Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single felony count of illegally retaining sensitive national security information, dramatically narrowing a case that originally included 18 criminal charges.
According to multiple reports, Bolton is expected to formally enter the guilty plea during a June 26 hearing in federal court in Maryland. As part of the agreement, he has also agreed to pay a fine of approximately $2.25 million.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the agreement when contacted by The Daily Wire, referring inquiries to the court docket.
The plea deal significantly reduces Bolton&#8217;s legal exposure. Federal prosecutors originally <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/former-trump-adviser-john-bolton-plead-guilty-retaining-national-secur-rcna348479">charged</a> the former Trump administration official in October 2025 with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and ten counts of unlawfully retaining that information.
Under the agreement, Bolton will plead guilty to just one count of illegal retention of national security information. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, though reports indicate he could ultimately receive anything from probation to a prison sentence.
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/former-trump-adviser-john-bolton-plead-guilty-retaining-national-secur-rcna348479">According to sources familiar</a> with the matter, the conduct underlying the plea centers on  diary-style entries Bolton maintained during his time as national security adviser. The information was allegedly contained in electronic diary entries that he shared with family members.
Importantly, the plea does not involve allegations that Bolton provided classified documents to foreign governments or publicly released classified materials. &#8220;There’s no allegation that he took home any classified documents, or that he leaked any documents or that he shared any documents with foreign adversaries,&#8221; one source familiar with the case told NBC News.
Reports also indicate Bolton is not pleading guilty to the transmission-related charges that were included in the original indictment. The agreement comes after prosecutors alleged Bolton improperly retained sensitive information from his time in the Trump administration and shared more than 1,000 pages of information through a personal email account with unauthorized recipients, widely reported to be family members.
Federal investigators later examined Bolton&#8217;s handling of the information after his personal email account was reportedly compromised by Iranian-linked hackers.
Bolton, who served as President Donald Trump&#8217;s national security adviser from April 2018 until September 2019, had previously pleaded not guilty and repeatedly defended his conduct.
A source close to Bolton told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/former-trump-adviser-john-bolton-plead-guilty-retaining-national-secur-rcna348479">NBC News</a> that the former national security adviser agreed to the plea in part to avoid a trial that could require additional classified information to be disclosed in court. &#8220;This was a very difficult decision for him,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;Most importantly, he is doing what leaders do and taking responsibility.&#8221;
Following the June 26 hearing, a federal judge will have up to 90 days to determine Bolton&#8217;s sentence.

John Bolton

Inside John Bolton’s Plea Deal: Former Trump Adviser Admits Guilt Over Classified Secrets

John Bolton Will Plead Guilty To Retaining National Security Secrets

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President Donald Trump made the largest military spending request in history on Friday, with a proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year of $1.5 trillion in defense spending, of which $1.1 trillion would be allocated for the Department of War and $350 billion specifically for critical munitions.
The record request was announced in January after former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s capture, but before the United States launched attacks on Iran. To pay for the uptick in defense spending, the White House proposes to reduce non-defense spending by 10%.
The White House says the spending request reflects the current global threat environment and restores the readiness and lethality of the United States military. The money would also include a salary increase for all military personnel, with junior enlisted members receiving the largest salary bump at 7%. Mid-level service members, E-6 to O-3, would receive a 6% pay raise, and higher-ranking officers would receive a 5% raise. The White House predicts the increase will help with service member retention and recruiting efforts.
Funds would also be directed to the construction of the United States’ “Golden Dome,” which would be similar to Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. The Golden Dome would track missiles through launch, in midcourse, and on their descent, potentially using space-based technology to intercept missiles. Unlike Israel’s Iron Dome, America’s Golden Dome would aim to stop long-range missiles and potentially hypersonic weapons, which are a growing concern posed by adversaries like China, Russia, and North Korea. 
The budget would also focus on “making shipbuilding great again,” adding 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships to the United States naval fleet. By ship count, <a href="https://www.usamm.com/blogs/news/ships-us-navy">China</a> currently has the largest navy, with the United States in second place.
Another large category of investment will be in critical mineral stockpiles. Currently, the United States Department of the Interior lists 60 minerals as critical, of which 15 are rare earth elements. The list ranges from aluminum to zinc, and the push reflects a broader strategy Trump employed in global negotiations. The president pushed to bring steel and aluminum production back to the United States while also taking a stake in MP Materials, which is the only fully integrated rare earth producer in America. Rare earth minerals are used in magnets and batteries, as well as defense applications and AI chips, making them a national security priority.
One of the Senate’s most prominent fiscal hawks, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), told The Daily Wire: “With total debt approaching $39 trillion, reduced spending in other areas will be required,” and &#8220;aggressively eliminating the $700 billion to $1 trillion in annual fraud would be the primary target.”
Johnson sees the road to getting the president’s request passed before the fiscal year begins on October 1 as challenging.
“Even though defense of our nation is the top priority of the government, Democrats will not support the president’s request,” said Johnson. The senator sees two paths ahead: Republicans voting to end the filibuster or pursuing a reconciliation appropriation process to get Republican votes.
If Republicans take the nuclear option, they would be able to pass bills with a simple majority of 51 votes instead of 60. The reconciliation appropriation process would also be challenging due to the Byrd Rule, which allows senators to block or remove parts of a reconciliation deal. A provision can be stripped out unless 60 senators vote to keep it, and with Republicans holding 53 seats, the road to 60 would be challenging.
President Trump signaled on Wednesday that defense spending is a top priority. “We’re fighting wars. It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare—all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal.”
The federal government currently runs a deficit of $2 trillion. 
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the initial plan was for him to raise the United States&#8217; revenue by $1 trillion and for Elon Musk to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse by spending $1 trillion to balance the budget. Lutnick and Trump launched tariffs to increase revenue and created the gold card, which charges foreigners <a href="https://www.trumpcard.gov/">$1 million</a> for United States residency on the condition of background check approval. Revenues and spending cuts have fallen short of these expectations, creating tensions around increased military spending amid a runaway budget.

