Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum cornered Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) over a video he made with a number of other elected Democrats — most of whom had either served in the military or as part of the intelligence community — encouraging members of the military to refuse obedience to &#8220;unlawful orders.&#8221;
The implication, clearly, was that President Donald Trump either had already issued such an order or was likely to do so, and they collectively called on military service members to recognize that and stand down if and when that were to happen. On Wednesday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;The Story,&#8221; MacCallum pressed Crow  — an Army Ranger veteran who took part in making the video — asking several times what specific &#8220;unlawful order&#8221; had provided the basis for the video.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democrat Rep. Jason Crow is asked FOUR TIMES what &#8220;illegal orders&#8221; he and his Democrat colleagues are referring to in their video calling for an insurrection.
He can&#8217;t answer — because they are lying. <a href="https://t.co/vNQGGOegEQ">pic.twitter.com/vNQGGOegEQ</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1991264276191838608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;&#8230; what law are you talking about that&#8217;s being broken? And then you said he&#8217;s &#8216;implying&#8217; that he might do something that they wouldn&#8217;t want to uphold or follow through with in the future,&#8221; she began. &#8220;What are you talking about specifically?&#8221;
&#8220;I appreciate you asking,&#8221; Crow replied. &#8220;Number one, the protests at Lafayette Square in the first Trump administration where he said, &#8216;Can&#8217;t you just shoot them? Can&#8217;t you just shoot them in the legs or something?&#8217; That&#8217;s a direct quote. And of course —&#8221;
MacCallum, apparently baffled by Crow&#8217;s response, pointed out, &#8220;That was not a military order, that was a comment. That&#8217;s not a military order.&#8221;
Crow attempted to argue that it was a &#8220;request&#8221; and that because President Trump had been the one to make the &#8220;request,&#8221; it should be interpreted as a de facto order.
&#8220;I&#8217;m asking, specifically, right now, what you&#8217;re talking about,&#8221; MacCallum tried again.
&#8220;Number two,&#8221; Crow forged ahead undeterred. &#8220;Yeah, number two, he&#8217;s also threatened to send the military into Chicago and other cities to, quote, &#8216;go to war&#8217; with those cities. That is a very, very disturbing thing. Number three, he&#8217;s also alluded to sending troops to polling stations, which is actually a violation of U.S. law, U.S. criminal law prohibits troops from going to polling stations &#8230; he&#8217;s alluded to that.&#8221;
&#8220;You&#8217;re talking about allusions, you&#8217;re not talking about actual policy,&#8221; MacCallum pushed back, noting that he hadn&#8217;t mentioned a single thing that service members had actually &#8220;been asked to do.&#8221;
&#8220;What exactly are [you] talking about? Are [you] talking about not allowing gunboats to make it to the United States carrying drugs?&#8221; she asked, referencing the Trump administration&#8217;s efforts to target narco-terrorists before they arrived on American shores. &#8220;Is that what you&#8217;re talking about?&#8221;
&#8220;Martha, here&#8217;s a novel idea,&#8221; Crow said, his tone sarcastic. &#8220;How about we actually prevent things from happening before they become a problem.&#8221;
MacCallum, still talking about the drug boats, shot back, &#8220;I think that&#8217;s what they&#8217;re trying to do!&#8221;
Crow then attempted to claim that he was simply &#8220;preparing&#8221; service members for the potential problems that could be on the horizon, prompting MacCallum to try one last time: &#8220;What specific order from the Commander in Chief, that we are asking our military to carry out, are you objecting to?&#8221;
&#8220;Martha, Donald Trump has made a series of very disturbing comments &#8230;&#8221; Crow&#8217;s response was the same as it had been throughout.

Walker Hayes Visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum”

