American adversary Russia is reportedly providing intelligence to Iran on the location of U.S. forces, including warships and aircraft.
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/06/russia-iran-intelligence-us-targets/">cited</a> three officials Friday morning who spoke on the condition of anonymity and said that Moscow has indirectly joined the conflict between the United States and Iran. One of the Post&#8217;s sources said that Russia&#8217;s involvement &#8220;does seem like it’s a pretty comprehensive effort.&#8221;
The Trump administration has not yet confirmed publicly whether Russia has stepped into the conflict to help Iran. The War Department declined to comment on the issue when asked by The Daily Wire. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly did not address the Washington Post report but said, &#8220;The Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed.&#8221;
&#8220;Their ballistic missile retaliation is decreasing every day, their navy is being wiped out, their production capacity is being demolished, and proxies are hardly putting up a fight. Operation Epic Fury is meeting or surpassing all of its goals, and the United States will continue to dominate,&#8221; Kelly added.
After President Donald Trump launched &#8220;Operation Epic Fury&#8221; last weekend, Russia condemned the joint U.S.-Israeli military action targeting Iranian leadership, military assets, and nuclear infrastructure. Russia and Iran have long partnered on military efforts. Their ties were further strengthened last year when they signed a 20-year political and economic treaty partially focused on helping each nation fend off outside threats.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin condemned the United States and Israel after they took out Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Putin <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/putin-says-killing-khamenei-is-cynical-murder-2026-03-01/">called</a> the strike that killed Khamenei and members of his family and inner circle a &#8220;cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.&#8221; The Russian dictator, however, stopped short of committing to defend his ally as the United States continues to pummel Iranian forces and defense systems.
Even if Putin committed to back Iran against the United States and Israel, Russia&#8217;s ability to come to Iran&#8217;s aid would be severely limited as Moscow remains in the middle of a war with Ukraine that has entered its fifth year, with no sign of the conflict ending anytime soon. Iran also has close ties with China, but it appears that the communist regime in Beijing has yet to intervene.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth was recently asked about any potential role Russia and China could play in the conflict, and he replied by saying the countries are &#8220;not really a factor here.&#8221;
Iran has launched precision strikes this week that have hit their targets, including U.S. military bases and embassies. Six American troops were killed in one Iranian strike in Kuwait.
The United States, meanwhile, has decimated Iran&#8217;s navy and continues to hunt down the regime&#8217;s ballistic missile launchers. In an update at Central Command headquarters in Florida on Thursday, Admiral Brad Cooper said that U.S. forces have sunk more than 30 Iranian ships and recently struck an Iranian drone carrier roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier. The Israeli Air Force also hit a military bunker on Thursday night that has been used by senior Iranian political and military leaders.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-iranian-protests-intensify-as-citizens-demand-end-to-ayatollah-rule?author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=LIVE+UPDATES%3A+Overnight+Win+Blows+Apart+Iran+Regime%E2%80%99s+Secret+War+Bunker">LIVE UPDATES: Overnight Win Blows Apart Iran Regime’s Secret War Bunker</a>

Russia/Iran

A U.S. Adversary Quietly Helping Iran In War With America? Here’s What We Know

China

Donald Trump

Iran

Israel

Russia

Trump Administration

U.S.

