” McIntosh answered.
“Is it also true that the air traffic control positions for local traffic and helicopters were combined early just as they were on the day of the mid-air collision?” Cruz pressed.
“Yes sir, it was,” McIntosh confirmed.
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this article.

US-AVIATION-ACCIDENT

Hotline Between Reagan National Airport, DOD Became Inoperable During Biden Admin

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Reagan national Airport

Ted Cruz

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