Martha MacCallum Schools Democrat Over Video Pushing Military Insurrection

Democrats

Fox News

insurrection

Martha MacCallum

Media

Military

Politics

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he&#8217;s open to green-lighting strikes inside of Mexico &#8220;to stop drugs&#8221; from crossing into the United States.
Trump spoke with reporters in the Oval Office about targeting &#8220;narco-terrorists&#8221; in the Caribbean Sea, and said he would be &#8220;okay&#8221; with using that same strategy to take out out drug runners on land — even if they&#8217;re inside of Mexico.
&#8220;Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? That&#8217;s okay with me,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Whatever we have to do to stop drugs. I looked at Mexico City over the weekend. There&#8217;s some big problems over there.&#8221;
Asked if he would seek Mexico&#8217;s permission before launching a strike on drug traffickers inside of the country, Trump said, &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t answer that question.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been speaking to Mexico. They know how I stand,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;We have lost hundreds of thousands of people to drugs, so now we&#8217;ve stopped the waterways. We know every route. We know the addresses of every drug lord. We know their address. We know their front door. We know everything about every one of them. They&#8217;re killing our people. That&#8217;s like a war.&#8221;
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;We have lost hundreds of thousands of people a year&#8230; and much of it comes through Mexico. So, let me just put it this way — I am NOT happy with Mexico.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/MzvJreOuEM">pic.twitter.com/MzvJreOuEM</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1990517686544273579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The president said he would be &#8220;proud&#8221; to conduct land strikes on drug cartels, adding that he would &#8220;probably&#8221; go to Congress before striking inside of a foreign country. Trump also discussed potentially hitting &#8220;cocaine factories&#8221; inside of Colombia.
The Trump administration has been criticized by Democrats and some Republicans for taking out suspected drug runners in international waters without congressional authorization. Trump has ordered 11 strikes in the Caribbean Sea in the past two months, killing over 80 suspected drug traffickers.
The Trump administration says that at least 85% of drug trafficking through waterways has been stopped following the &#8220;narco-terrorist&#8221; strikes, but most illegal drugs are <a href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/fentanyl-smuggling/">snuck</a> into the United States on land, coming in through ports of entry. Most fentanyl trafficked into the United States comes from Mexico or China and is driven across the U.S. southern border in passenger vehicles, <a href="https://www.gao.gov/blog/fentanyl-continues-be-leading-cause-overdose-deaths.-whats-being-done-combat-trafficking-united-states">according</a> to the Government Accountability Office.
Mexico has said that it would not approve of U.S. military operations on its soil.
“We reject any form of intervention or interference. That’s been very clear, Mexico coordinates and collaborates, but does not subordinate itself,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-04-08/mexico-warns-against-potential-u-s-drone-strikes-on-cartels">said</a> in April.
NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-administration-planning-new-mission-mexico-cartels-current-forme-rcna241167">reported</a> earlier this month that the Trump administration is considering <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-may-send-u-s-troops-to-mexico-to-target-cartels">deploying troops</a> to Mexico to target drug cartels with drones. Six Mexican cartels were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the State Department just weeks after Trump was sworn in for his second term.

Donald Trump

‘Whatever We Have To Do’: Trump Says He’s ‘OK’ With Striking Inside Mexico ‘To Stop Drugs’

Drug Cartels

Drugs

Global Politics

Mexico

World

The Coast Guard said Thursday that it encountered a Russian military vessel just outside of American territorial waters near Hawaii last month. 
The incident took place on October 29, after the Coast Guard detected a Russian vessel 15 miles off the coast of Oahu. Territorial waters extend 12 miles out from the shore, meaning that the Russian ship was within three miles of U.S. territorial waters. 
In response to the ship, the Coast Guard said that it conducted “a safe and professional overflight and transiting” near the Russian vessel involving an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Barbers Point and the William Hart, a Coast Guard cutter. 
“The U.S. Coast Guard routinely monitors maritime activity around the Hawaiian Islands and throughout the Pacific to ensure the safety and security of U.S. waters,” said Captain Matthew Chong, the chief of response for the Coast Guard Oceania District. “Working in concert with partners and allies, our crews monitor and respond to foreign military vessel activity near our territorial waters to protect our maritime borders and defend our sovereign interests.”
The Russian vessel was an intelligence ship <a href="https://odin.tradoc.army.mil/WEG/Asset/Vishnya_Class_%28Project_864_Class%29_Russian_Intelligence_Collection_Ship">built</a> in 1986 for the Soviet Union and was equipped with close-in weapon systems and surface-to-air missile launchers.
The Coast Guard said that it was “monitoring the Russian vessel’s activities near U.S. territorial waters to provide maritime security for U.S. vessels operating in the area and to support U.S. homeland defense efforts.”
Tensions have been elevated between Russia and the United States in recent weeks after President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sounds-alarm-china-and-russia-conducting-secret-nuke-tests">directed</a> the military to conduct new nuclear weapon tests. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that upcoming U.S. testing would involve systems checks, not nuclear detonations. 
Trump said last week that the reason for the move was because of secret tests by Russia and China, suggesting that they may be conducting tests underground. 
“Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it. You know, we’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it. We have to talk about it, because otherwise you people are going to report,” Trump said. “We’re going to test, because they test and others test.”
Russia has denied Trump&#8217;s allegations and <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/nuclear-warning-russia-us-vladimir-putin-marco-rubio-11041023">said</a> that it would “respond in kind” if the U.S. moved forward with nuclear testing.