Vladimir Putin

While the majority of the media ecosystem has spent the first few days of Operation Epic Fury bickering over a predicted “forever war,” the real danger to the Iranian people, the United States, and the greater Middle East is being ignored.
As impressive as the United States and Israel’s achievement is, we can’t afford for it to be momentary, can’t let outside forces take the opportunity to reassert control in a chaotic situation.
The smoking crater that was once the top of Tehran’s Islamic regime, where they spent decades proudly chanting “death to America,” will not remain empty. There is not just one faction, one starry-eyed underclass “yearning to breathe free,” that stands ready and organized to safely take the reins. In reality, monarchists, Marxists, ethnic minority groups, secular republicans, and “moderate” — that is, slightly less brutal — regime officials are already preparing to vie for control.
The most popular of these factions in Western media is headed by the 65-year-old son of the deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the heir to the former Pahlavi dynasty, Reza Pahlavi. The chants &#8220;Javid Shah&#8221; (&#8220;Long Live the Shah&#8221;) have been heard in Iran, but diaspora surveys show support for him at only 31%. That’s the biggest majority so far, but his support is far stronger outside the nation than inside of it — and he has no militia ready to back him between the Elburz and Zagros mountains.
Far more concerning is the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a group that has rebranded itself as a &#8220;democratic&#8221; resistance force but carries a troubling legacy of Marxist-Leninist ideology and violent extremism. Led by Maryam Rajavi from exile in Albania, the MEK was founded in the 1960s as an opposition to the Shah, engaging in bombings against both Iranian and American targets before turning against the post-revolution Islamic Republic. Their alliance with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War, which included attacks on their fellow Iranians, has cemented their reputation as traitors in the eyes of most citizens, eroding any domestic legitimacy.
Today, through the National Council of Resistance of Iran, they claim underground networks and a vision for secular governance, but reports of cult-like practices — such as enforced divorces, mandatory ideological indoctrination, and isolation from the outside world — raise alarms about their true intentions. With minimal popular support inside Iran and a history of prioritizing power over principle, the MEK&#8217;s attempt to fill the current vacuum could ignite factional violence, impose a new form of authoritarian control masked as democracy, and destabilize the region further by alienating key allies and inviting prolonged internal conflict.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo <a href="https://x.com/mikepompeo/status/2028189931873419567" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://x.com/mikepompeo/status/2028189931873419567&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1772767792597000&amp;usg=AOvVaw06eVG9UFwRIXsejthoZvQV">bewilderingly framed</a> the MEK as “Iran&#8217;s democratic opposition … ready to step up and lead.” He was immediately mocked for promoting the openly Marxist group as the path forward for Iranians. China and Russia will most likely attempt to funnel weapons and resources to the MEK, which could quickly result in an effort to massacre ethnic minorities like the Kurds.
This is the ethnic group that the Trump administration will most likely support should Iran begin to Balkanize. Over the past year, Iran has struggled immensely with the Kurds along its western border with Iraq, and of the factions inside the collapsing Iran, this is the only one other than the regime itself that has the force of arms.
With their history of bitter treatment by Tehran and their relationship with the United States and Israel, the Kurds would be likely to split away. It’s unclear if the Khuzestani Arabs — the native Arab ethnic group inhabiting Iran&#8217;s southwestern Khuzestan Province — would temporarily ally with the Kurds to aid in this, or if Kuwait might assist the neighboring rebels — but the Trump administration is already in talks over potentially arming or training the Kurds, per the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-israel-us-strikes-2026/card/trump-open-to-supporting-armed-militias-in-iran-u-s-officials-say-nydkWoLgSs641jEV68Dg?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqc-g-zftE4SzR1ykI8jAjBE8d8cDS4M-PdT8bCZ-1js6HGsmepnX8qlGJdQYxk%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69a70d1a&amp;gaa_sig=WqriyHSPE9RnD0NbEUy4YSeofZ-XJPwZw82KoPY4c-TOv8H6lap_hIM8jB5VDgH3EVvk3umnKrTSseNttNbvEg%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-israel-us-strikes-2026/card/trump-open-to-supporting-armed-militias-in-iran-u-s-officials-say-nydkWoLgSs641jEV68Dg?gaa_at%3Deafs%26gaa_n%3DAWEtsqc-g-zftE4SzR1ykI8jAjBE8d8cDS4M-PdT8bCZ-1js6HGsmepnX8qlGJdQYxk%253D%26gaa_ts%3D69a70d1a%26gaa_sig%3DWqriyHSPE9RnD0NbEUy4YSeofZ-XJPwZw82KoPY4c-TOv8H6lap_hIM8jB5VDgH3EVvk3umnKrTSseNttNbvEg%253D%253D&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1772767792598000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1y_JLolg3AyLWKPjF09P78">Wall Street Journal</a> this morning.
While the Iranian regime’s standing orders for provincial leaders are to govern and defend pseudo-independently for the foreseeable future, Tehran cannot deploy reinforcements to fight the Khuzestani Arabs and Kurds effectively. It’s unclear whether the Baloch separatists — a Sunni native ethnic group that primarily inhabits Iran&#8217;s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province — such as Jaish al-Adl, would be able to seek resources in the east, bordering Afghanistan, as the Pakistani-Afghan war is currently stealing attention and resources.
The only other likely possibility is another collaborationist council or parliament and a new regime blending some of the rebels and representatives of dissident groups with former Islamic Republic officials. As we’ve seen in Syria and other recent “go along to get along” regimes, these often trade birthright for a bit of stew and act as satellite states for Russia or China.
Kurdish groups, the MEK, and the regime hold roughly all of the firearms in the country. Rest assured that bad actors will funnel arms to whichever group is willing to take orders and give them exclusive access to Iran’s oil and the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow transit checkpoint through which 20% of the world&#8217;s entire petroleum supply flows.
The greatest danger is that outside powers will flood arms to those who have no interest in a non-authoritarian form of government, stealing the gift of victory from the United States and Israel to the Iranian people.
***
Tony Kinnett is the national correspondent for The Daily Signal and host of its flagship nationally syndicated radio/TV show and podcast, &#8220;The Tony Kinnett Cast.&#8221; Follow him on X @TheTonus.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