USS Nimitz, USS Gridley arrive in Panama on Southern Seas 2026 tour

Why Trump Just Requested The Largest Military Spending Budget In U.S. History

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In current foreign-policy debates on the Right, some have pushed for dividing the world into “spheres of influence.” The United States would get the Americas, the People’s Republic of China would be granted sway over Asia, and Vladimir Putin would have carte blanche to intervene in European affairs. Far from being steely-eyed “realism,” splitting up the world in that way might actually not take the national interest seriously enough.
The “spheres of influence” gambit has a superficial logic. By some measures, the United States is a smaller portion of the global economy than it was fifty years ago. It faces growing fiscal burdens. Its industrial infrastructure has withered. Some of its longstanding allies have hit economic and demographic slumps. The growth of other regional powers means that the geopolitical landscape has become more multipolar. Yet withdrawing from much of the globe would hamper the ability of the United States to respond to those changed circumstances and would also undermine the policy aims of American populists. International networks will be critical for renewing American industry and reinforcing national sovereignty.
While some European partners need urgent reforms (from cutting red tape to hiking defense budgets), the continent remains a major global economic hub. The White House’s recent <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdf">National Security Strategy</a> observed that Europe “is home to cutting-edge scientific research and world-leading cultural institutions” and that it retains robust manufacturing and technology sectors. A full-scale American withdrawal from Europe could close down a crucial market for American industry (including defense sales) and could also threaten regional stability. Ending NATO and shuttering American military bases would create a power vacuum in that continent and also hurt the ability of the United States to project power abroad.
Nor can the United States afford to ignore Asia. Responsible for about half of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/media-center/cusp-of-new-era-in-asia">global manufacturing output</a>, Asia has become the workshop for the world. The People’s Republic of China is already a manufacturing powerhouse, and it could consolidate industrial dominance if the United States severs its commitments to allies in the Pacific. That is especially the case for the advanced technologies that are the building blocks of the digital economy. A link in countless international supply chains, Taiwan produces about <a href="https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/taiwan-semiconductors-including-chip-design-ai">90%</a> of the world’s most advanced semiconductors. If the People’s Republic of China conquered that island, it would have a chokehold on the American and global economies. It could cut off the chips that are needed for cars, computers, missiles, and phones. Beijing is already trying to use its control of key market sectors to influence policymaking in the United States. Responding to American tariffs and industrial policy, China has floated restrictions on some critical minerals, including those that are essential for <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/chinas-new-rare-earth-and-magnet-restrictions-threaten-us-defense-supply-chains">defense technologies</a>.
Populists have rallied around the claims of national sovereignty, but allowing the Chinese Communist Party to cut off the American economy at a whim is the antithesis of national independence. While building out American domestic semiconductor production is a national-security imperative, that’s also a very long process. The United States cannot afford to surrender economic self-governance for the indefinite future while it waits for some eschaton of economic autarky.
Conversely, coordinating with allies in Europe and Asia can bolster economic agency. For example, the PRC is responsible for over <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2025/mcs2025-tungsten.pdf">80%</a> of the global annual production of tungsten, which is used for drills, computer chips, aerospace, x-rays, and more. The United States has not even mined tungsten commercially in over a decade. In addition to bringing back domestic tungsten production, American allies could help de-risk the tungsten market. Australia has massive tungsten reserves, and South Korea’s <a href="https://www.mining.com/sangdong-tungsten-mine-in-south-korea-returns-to-production-after-30-years/">Sangdong Mine</a> has returned to production for the first time in decades. Accessing those resources will require keeping Pacific alliances strong — and not surrendering that region to Beijing.
Likewise, allies in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East will continue to be important for American national-security aims. Even as it has stressed the need to reform certain geopolitical arrangements, the Trump administration’s foreign-policy strategy is premised on the United States being a global great-power. Losing the hard power that backs the dollar’s reserve-currency status would cause an immediate economic crisis at home, but a global defense infrastructure also helps target American foes abroad. The Jacksonian tradition of foreign policy — which prioritizes the targeted use of military force to defend the national interest — has achieved a renewed prominence in the Trump presidencies. Jacksonianism could be a way of rebalancing global commitments by keeping America’s rivals off-balance without tying down the United States. International alliances can help optimize such Jacksonian exertions of force.
From its very founding, the United States has prioritized having access to global markets. When the Barbary pirates threatened American ships, Thomas Jefferson sent frigates to Tripoli. To open up Japan, Commodore Matthew Perry brought the United States Navy to Edo Bay. The network of alliances in the aftermath of World War II could be seen as an extension of a long-term strategic imperative: that the Stars and Stripes should be able to move freely throughout the world and that those who live under that banner should be safe from both foreign and domestic threats.
We now face a very different political landscape from 1946 or 1999. Implementing “liberal democracy” in a country is a lot harder than getting an Amazon package there. If policymakers had sought to integrate the world into some post-historical bazaar, their dreams have been sorely disappointed. Great-power competition is back, and populist movements have roiled political establishments on both sides of the Atlantic. Those changes indicate the need to rethink international alliances without abandoning them entirely.
Yes, the United States needs to recognize the limits of power and to try to defer existential conflict with its competitors. It also needs to understand the interests of those competitors. At the same time, the United States needs to understand its own interests. Cutting itself off from allies in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere would squander a major geopolitical advantage and undercut efforts to build a stronger nation at home.
* * *
Fred Bauer is a writer from New England. Find his work at National Review, City Journal, The Atlantic, UnHerd, and The Washington Post. @fredbauerblog