MixCollage-14-Nov-2025-09-07-AM-8503

Coast Guard Spots Russian Spy Ship Just Miles From American Waters

Coast Guard

Hawaii

Nuclear Weapons

Russia

Just over one month after his landmark meeting with the military&#8217;s top brass, War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered an explanation for his crusade against the &#8220;beardos&#8221; who did not adhere to the military&#8217;s personal grooming standards.
Hegseth, who mentioned the &#8220;beardos&#8221; in his speech to the gathered military leaders in late September, said on Wednesday that he was referencing the rapidly growing number of men at the Pentagon who had claimed affiliation with the Nordic Pagan or Old Norse religion in an apparent attempt to skirt the military&#8217;s shaving regulations.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> goes NUCLEAR on &#8216;beardos&#8217;: “Do you know how many troops claim to be Nordic pagan?” <a href="https://t.co/AYUKc6zJbr">https://t.co/AYUKc6zJbr</a> <a href="https://t.co/eQnss2q0Sn">pic.twitter.com/eQnss2q0Sn</a>
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1988659385862848925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I also said we don&#8217;t need to be a military of beardos anymore,&#8221; Hegseth said. &#8220;Do you know how many troops claim to be Nordic Pagan?&#8221;
Over laughter from around the room, he continued, &#8220;No, suddenly it&#8217;s become this real religious, fake religious affiliation inside the Pentagon where troops claim to be Nordic Pagan so they can grow a beard — and no one challenges them on it because no one has upheld standards for a long time. So now a quarter of the platoon is sporting beards because they&#8217;re now suddenly Nordic Pagans. We&#8217;re not doing that stuff anymore.&#8221;
&#8220;There will be some people that say, well, Pete, why would a secretary care about beards and PT standards?&#8221; he added. &#8220;When you let the small things go inside your formations, you create a climate of a lack of discipline, where standards cannot be enforced. If you can&#8217;t enforce them on the small things, it gets far more difficult to enforce them on even more meaningful things &#8230; the entire command structure is flipped upside down.&#8221;
While many men who practice the Nordic Pagan religion do grow beards in order to honor specific gods or simply to express masculinity and status, they are not required to.
Military men are expected to keep their faces clean-shaven both for the uniform appearance and because the issued protective masks — designed to protect service members in the event of a gas attack — may not seal properly if the wearer&#8217;s face is not smooth.

President Trump Holds Cabinet Meeting At The White House

Pete Hegseth Explains How The Pentagon Came To Be Filled With ‘Beardos’

Pete Hegseth Explains How The Pentagon Came To Be Filled With 'Beardos'