IRAN-US-ISRAEL-WAR

The Iranian Regime Is Dead, But What Comes Next Is Full Of Risk

Kurds

A CNN senior military analyst said on Tuesday that the demonstration of military force and precision on display in Operation Epic Fury was enough to make the political leadership in both Russia and China sit up and take notice.
Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.) joined anchor Kasie Hunt on &#8220;The Arena with Kasie Hunt,&#8221; where he argued that in addition to capturing the complete attention of global adversaries, the United States was also progressively weakening both Russia and China as it weakened Iran.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: CNN Senior Military Analyst James Stavridis🇺🇸
&#8220;If you are Xi or Putin, you have to RESPECT the military capability. What the US Military has done in the last 2 months is EXTRAORDINARY. It&#8217;ll get your attention in Beijing &amp; Moscow. Weakening Iran weakens Russia &amp; China.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/CmWMLfxtwY">pic.twitter.com/CmWMLfxtwY</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2028961128651395234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;If you are Xi or Putin, you hate us, but you have to respect the military capability of the United States,&#8221; Stavridis explained. &#8220;And it&#8217;s Midnight Hammer, it&#8217;s the snatch-and-grab on Maduro, and now a pretty massive bombing campaign. And yeah, we&#8217;ll have some missteps and some foot faults here and there, but when you look at the span of what the U.S. military has done in the last two months, it&#8217;s pretty extraordinary, it&#8217;ll get your attention in Beijing and Moscow.&#8221;
Stavridis went on to say that he didn&#8217;t believe the United States had attacked Iran solely to demonstrate strength — although that was certainly a byproduct of the campaign — but because every hit that damages Iran also strategically weakens both Russia and China, although for different reasons.
&#8220;By weakening Iran, you are weakening Russia, you are weakening China,&#8221; he said. &#8220;China looks at Iran as a big investment opportunity. Russia looks at Iran as an arms and technology supplier. Many of the drones flying in Ukraine today were made in Iran. So there&#8217;s a geopolitical pragmatism that can affix itself to these strikes in terms of degrading both Russia and China.&#8221;
As Operation Epic Fury, undertaken alongside Israel, stretched into its fifth day, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. naval assets had destroyed a hefty portion of the Iranian regime&#8217;s navy — and that American forces had set their sights on cutting off access to and from Iranian airspace.