Strategic world map with shipping infographics, flags and dice

The Plan To Split The World Into Spheres And What It Means For America

The Plan To Split The World Into Spheres And What It Could Means For America

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Economics

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Opinion

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In a major escalation against foreign cyber threats, the Department of Justice on Thursday <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-disrupts-iranian-cyber-enabled-psychological-operations">announced</a> the seizure of four web domains allegedly used by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) to facilitate psychological operations, destructive hacking, and what officials described as &#8220;transnational repression.&#8221;
The targeted websites — Justicehomeland[.]org, Handala-Hack[.]to, Karmabelow80[.]org, and Handala-Redwanted[.]to—allegedly served as the digital infrastructure for so-called &#8220;faketivist&#8221; groups that U.S. officials say operated as fronts for the Iranian government.
According to court documents, these sites were used to leak stolen data, dox dissidents, and incite violence against American citizens, journalists, and Israeli officials.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi characterized the move as a vital strike against state-sponsored extremism.
“Terrorist propaganda online can incite real-world violence,” Bondi said. “This network of Iranian-backed sites will no longer broadcast anti-American hate.”
The investigation, led by the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, outlined what officials described as a coordinated Iranian cyber warfare &#8220;playbook.&#8221;
Authorities say operatives used the &#8220;Handala Hack&#8221; persona to claim responsibility for a March 2026 malware attack targeting a U.S.-based medical technology firm. The same network allegedly published the private information of nearly 190 individuals linked to the Israel Defense Forces, accompanied by warnings that their homes were under surveillance.
Perhaps most alarming were the &#8220;death threats&#8221; delivered via email accounts linked to the seized domains. Investigators uncovered messages sent to Iranian dissidents in the United States and abroad, claiming the regime had partnered with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to carry out assassinations.
One email offered a $250,000 bounty for the beheading of two targets, declaring, &#8220;Our partners&#8230; in America and Canada have been given a list of our enemies.&#8221;
FBI Director Kash Patel said the operation disrupted a broader intimidation campaign.
&#8220;Iran thought they could hide behind fake websites and keyboard threats to terrorize Americans,&#8221; Patel said. &#8220;We took down four of their operation&#8217;s pillars and we&#8217;re not done. This FBI will hunt down every actor behind these cowardly death threats.&#8221;
The seizure also highlights Iran’s efforts to punish international adversaries. The Justice Department noted that the domain Justicehomeland[.]org was used to leak sensitive Albanian government documents in apparent retaliation for Albania&#8217;s support of the Iranian dissident group Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK).
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg reaffirmed the government’s commitment to dismantling Tehran&#8217;s cyber infrastructure, describing Iran as &#8220;the leading state sponsor of terrorism worldwide.&#8221;
In conjunction with the seizures, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of foreign actors engaged in malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure.