Pentagon

Pete Hegseth

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump commemorated Veterans Day with remarks honoring the United States military’s “legacy of gallantry and daring,” expressing gratitude to American veterans for their service to the nation.
&#8220;On Veterans Day, we honor those who have worn the uniform, who have borne the battle, who have stood to watch and whose ranks have formed the mighty wall of flesh and blood, bravery and devotion that has defended our freedom for 250 years,&#8221; Trump said as he spoke at Arlington National Cemetery.
&#8220;Today, to every veteran, we love our veterans, we say the words too often left unsaid: Thank you for your service. Thank you very much,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;And we want to also say thank you for carrying America&#8217;s fate on your strong, very broad, proud shoulders. Each of you has earned the respect and the gratitude of our entire nation. We love you. We salute you. And we will never forget what you have done to keep America safe, sovereign, and free.&#8221;
Trump reflected on the stories of American valor, filled with &#8220;tales of titans, icons, innovators, and trailblazers who built this country into the greatest, most ambitious, and most prosperous nation the world has ever seen.&#8221; He noted that his administration has taken the United States to &#8220;new levels,&#8221; and said, as he often jokes of late, &#8220;We have never been hotter than we are right now.&#8221;
But the United States of America, Trump said, would be nothing &#8220;without our veterans.&#8221;
&#8220;Everything we have, everything our country has achieved has been purchased by the muscle, spine, and steel of the United States military,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We owe it all to the fierce and noble men and women of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, and the United States Marines.&#8221;
Trump shared the story of Major Sullivan Ballou of Rhode Island, who wrote to his wife Sarah before the Battle of Bull Run, &#8220;I know how great a debt we owe to those who went before us,&#8221; and, &#8220;I&#8217;m willing, perfectly willing, darling, to lay down all my joys of this life to help maintain this government and to pay that debt.&#8221;
&#8220;Just one week later, Major Ballou did just that,&#8221; Trump reflected. &#8220;He gave his life to save our country.&#8221;
The president told another story of an American hero from World War II, Colonel Bull Wolverton, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The president shared how Wolverton knelt with his men, the night before D-Day, and prayed, &#8220;We ask only this, that we die, we must die, and we as men would die without complaining, without pleading, and safe in the feeling that we have done our best for what we believed was right. We must do what is right.&#8221;
&#8220;Colonel Wolverton died for us so bravely in battle,&#8221; Trump shared of the war hero, who was killed the next day after his parachute became stuck in a tree and he <a href="https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=30909">was gunned down</a> by German soldiers.
He also honored Army Captain William Swenson, who was previously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Swenson was driving through the Afghan mountains in September 2009 when more than 60 Taliban insurgents ambushed his convoy, the president said. As Swenson and his comrades fought for hours without artillery or air support, one of his fellow soldiers was shot in the chest, prompting Swenson to cross an open field to help his friend.
&#8220;People said, &#8216;Don&#8217;t do it, Captain. Don&#8217;t do it,'&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;He did it. When the terrorists closed in around them and demanded their surrender, Captain Swenson threw a grenade at the enemy and rallied his men to break their advance. He then carried the wounded soldiers hundreds of yards to a rescue helicopter before charging back three times, back and forth, back and forth into the fire to save the wounded and bring them home. Even after seven hours of fighting, he refused to leave any man behind.&#8221;
The president thanked Swenson, who was present at the memorial, for his service.
Then he shared the story of retired Brigadier General Dale Stovall, also present at Tuesday&#8217;s memorial, who was assigned to rescue a downed American airman &#8220;deep in hostile territory&#8221; during the Vietnam War.
&#8220;Despite the extreme peril, Captain Stovall took off in his HH-53C helicopter and soon came under intense fire, forcing him to turn back. But the captain refused to abandon his mission,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;The next day, he willingly plunged back into the danger while taking fire from all directions. He didn&#8217;t have a chance, he felt, but he said, &#8216;I got to do it.&#8217; He rescued the downed American pilot who had been stranded on the ground for 23 days and brought him back home alive, completing the deepest rescue behind enemy lines in the entire Vietnam War.&#8221;
Stovall received the Air Force Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross as well as two Silver Stars, making him the fourth most combat-decorated Air Force Academy grad of all time, the president said, and he told the American war hero: &#8220;You are a legend. Thank you, General Stovall. Thank you very much.&#8221;
&#8220;You look good, General,&#8221; the president added. &#8220;I wish I looked that good. You look good.&#8221;
The president reflected on the &#8220;legacy of gallantry and daring&#8221; that American veterans have shown, &#8220;without parallel in human history.&#8221;
&#8220;Generation after generation,&#8221; the president said, &#8220;America&#8217;s warriors have left behind the comforts of home and family to face violence, evil, and death so that our families could know joy, goodness, and peace. We honor them so strongly. Our heroes have lived through unthinkable nightmares so we could live the American dream.&#8221;
&#8220;They have volunteered to give their last breath to all of us so that we could breathe free,&#8221; the president added. &#8220;And today we know without any doubt in our hearts that after two and a half centuries, America stands tall because America&#8217;s veterans stood so strong. And soon our country will be stronger than ever before.&#8221;
He also brought up his resolution to declare Veterans Day as &#8220;World War I Victory Day,&#8221; reminding those gathered of how he saw France celebrating its own Victory Day. Many other countries celebrate &#8220;Victory Day,&#8221; the president said, and now the United States will as well.
&#8220;America&#8217;s warriors never quit, never surrender,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They fight, fight, fight, and they win, win. That&#8217;s what we do. We win battles. As you know, today is not only Veterans Day, but it&#8217;s my proclamation that we are now going to be saying and calling Victory Day for World War I, Victory Day.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re the one that won the wars,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And I said, &#8216;From now on, we&#8217;re going to say victory day for World War I and World War II.&#8217; And we could do for plenty of other wars, but we&#8217;ll start with those two. Maybe someday somebody else will add a couple of more because we won a lot of good ones.&#8221;
He also brought up that his administration is dedicated to restoring the pride and winning spirit of the United States military, saying that this is why he has renamed the Department of Defense to the Department of War and reversed efforts to make the military politically correct.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t like being politically correct,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So we&#8217;re not going to be politically correct anymore. From now on, when we fight a war, we only fight for one reason: to win. We fight to win.&#8221;
Trump also promised that his administration is fighting for the veterans who have &#8220;always been there for us,&#8221; saying that in nine months, his administration has &#8220;cut the backlog of VA benefit claims in half,&#8221; and vowing that VA Secretary Doug Collins is &#8220;going to get it down to zero.&#8221; He stressed that President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration did little to help veterans, but that his White House is focused on working with those who respect and love them.
&#8220;Today, the flame of liberty shines bright,&#8221; the president concluded. &#8220;The people of our nation sleep safe. The American dream surges forward. And our magnificent destiny stands more splendid and glorious than ever before.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-VETERANS-TRUMP