US admiral James Stavridis in Athens

CNN Military Analyst Says Operation Epic Fury Weakens China, Russia

Global Politics

Military

Operation Epic Fury

Pete Hegseth

Operation Epic Fury is underway, and the so-called Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, is dead. Despite the histrionics from the Left and right-wing podcasters who warned about Trump initiating a military attack: there will be no World War 3. The myth of inevitable and uncontrolled escalation has once again been busted. The United States has agency and can decide on its terms when to initiate a military campaign with clearly defined and achievable military and political objectives.
The United States and Israel, together, are carrying out a sophisticated, multi-pronged military campaign. President Trump laid out U.S. objectives. Because the Iranian regime refused to end its ideologically motivated hostilities against the United States and its allies, and would not eliminate its dangerous nuclear missile program, the United States will eliminate the threats posed by the Islamic Republic. Operation Epic Fury will: “raze” the regime’s missile industry, “annihilate”  the Iranian navy, hit Iranian nuclear facilities, and “ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces.”
And while Epic Fury is overwhelming the regime’s ability to respond, Iran’s backers, China and Russia, are not coming to its rescue.
China buys more than 80% of Iranian oil and has been aiding Iran’s efforts to rebuild its air defenses after the United States and Israel’s successful campaign to wipe them out and establish air dominance last summer. Russia has been a longtime partner in arms dealing with Iran. Russian leaders condemned the U.S. attack on Iran, just as they condemned the U.S. operation to arrest the illegal dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro. But in both cases, the Russians were as feeble to help their authoritarian friends as their air defenses were to thwart American special forces.
And although the now-eliminated Khamenei believed he was the leader of the entire Muslim world, Muslim nations that host American forces have condemned Iranian aggression and sided with America. As of now, more than 24 hours since the start of the attack, Iran’s missiles and drones have been smaller in scale than the previous offenses over the last two years, and the United States and Israel have total supremacy of the skies in Iran. President Trump did warn the American people that in this campaign, there is a risk that there may be some casualties in service of this noble mission to protect Americans and to end the reign of Islamist terror.
Over the decades of the Islamic Republic’s iron fist, the regime trained, armed, and funded terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East. Those Islamist proxies have murdered and maimed Americans, thwarted and threatened global shipping, and, in recent years, tried to assassinate Americans, including President Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who served in the first Trump administration and supported the successful operation that eliminated Qassam Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force. And lest we forget, when U.S. forces were searching for Al Qaeda terrorists after their attacks on Americans on September 11, <a href="https://ge.usembassy.gov/the-iran-al-qaida-axis/">Iran provided Al Qaeda</a> sanctuary.
After the formal confirmation of the Islamist dictator’s death, Trump posted on Truth Social: &#8220;This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,&#8221; and said Khomeini’s elimination is justice, &#8220;not only for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans&#8221; killed or harmed by the regime. Bibi Netanyahu sent the Iranian people the same message: “This is an opportunity, do something. Do not sit with your arms crossed,” he said. “You have to complete this work and you have to bring down and eradicate this regime.”
Under the direction of Khamenei and his loyalists, the regime brutally repressed the Iranian people. Just weeks ago, it slaughtered over 32,000 innocent young people who opposed the regime in defiance of President Trump’s direct order to the regime not to kill protesters, drawing a bright red line. He then encouraged the protesters to persevere in their protests against the regime and issued a promise to the Iranian people that the United States would send help.
Trump has now enforced that red line and, with Netanyahu, is delivering the conditions for the Iranian peoples&#8217; liberation. But the Iranian people must take over control of their own government and their future. Trump made that clear and continues to send that message. The most realistic path forward for a transition government to emerge is through the formation of a coalition of factions within Iran, including those who defect from the Iranian police force, the standing Army, and even the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Trump offered defectors <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5760902-trump-offers-immunity-iran-forces/">immunity</a> if they were to lay down their arms, a great alternative to executions and civil war.
Over the next few days, the United States and Israel will carry out more attacks, hunting missile launchers and destroying the facilities where new nuclear weapons activity was ongoing. There is uncertainty about the duration of the campaign. It should not be surprising if it ends in a matter of days or a couple of weeks, but only once the will of the remaining regime leaders is broken. Only then can the Iranian people take their country back, and in doing so, bring greater peace to the Middle East and to the detriment of the Islamic Republic&#8217;s authoritarian backers and to the benefit of America and its allies.
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs is a senior fellow and director of the 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.