Iran’s Digital Terror Playbook Exposed As DOJ Just Took Out Key Pieces

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I do not personally know Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, so I cannot speak to his character or private motives. But as someone who has publicly claimed friendship with Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, I find it hard to see how detonating an <a href="https://x.com/C__Herridge/status/2034050521359634577?s=20">atomic bomb</a> on the eve of her testimony before Congress served anyone other than himself.
I sat next to Kent during Gabbard’s confirmation hearing before Congress last year as she showed the United States, our allies, and our adversaries exactly why she was capable of leading the greatest intelligence operation in the world. She handled herself with dignity and with the kind of steady resolve shown by someone who deeply desired to serve her country.
Kent, seated just behind her, wore a Hawaiian lei in a visible show of support for her leadership, her loyalty, and her judgment. That’s why his choice to resign publicly, and to communicate his dissent the way he did, raises an obvious question: where was that support for his friend when it mattered most?
Director Gabbard, for her part, got it exactly right. She has consistently pushed for exhausting diplomacy, but she also made clear that <a href="https://x.com/DNIGabbard/status/2033989780116033948?s=20">the president</a> is the one who decides what qualifies as a viable threat. That is how this works. A political appointee provides an assessment; the commander in chief makes the call. The Trump administration made its call based on the threat Iran posed to Americans and to our way of life.
And that is part of what makes Washington so maddening. This city is full of people who talk endlessly about loyalty, friendship, and principle, then abandon all three the moment public positioning becomes more useful. D.C. has earned its reputation as a town crowded with failed theater kids who routinely avoid demonstrating integrity or loyalty.
Again, I won’t pretend to know Mr. Kent’s intentions in releasing his letter, but his assessment contradicts both his own past <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1214960125200330752?s=20">statements</a> and the views of experts who have spent their lives studying the Middle East. People are free to change their minds, but that usually comes through deeper learning and self-correction. This does not seem to be that. I was not in the room for the threat discussions he now struggles to identify, though he seems to have no trouble tweeting about them, but I have studied Iran closely. And while I do not speak Farsi, I am confident “death to America” is not a warm salutation.
Isolationists fail to grasp a basic reality: this is not utopia. Our enemies, animated by a deep-seated hatred for everything America stands for, cannot be escorted hand-in-hand to peace and partnership. Meeting a threat on their doorstep is not a distraction from protecting the homeland — it is how you keep that threat from reaching ours.
The idea of shuttering our borders completely, allowing no one in or out, is both absurd and self-defeating. The world does not work that way. Plus, I would still like to plan my dream vacation to the South of France, for one thing, and for another, America would not have the power it now has to defend itself if it embraced that kind of isolation.
We are now 18 days into a military operation targeting a threat that has been at our doorstep for far too long. All Americans should support our warfighters and those standing with us against a regime that has terrorized the United States, our allies, our values, and its own people. We also have a duty to ask what our tax dollars are funding and why; questioning is good, because you learn things when you do.
Mr. Kent has every right, as a private citizen and taxpayer, to question and disagree with a military action. But the purpose of questioning is to educate, not to diminish American agency. The reflexive habit of crediting Israel, a nation the size of New Jersey, for every major policy decision made by the president of the United States undermines America’s military strength, economic power, and the very intelligence capabilities Mr. Kent supported. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best: it had to be done.
To be clear, Iran’s leadership is the world’s number one sponsor of terrorism, a regime directly responsible for the loss of thousands of American lives. A regime that regularly murders its own people en masse and shuts down the internet for its 90 million citizens, cutting them off from telling the rest of the world the truth. A regime that bombs its own neighbors in the Middle East, just because it can. This is the same regime that sent representatives to the illegal, non-democratic swearing-in ceremony of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. A regime that aligns closely with China and Russia in order to enforce authoritarian rule throughout the world and displace American influence. Failing to recognize the imminent threat Iran poses to Americans is either a severe misunderstanding of the danger or an intentional deflection.
Joe Kent’s public <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/2033897242986209689?s=20">resignation letter</a> places him on a growing list of people whose judgment I have found deeply disappointing. Why? It is disappointing for several reasons. It is disappointing because Kent once spoke <a href="https://x.com/mtracey/status/2033955443010080897?s=20">clearly</a> about the <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1840425323743395853?s=20">threat Iran</a> poses to the <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1838963575320412395?s=20">United States</a>, only to now cloud that reality. It is disappointing because, until yesterday, he occupied a high-consequence role charged with protecting the homeland from major threats, which makes his sudden uncertainty confusing. And it is disappointing because, at this moment, during an ongoing conflict, his public dissent undermines America’s national security posture and, in turn, the safety of the warfighters carrying out the mission.
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Taylor Hathorn is a foreign policy and national security analyst specializing in U.S. defense strategy, Iran and China policy, cybersecurity, and geopolitical risk. She serves as a National Security Fellow with the Independent Women’s Center for American Safety and Security and an Iran Policy Fellow with The Hamilton Society/Public Interest Fellowship. As a Gold Star sister, she is committed to policies supporting veterans and military families and frequently speaks on national security issues affecting service members and their families. She has appeared on NEWSMAX and PBS, and her writing can be found in The Hill, RealClearDefense, RealClearWorld, Townhall, and Evie Magazine. Follow her on X @taylorhathorn.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

House Homeland Security Committee Hearing On Worldwide Threats

Joe Kent Built His Reputation On Iran Warnings — What Changed?

Director of National Intelligence

Joe Kent

Middle East

Tulsi Gabbard

Washington D.C.