Trump Honors Veterans At Arlington With Tales Of Valor, Courage, And Patriotism

Executive

United States

Veterans Day

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the United States military took out four more narco-trafficking boats through kinetic strikes in the Eastern Pacific, leaving 14 suspected drug traffickers dead. 
Hegseth said that the strikes took place in international waters on Monday and were authorized by President Donald Trump. The boats were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTOs), Hegseth said. 
“The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth wrote on X. “A total of 14 narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor. All strikes were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.
The four vessels were known by our intelligence… <a href="https://t.co/UhoFlZ3jPG">pic.twitter.com/UhoFlZ3jPG</a>
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/1983164355999883548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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There were eight male “narco-terrorists” on board the first boat, four on the second, and three on the third, according to Hegseth. He added that Mexican search-and-rescue authorities had assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue of the survivor from the third boat. It was not specified which DTOs were targeted. 
“The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, we’re defending our own,” Hegseth said. “These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them.”
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At Trump’s direction, the military has taken out dozens of suspected drug-runners throughout the Caribbean Sea and expanded strikes into the Pacific. Two survivors of previous strikes were repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador, where American authorities recommended they face prosecution for drug trafficking. 
On Friday, Hegseth <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-deploys-largest-aircraft-carrier-to-south-america-as-trump-hints-at-land-strikes-against-cartels?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=U.S.+Deploys+Largest+Aircraft+Carrier+To+South+America+As+Trump+Hints+At+Land+Strikes+Against+Cartels">dispatched</a> the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group toward South America to aid in efforts to fight drug trafficking in the region. 
“The enhanced U.S. force presence … will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. “These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs [Transnational Criminal Organizations].”
Some lawmakers in Washington, D.C., have expressed concern about Trump’s strikes on suspected drug runners, arguing that Congress must grant approval before the administration uses the military to target suspected narco-terrorists in international waters. Trump has said that he doesn’t need a declaration of war to target those he says are bringing drugs into the country.

Screenshot 2025-10-28 at 10.04.48 AM

U.S. Takes Out 14 ‘Narco-Terrorists’ In Pacific Drug Boat Strikes

drug trafficking

U.S. Military

A U.S. Navy fighter jet and helicopter crashed in the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other on Sunday in two separate incidents that President Donald Trump called &#8220;very unusual.&#8221;
The five crew members aboard both aircraft were rescued and are in &#8220;safe and stable condition,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/USPacificFleet/status/1982583083519140329">according</a> to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Both Navy aircraft were conducting routine flights from the USS Nimitz when the crashes occurred, while President Trump was in the region.
The first aircraft that went down was a U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, which crashed at approximately 2:45 p.m. local time. The helicopter was assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 and had three crew members on board. After the MH-60R Sea Hawk went down, search and rescue teams were deployed from Carrier Strike Group 11, and all three crew members were rescued.
Just 30 minutes later, at around 3:15 p.m. local time, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet crashed during &#8220;routine operations.&#8221; The two crew members ejected before the crash and were also rescued by Carrier Strike Group 11 search-and-rescue personnel. The F/A-18F Super Hornet was assigned to the &#8220;Fighting Redcocks&#8221; of Strike Fighter Squadron 22.
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On Sunday, Trump was in Malaysia, where he attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit before he departed for Japan, where he is scheduled to meet with the country&#8217;s newly elected prime minister. Trump was asked about the crashes while speaking to reporters on Air Force One en route to Japan, and said they were &#8220;very unusual.&#8221;
“They think it might be bad fuel,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/two-u-s-navy-aircraft-from-same-carrier-crash-into-south-china-sea-efc10fad">added</a>, according to The Wall Street Journal. &#8220;We’re gonna find out. Nothing to hide, sir.&#8221;
The U.S. Pacific Fleet said on Sunday evening that it is investigating the back-to-back crashes.
The USS Nimitz was on its way back to port in Washington after being deployed to the Middle East over the summer. After the crashes, China said it would &#8220;provide necessary assistance in a humanitarian spirit if requested by the U.S. side,&#8221; but the communist nation&#8217;s Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun also criticized the United States for conducting military operations in the region.
&#8220;I need to stress that the U.S. aircraft crashed while conducting military drills in the South China Sea. The U.S. has been flexing muscles by frequently sending military vessels and aircraft to the South China Sea,&#8221; Guo added. &#8220;This is the root cause of security issues at sea and disruption to regional peace and stability.&#8221;
Trump is expected to meet with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, as the United States threatens to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese goods. Trump <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-china-trade-deal-asia-tour-continues-japan-sanae-takaichi/">said</a> that he is hopeful that the United States will reach a trade deal with China in the coming days.
&#8220;I have a lot of respect for President Xi. I think we&#8217;re going to come away with a deal,&#8221; Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

USS Nimitz

‘Very Unusual’: Two U.S. Navy Aircraft Crash During ‘Routine’ Flights Over South China Sea