9d211218c5c87d21367858bc8f13d41fe03ae99c670765318f5409cce2fa5744

Why A Dead Ayatollah Won’t Lead To World War 3

Billionaire Microsoft co-founder and jet-setting philanthropist Bill Gates apologized to staffers at his foundation for his connection to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to affairs with two Russian women, whom he assured were not victims of Epstein&#8217;s sex-trafficking scheme.
Gates fessed up to the affairs during a Gates Foundation town hall on Tuesday, and said that Epstein — whom he developed a relationship with beginning in 2011 — found out about the sexual encounters. Gates claimed, however, that his trysts with a Russian bridge player and a Russian nuclear physicist were not connected to Epstein&#8217;s trafficking scheme, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/bill-gates-apologizes-to-foundation-staff-over-epstein-ties-67f39ef5?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqek1UOzXZu5KCDZ0mERHQSw6s9RBN3NcXzfpVds_SV5t0soStlD94LDanyajXI%3D&amp;gaa_ts=699e71fb&amp;gaa_sig=zguMEzSFfJW9zNlBErbyjEXXX-W6sN50DIaUq7Qv_c6u2p2RGor5qZCedkMLbQaMde-3UyR_95uRW8ddmeH2pQ%3D%3D">reported</a>.
“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates told his staff, adding, “To be clear I never spent any time with victims, the women around [Epstein].&#8221;
“I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities,” he acknowledged.
In 2010, Gates met a Russian bridge player who was in her 20s. The young Russian woman was introduced to Epstein in 2013, according to The Wall Street Journal. Epstein reportedly paid for the woman to attend school for a software coding course, and in a 2017 email, the financier asked Gates to reimburse him.
The nuclear physicist with whom Gates admitted to having an affair previously worked at one of Gates&#8217; companies, but Gates did not say if the sexual relationship began while the physicist was under his employment, the Journal reported.
Gates told his staff during the town hall meeting that he traveled with Epstein multiple times, but &#8220;never stayed overnight&#8221; with the convicted pedophile and never visited Epstein&#8217;s infamous island.
Gates&#8217; apology comes after Epstein-related emails from 2013 released by the Justice Department hinted at Gates&#8217; affairs with the Russian women and suggested the trysts were illegally facilitated. One of the emails released by the Justice Department was a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01965732.pdf">message</a> Epstein sent to himself that appears to be a draft of a resignation letter from Gates&#8217; former science adviser, Boris Nikolic. In the message, the writer admits to &#8220;facilitating &#8230; illegal trysts, with married women&#8221; and helping Gates &#8220;get drugs, in order to deal with the consequences of sex with russian [sic] girls.&#8221;
&#8220;In my role as his right hand I have been asked and wrongly acquiesced into participating in things that have ranged from the morally inappropriate, to the ethically unsound and have been repeatedly asked to do thing[s] that get near and potentially over the line into the illegal,&#8221; the message continues.
Last month, a representative for Gates said the claims made in the 2013 email &#8220;are absolutely absurd and completely false&#8221; and come from a &#8220;proven, disgruntled liar.&#8221;
&#8220;The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame,” the Gates representative added.
According to Gates, Epstein only found out about the affairs because Nikolic told him. Nikolic told the Journal that the emails found on Epstein&#8217;s server “were not written on my behalf or at my request.”
Gates has not been accused of committing any crimes connected to Epstein or in relation to his sexual encounters with the Russian women.
The 2013 email also references a &#8220;severe marital dispute&#8221; between Gates and his then-wife, Melinda French Gates. The couple divorced in 2021, a process that began shortly after reports of Bill&#8217;s close relationship with Epstein began circulating in 2019.
Bill told his staff on Tuesday that he first met Epstein in 2011, three years after Epstein pled guilty to procuring a child for prostitution in 2008. Melinda first expressed concerns about his relationship with Epstein in 2013, but he continued to meet with the disgraced financier.
&#8220;To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing,&#8221; Gates said of his ex-wife.
Gates claimed he was aware of an issue that limited Epstein&#8217;s ability to travel, but said that he didn&#8217;t bother to look into Epstein&#8217;s background.
&#8220;It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,&#8221; the Microsoft co-founder added. “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”

Bill Gates

Bill Gates Admits To Affairs With Russian Women — But Washes Hands Of Epstein’s Crimes