Joe Kent has resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. He should never have had the job to begin with. 
Kent <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/2033897242986209689/photo/1">explained</a> in his resignation letter that he believes Iran posed “no imminent threat to our nation” and that Israel with the help of Israel’s powerful “lobby” is behind the United States “starting” the war. 
These galling, fact-defying claims reveal Kent’s belief in a crank evil conspiracy about Israel and the “Israel lobby,” i.e., the Jews, controlling American foreign policy. It is exceptionally concerning that it was his job to protect the American people from terrorism and he discounts the role Iran plays in threatening the American people as the leading sponsor of terrorism globally. The regime funds, equips, and trains Islamist proxies throughout the Middle East to harass global shipping and attack Americans and our allies. Iran is directly responsible for the maiming and killing of hundreds of Americans since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Kent’s resignation could have simply stated he does not personally support the war and that his conscience prevents him from continued public service. Instead, he used the position from which he resigned to provide him credibility in an effort to undermine Trump, public support for the war, and the success of the war effort. 
There are two critical points to understand in all of this.
One, the political ecosystem that Kent decided to align with, and which supported his rise to influence within the MAGA coalition over the last several years, includes Nick Fuentes and his followers, the so-called Groypers. Nick Fuentes told Tucker Carlson <a href="https://x.com/moymiz/status/2033974462635512061?s=46&amp;t=lyk8m90xboRd4ImqIJ-GGA">a few months ago</a> on his podcast that he spoke with Joe Kent and supported him and his failed congressional campaign. Fuentes also said that Kent’s campaign manager bought a table at Fuentes’ event and introduced Fuentes to Kent. According to National Review reporter Audrey Fahlberg, Joe Kent’s former campaign manager acknowledged sending texts referring to Jews as “f*c*ing ki*es” and writing “heil f*cking Kent” and “allah f*cking akbar.” Kent also <a href="https://x.com/RichWWilliams/status/2033986403982581852?s=20">publicly aligned</a> with Fuentes when he launched his unsuccessful campaign. All of this is public information and did not prevent him from attaining a senior job in the administration. 
How many more people are serving in the Trump administration share these views or are sympathetic to them? Since Hamas carried out the worst attack on the Jews since the Holocaust on October 7, 2023, the United States has experienced a spike in open antisemitism and expressions of sympathy towards Islamist terrorists. College campuses have been awash with organized protesters chanting “from the river to the sea” and other genocidal slogans against the Jewish people. Since the initiation of Operation Epic Fury, there have been four terrorist attacks here at home: a <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/suspect-in-texas-bar-shooting-wore-property-of-allah-clothing-and-iranian-flag-emblem-according-to-ap-source">shooting </a>at a bar in Austin, an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/15/new-york-mamdani-teen-suspects">attempted bombing </a>in New York City, an <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/14/us/michigan-synagogue-attack-hnk">attack </a>on the Temple Israel synagogue in Michigan, and a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/15/us/mohamed-bailor-jalloh-old-dominion">shooting </a>at Old Dominion University in Virginia. 
This is a time to clearly and decisively marginalize those who traffic in antisemitic views, not elevate them and place them in positions of authority. 
Two, Dana Loesch said it well when she noted that those circling the wagons for Kent’s stand against Operation Epic Fury are not only undermining President Trump now, they are “power-jockeying for 2028.” They insist that Trump betrayed them in taking joint action with Israel in Operation Midnight Hammer to degrade Iran’s nuclear program, and again now in Operation Epic Fury to dismantle the Iranian regime’s ability to threaten the United States and its allies. They ignore the long pattern of Trump’s support for Israel as a valued and highly capable ally, which was a hallmark of his first term. And, they ignore Trump’s support for a world-class military — he recently said he supports a $1.5 trillion defense budget, which would commit the United States to 5% of GDP on defense spending, matching his demands for the rest of NATO — designed not to retreat and pull up the proverbial drawbridge, but to project power across the globe to defend its declared vital interests in the Middle East, Europe, and Indo-Pacific. 
Additionally, they discounted Trump’s willingness in his first term to use military force to destroy the ISIS caliphate and other Iranian leaders and proxies sprawled across the Middle East. They also ignore Trump’s decades-long view that the Islamic Republic could not have a viable nuclear weapon, and that military action was a plausible and legitimate course of action if Iran refused to willingly dismantle its illicit program. Trump did not betray them. They simply could not manipulate Trump into becoming what they are.
Tucker Carlson is already planning to host Joe Kent on his podcast today (Wednesday). We should expect them to try to galvanize more opposition to President Trump’s efforts in Iran. They may be mad about not having power and influence on policy now, but we should expect this pernicious effort to continue into election season where they hope to have better luck.
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Rebeccah L. Heinrichs is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative. She specializes in US national defense policy with a focus on strategic deterrence.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-POLITICS-SECURITY-NOEM