China

U.S. Navy

The U.S. Department of War has confirmed that it has accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million to help keep U.S. troops paid during the government shutdown.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a close friend of his, whom he described as &#8220;patriotic,&#8221; gave the money to keep our military paid during what he&#8217;s called the &#8220;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/821950420784553">Schumer Shutdown</a>,&#8221; referencing Senate Democrat Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
The anonymous donor is <a href="https://ca.news.yahoo.com/mystery-donor-gave-trump-130m-165111194.html">reportedly</a> Timothy Mellon, a billionaire railroad magnate and heir to the prominent banking and political Mellon family. Mellon has not confirmed the donation came from him.
During the 2024 campaign, Mellon donated $100 million to groups backing Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who now serves as Health and Human Services secretary in the Trump administration.
The government has been shut down since October 1, after Democrats refused a funding resolution without certain health care subsidies. Republicans have charged that Democrats want illegal immigrants to receive health care paid for by the American people.
“He called us the other day and said, &#8216;I&#8217;d like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown … because I love the military and I love the country,'&#8221; Trump said.
The Department of War has since confirmed the donation. &#8220;On October 23, 2025, the Department of War accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million under its general gift acceptance authority,&#8221; Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. &#8220;The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members&#8217; salaries and benefits. We are grateful for this donor&#8217;s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.&#8221;
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Trump made clear last week that he would find a way to pay troops despite the ongoing shutdown. He signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to repurpose unused funds to cover salaries in the interim.
“Chuck Schumer recently said, ‘Every day gets better’ during their Radical Left Shutdown. I DISAGREE!” Trump posted to Truth Social last week, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/get-our-troops-paid-trump-says-he-wont-let-military-suffer-due-to-dem-shutdown">highlighted</a> by The Daily Wire.
“If nothing is done, because of ‘Leader’ Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th,” he continued. “That is why I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th.”
“I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown,&#8221; the president added.
The funds donated by the anonymous individual might need to first receive authorization by Congress, Fox News notes.
<div aria-live="polite">Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/get-our-troops-paid-trump-says-he-wont-let-military-suffer-due-to-dem-shutdown">‘Get Our Troops Paid’: Trump Says He Won’t Let Military Suffer Due To Dem Shutdown</a></div>

We Now Know Mystery Donor Who Gave $130 Million To Pay Troops During ‘Schumer Shutdown’

Chuck Schumer

Government Shutdown

The Pentagon has come out against a new Netflix series aimed at promoting LGBT themes. “Boots,” based on a memoir titled &#8220;The Pink Marine,&#8221; is <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81427990">about</a> a gay “bullied teen” who “impulsively” joins the U.S. Marine Corps and “finds new purpose — and unexpected brotherhood — with his motley team of fellow recruits.”
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson released a statement on the series, saying a person’s sexuality is not relevant in this administration’s effort to strengthen our military.
&#8220;Under President Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, the U.S. military is getting back to restoring the warrior ethos. Our standards across the board are elite, uniform, and sex neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being doesn&#8217;t care if you&#8217;re a man, a woman, gay, or straight,&#8221; a statement given to Entertainment Weekly <a href="https://ew.com/pentagon-slams-netflix-gay-military-drama-boots-11831105">said</a>.
Kingsley confirmed that officials &#8220;will not compromise our standards to satisfy an ideological agenda, unlike Netflix whose leadership consistently produces and feeds woke garbage to their audience and children.&#8221;
Hegseth made waves during a September speech to his top military leaders after sharing new directives for the War Department, including the news that every military branch will ensure that requirements for combat positions return to “the highest male standard.”
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“This job is life or death,” he said at the time, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-are-done-with-that-sht-trump-hegseth-demand-excellence-from-military-brass?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98We+Are+Done+With+That+Sh*t%E2%80%99%3A+Trump%2C+Hegseth+Demand+Excellence+From+Military+Brass">reported</a>. “Standards must be met … it’s common sense and core to who we are and what we do.”
Hegseth also noted that the military would no longer focus on ideology-driven initiatives left over from the Biden years, noting that their department is “done with that s***” and there will be no more “identity months, DEI offices, [and] dudes in dresses.”
“Boots,” which stars Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga, premiered October 9 and has been ranking in Netflix’s top 10 viewed charts ever since. The series is critical of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” military policy from the 90s that required recruits to keep their sexual identity secret.

Miles Hezier

‘Woke Garbage’: Pentagon Blasts New Netflix Series About Gay Marine

Entertainment

LGBT

Marines

Netflix

Social Issues

Television

U.S.

Multiple people reportedly survived a U.S. strike on Thursday that targeted a boat carrying suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean.
An American official <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-military-drone-strike-caribbean-leaves-survivors-official-confirms">told</a> Fox News that there were two to three survivors after the U.S. carried out a strike targeting a “big” drug boat that was partially submerged under water. A search and rescue helicopter was sent out to the site of the strike in international waters, according to Fox News. Reuters first <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-carries-out-new-strike-caribbean-there-are-survivors-us-official-says-2025-10-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> news of the survivors.
No other details on the strike were immediately available.
The Trump administration has ordered at least five strikes targeting suspected drug traffickers, but the others have left no known survivors. At least 27 suspected drug traffickers have been killed in the previous strikes, according to U.S. officials. 
Thursday’s attack was the second this week, following another strike <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-the-united-states-took-out-another-narcoterrorist-boat?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=13&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Says+The+United+States+Took+Out+Another+‘Narcoterrorist’+Boat">announced</a> by President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
“Under my Standing Authorities as Commander-in-Chief, this morning, the Secretary of War, ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility — just off the Coast of Venezuela,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;The strike was conducted in International Waters, and six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. No U.S. Forces were harmed. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!”
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Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth <a href="https://x.com/SecWar/status/1976746496830959965">announced</a> that he had established a new counter-narcotics task force that was directed to “crush the cartels, stop the poison, and keep America safe.” 
“The message is clear: if you traffic drugs toward our shores, we will stop you cold,” Hegseth warned. 
The strikes have been opposed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who claims the Trump administration is targeting civilians. Trump has authorized the CIA to conduct lethal operations in Venezuela, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/us-strikes-cartel-boat-are-survivors-rcna238104">claiming</a> that President Nicolás Maduro has “emptied” his prisons into the United States and that “a lot of drugs are coming” from Venezuela.
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-congress-u-s-in-armed-conflict-with-terrorist-drug-cartels">has told</a> Congress that the United States is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels that he has designated as terrorist organizations. That came after the State Department classified violent gangs like Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations.