Department of Justice

Jeffrey Epstein

Melinda Gates

Ukraine hit a Russian plant manufacturing ballistic missiles in a missile strike in the remote Udmurtia region, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Saturday.
Ukraine said its forces attacked the plant manufacturing Russian missiles, including the short-range Iskander and intercontinental Topol-M, in Votkinsk, east of Moscow and about 1,400 km (800 miles) from Ukraine.
It said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that the Ukrainian forces used domestically produced ground-launched Flamingo cruise missiles. The attack caused a fire on the site, the Ukrainian military said.
Alexander Brechalov, the governor of the Udmurtia region in Russia, had earlier said a site there had been attacked overnight with drones.
&#8220;There has been damage and injuries as a result,&#8221; Brechalov said in a video posted on the Telegram app. He provided no other details.
The airport in Udmurtia&#8217;s main city, Izhevsk, and those in cities in nearby regions suspended operations, the civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said.
The unofficial Russian Telegram channel SHOT, which often quotes contacts in the security services, said residents in Votkinsk reported hearing at least three explosions and the humming of drones.
Russia uses its ballistic missiles to reinforce its drone attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, knocking out electricity and heating supplies for millions across Ukraine during the cold winter months.
Ukraine is increasingly targeting military and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia. Kyiv says that hitting the weapons producers and the energy system that fuels Russia&#8217;s military is the best way to gain leverage over its bigger enemy as the war enters its fifth year next week.
The Ukrainian military said it also hit a gas processing plant in the Russian Samara region. Russian officials in the Samara region issued no report of such an attack.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash, Editing by Alex Richardson)

Missile

Ukraine Strikes Ballistic Missile Producer Deep Inside Russia, Kyiv Says

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

World

The United States has presented new seismic data to substantiate its allegations that China tested a nuclear device in 2020, violating an international agreement against such tests.
A seismic monitoring station in Kazakhstan registered a 2.75 magnitude seismic event on June 22, 2020, the date that Washington has said Beijing tested a nuclear device in northwest China. The reading may be minor, but it picked up on an event that happened over 450 miles away, according to Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw.
“There is very little possibility that it is anything other than an explosion, a singular explosion,” Yeaw said on Tuesday, according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/17/nx-s1-5716046/u-s-releases-new-details-on-alleged-secret-chinese-nuclear-test">NPR</a>. “It is quite consistent with what you would expect from a nuclear explosive test.”
Yeaw said that the event that was measured in Kazakhstan originated from Lop Nor, long recognized as one of China’s main nuclear test sites.
The revelation of the seismic data comes as the United States is pushing China to join in nuclear talks between Washington and Moscow. Earlier this month, an arms treaty that limited nuclear weapons <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nuclear-caps-gone-as-u-s-russia-treaty-expires">expired</a> between the United States and Russia.
President Donald Trump said last year that China and Russia have conducted secret nuclear weapon tests. Trump said that the United States would begin testing, too.
“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,” the president said during an interview with “60 Minutes.” “We’re going to test, because they test and others test.”
Days after the CBS interview, the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-announces-major-decision-on-nuclear-weapons">announced</a> that he had directed the Department of War to begin conducting nuclear tests.
“The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” the president said in a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115499324245510580">post</a>. “This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term. Because of other countries [sic] testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”
In a video message, Trump added, “Because of the tremendous destructive power, I hated to do it, having to do with nuclear weapons, but I really had no choice. Russia is second in line, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years.”