Joe Kent Never Should Have Had This Job

Radical Islamic Terror

Tucker Carlson

Between lengthy TSA lines and increased concerns about national security threats amid the conflict with Iran, conservative experts told The Daily Wire that there are serious risks associated with the continued shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, as talks in Washington stall.
DHS has faced a lapse in funding since Feb. 14, as Democrats and Republicans are at odds on federal immigration enforcement tactics, despite Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection already being heavily funded through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year. Still, other agencies under DHS like TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard are unfunded.
“We’re dealing with a heightened threat environment right now, and we need the federal government security capabilities to be firing on all cylinders,” Nathan Sales, former special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, said.
“If you’re a Hezbollah operative and you want to carry out an attack in the United States, you have to cross the border, and that’s a DHS responsibility,” he noted, later adding that “this is not the time to be playing politics with national security.”
Sales specifically highlighted the risks of FEMA not having the money it needs to fully operate.
“What happens if, God forbid, there is a terrorist incident on American soil and we need an immediate federal response to that,” Sales asked. “It’s not a great time for FEMA to be sitting on the sidelines either.”
Meanwhile, Garrett Exner, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute focusing on terrorism, national security, and defense, slammed the lack of funding for TSA as “insane,” saying &#8220;it&#8217;s not a good faith argument&#8221; for Democrats to use the other agencies under DHS as leverage for immigration reform.
“We have 11 million people that came here, and we don’t know who they are, and ICE is doing the legal business of moving those people out of the country, and Democrats are trying to stop that. They’re trying to slow it down,” Exner said, referencing the Biden-era border crisis.
Recent incidents like the attempted <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-city-in-heightened-state-of-alert-after-saturdays-attack?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=New+York+City+In+%E2%80%98Heightened+State+of+Alert%E2%80%99+After+Saturday%E2%80%99s+Attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ISIS-style terrorist attack</a> outside the New York City mayoral residence, along with the Southwest Airlines flight bomb threat over the weekend, are also sparking concerns, according to Lora Ries, the director of The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center.
“The House passed the DHS funding bill last week, so now it’s down to the Senate, and Senate Democrats are playing chicken with terrorists in this country,” Ries said, adding that it’s a “dereliction of duty by refusing to fund securing our homeland.”
In addition, the FBI is currently investigating the Austin, Texas, bar shooting from March 1 as a possible act of terrorism, as the alleged shooter was wearing a “Property of Allah” hoodie and a pro-Iran shirt.
Outside of the security risks, those who are essential workers, like TSA agents, are now working without pay, which will likely lead to a higher number of callouts at airports nationwide.
“They’re not getting rich doing these jobs. They live paycheck to paycheck,” Ken Cuccinelli, a former top Homeland Security official during the first Trump administration, pointed out regarding TSA, as shutdowns can “dissuade people from doing those jobs.”
Cuccinelli noted potential for the shutdown to hurt “morale” within DHS, and it could also create a ripple effect as FEMA responds to disasters like the recent Potomac River sewage spill.
TSA and other essential workers, like air traffic controllers, also bore the brunt of the 43-day-long full federal government shutdown last fall, which was triggered by Democrats pushing for an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s pandemic-era subsidies, but no permanent deal on the subsidies was ultimately reached. The remainder of the federal government is fully funded through September.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be leaving her role at the department at the end of the month amid multiple controversies, and President Donald Trump plans to replace her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK). However, Noem&#8217;s ouster is not considered enough to warrant a deal with Senate Democrats.
&#8220;I’ve been asked if I would support Sen. Mullin as Noem’s replacement. The answer is a resounding NO. The rot in DHS is deep, much deeper than any individual. It’s a question of policy not personnel. The Senate should not consider any DHS Secretary nominee until DHS and ICE are reined in,&#8221; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) posted to X last week.

Denver International Airport scenes

Top National Security Experts Warn Dems ‘Playing Chicken With Terrorists’

Chuck Schumer

Congress

Immigration

Senate Democrats

Terrorism

U.S. Senate

The Pentagon is severing ties with a major AI developer after a standoff over military access to artificial intelligence tools, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Friday, designating Anthropic a “Supply-Chain Risk to National Security.”
In a lengthy X post, Hegseth <a href="https://x.com/secwar/status/2027507717469049070?s=46">stated</a> in part: “Our position has never wavered and will never waver: the Department of War must have full, unrestricted access to Anthropic’s models for every LAWFUL purpose in defense of the Republic.”
Hegseth said Anthropic and CEO Dario Amodei chose “duplicity,” accusing them of trying to &#8220;strong-arm the United States military into submission &#8211; a cowardly act of corporate virtue-signaling that places Silicon Valley ideology above American lives.”
“Their true objective is unmistakable: to seize veto power over the operational decisions of the United States military,” the secretary said. “That is unacceptable.”
The War Secretary added that “Anthropic’s stance is fundamentally incompatible with American principles,” and announced that, as a result of the company’s refusal to accede to the Pentagon’s demands, it would be designated a “supply-chain risk.”
“Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic,” Hegseth stated, adding that the Pentagon and Anthropic will untangle their relationship over the next six months while the federal government transitions to a new AI partner.
Hegseth’s announcement follows President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116144552969293195">statement</a> earlier Friday, in which the president ordered “EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology.”
Trump called Anthropic a “radical Left, woke company” whose “selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY.”
In January, the Department of War released a document outlining its strategies for AI dominance, which included the following <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2026/Jan/12/2003855671/-1/-1/0/ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE-STRATEGY-FOR-THE-DEPARTMENT-OF-WAR.PDF">statement</a>: “The Department must also utilize models free from usage policy constraints that may limit lawful military applications.”
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei released a <a href="https://www.anthropic.com/news/statement-department-of-war">statement</a> of his own on Thursday as the negotiations were ongoing, stating that while he believes in utilizing artificial intelligence to defend the United States and push back against autocracies, in certain cases, AI could be used in opposition to such goals.
Those cases, according to Amodei, are “mass domestic surveillance” and “fully autonomous weapons.”
“AI-driven mass surveillance presents serious, novel risks to our fundamental liberties. … For example, under current law, the government can purchase detailed records of Americans’ movements, web browsing, and associations from public sources without obtaining a warrant, a practice the Intelligence Community has acknowledged raises privacy concerns and that has generated bipartisan opposition in Congress. Powerful AI makes it possible to assemble this scattered, individually innocuous data into a comprehensive picture of any person’s life—automatically and at massive scale,” Amodei said.
As to fully autonomous weapons, the CEO acknowledged that such weapons may one day “prove critical,” but with current AI technology, “systems are simply not reliable enough to power fully autonomous weapons.”
The clash marks a dramatic rupture between the U.S. military and one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent AI firms, escalating a broader battle over who controls the future use of artificial intelligence in national defense.