MixCollage-17-Oct-2025-07-16-AM-6039

U.S. Strike Targeting Suspected Drug Traffickers Leaves Survivors: Report

Department of War

Venezuela

President Donald Trump pivots from the Middle East to peace in Ukraine, Trump intervenes to protect military paychecks amid the Democrat shutdown, and drug cartels declare “open season” on federal agents.
It’s Thursday, October 16, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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If you would rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">After Middle East Peace, Trump Turns Toward Russia</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-986667" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trump-Eyes-Ukraine-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trump-Eyes-Ukraine-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trump-Eyes-Ukraine-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trump-Eyes-Ukraine-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trump-Eyes-Ukraine-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trump-Eyes-Ukraine.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: After securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Trump has shifted his focus to the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will make his third trip to the White House on Friday since Trump began his second term. The two are expected to discuss supplying Ukraine with more powerful weapons, such as Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as additional air defenses to counter Russian bombardments.
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The United States has reportedly started to share intelligence on Russian energy infrastructure with Ukraine, increasing Ukraine’s ability to strike deep inside Russian territory.
Trump pushes Putin: The U.S. president has made clear in recent months that he sees Russian President Vladimir Putin as the main obstacle to peace in the Ukraine war. The president is reportedly considering additional sanctions on Russia to increase pressure on Putin to negotiate.
“I’m very disappointed because Vladimir and I had a good relationship,” <a href="https://youtu.be/hfwxTnKt6iA?t=2418">said</a> Trump on Tuesday. “He just doesn’t want to end that war.”
View from Moscow: Moscow has said that even if Tomahawks were provided to Ukraine, that would not “change the dynamic” of the war. A Kremlin spokesman later added that the missiles would be an “extreme concern.” Putin said that he would increase Russia’s air defense, but he did not mention escalation on his end.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Shuffles Funds In Dem Shutdown To Pay Military</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-986669" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Funding-The-Frontlines-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Funding-The-Frontlines-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Funding-The-Frontlines-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Funding-The-Frontlines-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Funding-The-Frontlines-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Funding-The-Frontlines.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Two weeks into a Democrat shutdown, and now federal employees are starting to feel the effects. On Wednesday, military personnel were set to miss their first paychecks, but President Trump ordered War Secretary Pete Hegseth to find a way to keep the troops paid.
Morning Wire spoke with Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), chairman of the Republican Study Committee. (The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.)
Morning Wire: Now we&#8217;ve crossed one of the first thresholds for missed pay of this shutdown. There were fears that the military would miss a paycheck this week, but then Trump intervened. How did that go down? 
Pfluger: As a veteran and as somebody who served for over 20 years, this is personal to me because I saw it firsthand during previous shutdowns, where you had especially the junior enlisted personnel, those with families and young kids, some of them on food stamps. This puts them in a terrible position, and commanders, instead of focusing on the mission and the threat, readiness and lethality now have to focus on how are their men and women in uniform going to put food on the table? Thankfully, Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth came up with a plan to pay the troops and that is happening mid-month. But it doesn&#8217;t last forever, so if Democrats keep up their shenanigans and keep up the shameful approach that they&#8217;re using and showing why they don&#8217;t really like the military, then I&#8217;m not sure that they&#8217;re going to get a paycheck on the next pay period.
Morning Wire: To be clear – they managed to pay everyone this time, but this isn&#8217;t something that can continue for weeks. 
Pfluger: Yeah, they&#8217;re pulling money out of other areas. I mean, the money that they&#8217;re using to pay the troops was probably intended to go to operations or readiness or things like that. It was not the bucket that Congress appropriated for military pay, personnel pay, so this isn&#8217;t going to last forever.
Morning Wire: Is there any way that Congress could ensure going forward that this doesn&#8217;t happen again, particularly with the military? Can we put in place emergency measures for how government shutdowns affect military members?
Pfluger: I sure hope so. I think there&#8217;s an appetite for that. And I&#8217;d go a step further. I would include Border Patrol. I would include law enforcement, federal law enforcement, all the agencies that are charged with keeping us safe, national security level agencies. I&#8217;d go a step further on that. But let me just say this. Where are my Democrat colleagues on the other side of the aisle who served in uniform? Where are they right now? Why are they not standing up and taking the stand and saying enough is enough? … I&#8217;d like to see a country where we come back together and we unite and do the right thing. I thought that was going to happen after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and, obviously, it hasn’t.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">DHS Says Cartels Threaten Federal Immigration Agents</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-986671" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Cartels-Target-ICE-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Cartels-Target-ICE-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Cartels-Target-ICE-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Cartels-Target-ICE-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Cartels-Target-ICE-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Cartels-Target-ICE.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Federal immigration agents carrying out President Trump&#8217;s immigration enforcement efforts in Chicago are facing mounting threats stemming from drug cartels in Mexico, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 
Intelligence on threats is coming into federal immigration agencies daily, an agent on the ground in Chicago told The Daily Wire. Mexican drug cartels are recruiting and operating within the city of Chicago to go after ICE and Border Patrol agents. 
DHS says cartels are offering up to $50,000 in bounties for the heads of federal officers. On top of that, they are recruiting leftist, anti-ICE agitators who have already been out in the streets, and they’re asking them to help.
According to DHS, cartels are placing armed spotters on top of rooftops in areas where ICE agents are making arrests, and the spotters mark the coordinates of ICE officers and Border Patrol agents and relay their whereabouts.
The threats: The latest allegedly involved a Latin Kings gang member. A leader of that gang was nabbed by the federal authorities in Chicago. He is accused of placing a bounty on the head of Operation Midway Blitz, Chief Gregory Bovino.
On Tuesday, Border Patrol agents were rammed by an illegal alien driver who also had an illegal alien passenger in his car. That brought an anti-ICE riot mob to one of the quiet neighborhoods in Chicago.
The riot forced federal authorities to deploy tear gas. Federal officials were targeted with rocks and other objects.
&nbsp;