President Trump Holds Cabinet Meeting At The White House

Pentagon Moves To Blacklist AI Company In Escalating National Security Clash

Artificial Intelligence

Executive

Pentagon

Pete Hegseth

The Trump administration is keeping up the pressure on the Mexican government after assisting in the operation that killed a major drug cartel kingpin over the weekend.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the Trump administration is &#8220;pushing&#8221; Mexico to take stronger action to curb the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.
&#8220;We are coordinating and cooperating and pushing the Mexican government to do more to end the scourge of deadly drugs coming through our United States Southern border, which of course is now secure thanks to President Trump as well,&#8221; Leavitt said during a Fox News appearance.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &#8220;We encourage all Americans in Mexico to of course adhere to the guidance provided by the <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StateDept</a>&#8230; and the Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/gwbUaD5oi9">pic.twitter.com/gwbUaD5oi9</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026293274827272418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Leavitt said the Sunday strike that took out longtime Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes during an operation in the southwestern town of Tapalpa, Jalisco, &#8220;would not have happened without the leadership of President Trump.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/friendly-fire?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_content=20260224_sotu_aa_desktop&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=banner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Watch the State of the Union with The Daily Wire! Live coverage from the nation&#8217;s capital begins at 7:45 ET.</a>
&#8220;He has made it a day one priority to target and go after these vicious drug cartels that have shipped deadly poison to our country for far too long,&#8221; Leavitt said, citing President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to designate some of Mexico&#8217;s most notorious cartels as terrorist organizations and the administration&#8217;s dozens of military strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Following Sunday&#8217;s operation, cartel members set buses and cars ablaze and erected roadblocks in some of the most popular vacation spots frequented by American tourists.
The State Department <a href="https://x.com/TravelGov/status/2025636042007605353" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> American citizens to “shelter in place” if they are in the Mexican state of Jalisco — including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara — as well as in Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, parts of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León.
American and Canadian airlines quickly canceled flights out of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, leaving tourists stranded.
American tourist Jim Beck, who said he has been going to Puerto Vallarta “for almost twenty years,” <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@cnn/video/7609924460602313997?q=puerto%20vallarta&amp;t=1771858884471" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN that it’s the first time he’s been “actually terrified” while visiting the area.
“We saw people running down the streets, running from the flames and stuff and the fire. And we ran back to the hotel and then that’s when they got the shelter in order place and we’ve been here all day,” Beck said.
“It’s been pretty scary … all the locals being locked up and hidden with us too, there’s a few homeless people that were brought into this hotel … so that they had some place to go too. It’s been quite surreal knowing this warm, wonderful place that we come to visit a couple times a year is in lockdown and just terrifying for all the people,” he said.
Leavitt said the Trump administration is &#8220;unaware of any reports of any Americans being hurt, kidnapped, or killed,&#8221; adding, &#8220;The Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this president.&#8221;
The State Department has also set up &#8220;24/7 phone lines&#8221; to help Americans who are stranded in Mexico, Leavitt said.

TOPSHOT-MEXICO-CRIME-DRUG TRAFFICKING-OPERATION

Trump Sends Clear Message After Cartel Rampage Leaves Americans Stranded

Claudia Sheinbaum

Drug Cartels

Karoline Leavitt

Mexico

President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed the Department of War to purchase electricity generated from coal plants, saying the move was necessary for national security and “American energy dominance.” 
“We&#8217;re going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now, and it&#8217;s going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years,” Trump said at a White House event Wednesday afternoon. &#8220;And again, with the environmental progress that&#8217;s been made on coal, it&#8217;s going to be just as clean.&#8221; 
Trump made the remarks before signing an executive order titled &#8220;Strengthening United States National Defense with America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Power Generation Fleet.” 
“The United States must ensure that our electric grid — upon which military installations, operations, and defense-industrial production depend — remains resilient and reliable, and not reliant on intermittent energy sources,” the executive order <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/02/strengthening-united-states-national-defense-with-americas-beautiful-clean-coal-power-generation-fleet/">said</a>. “Given our Nation’s vast coal resources and the proven reliability of our coal-fired generation fleet in providing continuous, on-demand baseload power, it is imperative that the Department of War (DOW) prioritize the preservation and strategic utilization of coal-based energy assets.”
The order directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Energy Secretary Chris Wright to approve power purchase agreements with coal-fired energy production facilities for War Department installations or other federal facilities. It states that priority should be given to projects that strengthen grid reliability, prevent blackouts, and enhance on-site fuel security.
According to the Energy Information Administration’s <a href="https://www.eia.gov/coal/annual/">2024 coal report</a>, coal production in the United States fell 11.3% from 2023 to 2024, while the number of operating coal mines declined from 560 to 524. Over the same period, American coal consumption dropped 3.5%. 
Since returning to office, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/end-the-government-bias-against-coal-trump-signs-order-to-bolster-floundering-american-industry">has taken</a> several steps to boost domestic coal production and use. He has signed executive orders designating coal as a critical mineral, expanding mining on federal lands, and repealing Biden administration regulations on coal-fired power plants. 
At the White House executive order signing on Wednesday, Trump was presented with the &#8220;Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” award by Peabody Energy executive Jim Grech.