MRN_251016_V1

Morning Brief: Trump’s Peace Plan Pivot, Troops Paid In Dem Shutdown, & Cartel Targets ICE Agents

Border Patrol

Cartels

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Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Morning Wire

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Vladimir Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky

The plane carrying United States War Secretary Pete Hegseth diverted to the United Kingdom on Wednesday, making an emergency landing, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed.
Hegseth was returning to the United States from a meeting in Brussels, Belgium, with other NATO defense ministers when the plane made the “unscheduled landing.” Parnell shared the news in a post on X, making it clear that the situation was related to an equipment failure rather than anything more complicated, and said everyone on board was safe.
“On the way back to the United States from NATO’s Defense Ministers meeting, Secretary of War Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom due to a crack in the aircraft windshield. The plane landed based on standard procedures and everyone onboard, including Secretary Hegseth, is safe,” he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On the way back to the United States from NATO’s Defense Ministers meeting, Secretary of War Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom due to a crack in the aircraft windshield. The plane landed based on standard procedures and everyone onboard, including…
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanParnellASW/status/1978523799349035408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“All good. Thank God. Continue mission!” Hegseth posted shortly afterward.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
All good. Thank God. Continue mission! <a href="https://t.co/kCMmfOvHLX">https://t.co/kCMmfOvHLX</a>
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1978527712764363087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Early reports on the situation came from freelance journalist Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) and offered additional details.
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“The aircraft carrying Secretary Hegseth left Belgium and later declared an emergency (#7700) turning around over the Atlantic, heading back to the UK,” Leyden posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The aircraft carrying Secretary Hegseth left Belgium and later declared an emergency (#7700) turning around over the Atlantic, heading back to the UK. <a href="https://t.co/yd6AezOkRj">https://t.co/yd6AezOkRj</a> <a href="https://t.co/E3jZpdNkoF">pic.twitter.com/E3jZpdNkoF</a>
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) <a href="https://twitter.com/PenguinSix/status/1978515666987561259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Leyden followed that with a report stating that Hegseth’s plane — and one other that had also diverted — landed a short time later at RAF Mildenhall, a Royal Air Force station near Suffolk, England.
“Secretary Hegseth’s SAM 153 aircraft has landed at RAF Mildenhall. A C-17 backup aircraft that accompanied him to Belgium also diverted to Mildenhall and will likely pick him up and bring him back to the USA,” he posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Secretary Hegseth&#8217;s SAM 153 aircraft has landed at RAF Mildenhall. A C-17 backup aircraft that accompanied him to Belgium also diverted to Mildenhall and will likely pick him up and bring him back to the USA. <a href="https://t.co/jHha4OBKPh">pic.twitter.com/jHha4OBKPh</a>
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) <a href="https://twitter.com/PenguinSix/status/1978523906752352631?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Plane Carrying War Secretary Pete Hegseth Makes Emergency Landing In U.K.

Plane Carrying U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth Diverts To U.K. For Emergency Landing

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United Kingdom

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