Trump Orders Pentagon To Buy Coal Power In Boost To Industry

Why Trump’s Energy Power Play Could Boost America’s National Security Edge

Trump Directs Military To Buy Coal To Bolster National Security And 'American Energy Dominance'

Coal

Department of Energy

Energy

Executive Orders

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a previous order on Wednesday that had grounded all flights departing El Paso International Airport in Texas for ten days due to “special security reasons.&#8221;
The White House told The Daily Wire shortly after the reversal that the move was related to drug cartels.
&#8220;Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace. The Department of War took action to disable the drones,&#8221; the White House said. &#8220;The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.&#8221;
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NEW: Administration official tells <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a> that the FAA temporarily grounded all flights over El Paso because “Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace.”
“The Department of War took action to disable the drones,” the official said. “The FAA and DOW have determined there…
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2021594743180828908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Similar <a href="https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr3/?page=detail_6_2234">restrictions</a> were put in place for Santa Teresa, New Mexico, about 15 miles away from El Paso. El Paso, which borders Mexico, is a city of around 678,000 people. 
&#8220;The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal,&#8221; the FAA announced Wednesday morning, just a few hours after announcing flights would be grounded for ten days. The airport handles up to 100 flights daily.
The <a href="https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr3/?page=detail_6_2233">notice</a> from the FAA put in place flight restrictions for a 10-mile radius around El Paso. Planes flying above 18,000 feet would have been allowed to fly over, but the limitations did not extend into Mexican airspace. 
After the initial grounding was announced, Democrat Rep. Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, <a href="https://x.com/RepEscobar">called</a> for the FAA to lift the restrictions. 
“The highly consequential decision by FAA to shut down the El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and has resulted in significant concern within the community,” she said. “From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas.”
After the restrictions were lifted, Escobar said there were no safety concerns.
&#8220;The FAA is rightfully lifting the Temporary Restricted Airspace. I will again reiterate there is no threat to El Paso or the surrounding areas,&#8221; she said.
State Senator Cesar Blanco, a Democrat, said his office was contacting multiple agencies to understand the justification for the temporary grounding. 
“Actions like this are taken out of an abundance of caution to protect our community. I encourage everyone to remain calm and patient as we await further information. We will share updates as they become available,” he said. 
&nbsp;

El Paso International Airport

White House Responds After Taking Out Mexican Cartel Drones In U.S. Airspace

El Paso

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Southern Border

Texas

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On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced that it has revoked over 100,000 visas since President Donald Trump took office last year.
&#8220;The State Department has now revoked over 100,000 visas, including some 8,000 student visas and 2,500 specialized visas for individuals who had encounters with U.S. law enforcement for criminal activity. We will continue to deport these thugs to keep America safe,&#8221; the State Department stated on X.
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🚨BREAKING: The State Department has now revoked over 100,000 visas, including some 8,000 student visas and 2,500 specialized visas for individuals who had encounters with U.S. law enforcement for criminal activity.
We will continue to deport these thugs to keep America safe. <a href="https://t.co/wuHVltw1bV">pic.twitter.com/wuHVltw1bV</a>
&mdash; Department of State (@StateDept) <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/2010740549469557010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
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This milestone marks a significant escalation in the administration’s hardline immigration policy, representing a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-administration-has-revoked-over-100000-visas-state-department-says/">150% increase</a> in revocations compared to 2024. State Department officials characterized the move as a necessary step to protect American citizens, with spokesperson Tommy Pigott emphasizing that the department would continue to deport &#8220;thugs&#8221; to keep the country safe.
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The broad crackdown targets several specific categories of visa holders. Approximately 8,000 student visas and 2,500 specialized visas were revoked following encounters with law enforcement for criminal activity. The State Department identified the four leading causes for these revocations as visa overstays, driving under the influence (DUI), assault, and theft. To streamline this process, the administration launched a Continuous Vetting Center to monitor foreign nationals on U.S. soil and ensure swift action against those deemed a threat.
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Beyond criminal offenses, the State Department has utilized revocations as a tool of foreign policy and national security. Under the leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the department has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-revokes-visas-of-foreigners-who-celebrated-charlie-kirks-assassination?utm_source=chatgpt.com">stripped visas</a> from individuals who celebrated the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. This includes nationals from Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil who made disparaging or celebratory remarks regarding Kirk&#8217;s death.
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The administration is also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-promises-to-continue-crackdown-on-h-1b-visa-abuses?utm_source=chatgpt.com">reforming</a> the H-1B visa program to prioritize American workers. By mandating a $100,000 fee for new applications and launching &#8220;Project Firewall&#8221; to investigate corporate abuses, the White House aims to prevent low-wage foreign labor from displacing U.S. citizens. While President Trump has defended the presence of foreign students for the revenue they provide to universities, the State Department continues to revoke visas at double the rate of the previous administration, signaling a permanent shift toward aggressive vetting and enforcement.
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