Donald Trump, Xi Jinping

Trump Admin Reveals Seismic Data To Confirm Secret Chinese Nuclear Tests

Communist China

Nuclear Weapons

United States

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign minister called the latest round of nuclear negotiations with the United States a success, even as both parties heighten their military posture.
Following the conclusion of talks in Geneva, Switzerland, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters that “the path for a deal has started,” calling the latest round of talks “serious” and “constructive.” The United States delegation, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — who went immediately from Switzerland to a high-stakes trilateral meeting with Russia and Ukraine — has yet to release a formal readout of the meeting.
But the ostensible progress is set against military tension between Washington and Tehran. The United States is continuing to surge assets toward Iran, with the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group reportedly around 700 kilometers away from Iran. Meanwhile, the USS Gerald R. Ford — the world’s largest warship — and its accompanying strike group are en route from the Caribbean. 
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday taunted President Donald Trump’s military buildup, stating that while American aircraft carriers are “dangerous machines,” the “weapon that can sink the aircraft carrier to the bottom of the sea” is more dangerous.
Iran has also been flexing its own military muscle. On Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/17/iran-us-strait-of-hormuz-oil-nuclear-talks-geneva.html">briefly closed</a> parts of the Strait of Hormuz for what it called “security precautions” as it conducted exercises in the strategic chokepoint, a critical artery for global oil shipments.
Iran also has plans to hold joint naval exercises with Russia and China for the “Maritime Security Belt 2026.” Russian presidential aide <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/russia-china-iran-deploy-ships-for-joint-exercises-in-strait-of-hormuz/3832330">Nikolay Patrushev said</a> that the exercises, which have been held periodically since 2019, “proved to be relevant.” <a href="https://wanaen.com/iran-russia-and-china-to-hold-joint-naval-drill-soon/#:~:text=WANA%20(Feb%2017)%20%E2%80%93%20Nikolai,search%2Dand%2Drescue%20operations.">Iranian news outlet Wana</a> reported that the exercises are scheduled for late February and involve naval deployments from all three countries.
In total, there are at least 12 U.S. warships in the Middle East, according to satellite imagery <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1d64p3q2d0o">reviewed by the BBC</a>. They include the USS Abraham Lincoln and its three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which form a full carrier strike group; two additional destroyers; and three specialized ships designed for near-shore combat, currently positioned at Bahrain’s naval station in the Gulf. Two other destroyers have been spotted in the eastern Mediterranean, and another in the Red Sea.
There has reportedly been an increase in F-15 and EA-18 fighter jets stationed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, along with cargo planes, refueling aircraft, and communications planes moving toward the region.
Trump told reporters on Monday aboard Air Force One, “I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” while describing Iran as “tough negotiators” and confirming his indirect involvement in the talks.
Hardline rhetoric has also come from Iran’s IRGC senior advisor General Mohammad Reza Naghdi, <a href="https://x.com/MEMRIReports/status/2023711589548036173">who declared</a> last week that the United States is “incapable of doing a damn thing even if it deploys 12 aircraft carriers.”
That&#8217;s a markedly different tone from Araghchi, the foreign minister, who said &#8220;good progress was made compared to the previous session, and we now have a clearer path ahead, which I consider positive.” The foreign minister of Oman, who moderated the talks, echoed that positive assessment, saying the talks concluded with “good progress towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues” and highlighting the “constructive spirit” of the discussions. 
Curbing Iran’s missile capabilities has remained a top concern for Israel, which repeatedly raised the issue with Trump in December. Trump reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he would support an Israeli strike on Iran’s ballistic missile program if diplomacy failed.

Trump and Ayatollah

Iran Says Nuclear Talks Are ‘Constructive’ As Trump Sends A Message In The Gulf

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called &#8220;troubling&#8221; a report by five European allies blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using toxin from poison dart frogs, adding that Washington had no reason to question it.
&#8220;We obviously are aware of the report. It&#8217;s a troubling report. We&#8217;re aware of that case of Mr. Navalny and certainly&#8230; we don&#8217;t have any reason to question it,&#8221; Rubio told reporters at a news conference in Brastislava during a visit to Slovakia.
In a joint statement, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands on Saturday said analyses of samples from Navalny&#8217;s body &#8220;conclusively&#8221; confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia.
The Russian government, which has repeatedly denied any responsibility for Navalny&#8217;s death while he was held in an Arctic penal colony two years ago, dismissed the latest allegations as &#8220;a Western propaganda hoax,&#8221; according to Russia&#8217;s state news agency TASS.
When asked why the United States did not join the statement, Rubio said this was an endeavour by them.
&#8220;Those countries came to that conclusion. They coordinated that. We chose &#8211; doesn&#8217;t mean we disagree with the outcome. We just, it wasn&#8217;t, our endeavor. Sometimes countries go out and do their thing with based on the intelligence they&#8217;ve gathered.&#8221; Rubio said.
&#8220;We&#8217;re not disputing or getting into a fight with these countries over it. But it was their report, and they put that out there,&#8221; he added.
Russian opposition leader Navalny died in an Arctic prison colony in February 2024, after being convicted of extremism and other charges, all of which he denied.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Jan Lopatka; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Susan Fenton)

Secretary Of State Marco Rubio

Rubio Says U.S. Does Not Dispute Navalny Poisoning Assessment By Europeans

Alexei Navalny

Marco Rubio

Murder

Western governments accused the Russian state on Saturday of assassinating opposition leader Alexei Navalny using a rare toxin derived from South American dart frogs, rejecting Moscow’s long-standing claim that the Kremlin critic died of natural causes in prison.
The findings, announced at the Munich Security Conference by officials from the U.K., Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany, leave little doubt about the cause of Navalny’s death. For two years, questions lingered over whether his death was a natural consequence of imprisonment or a calculated act of state violence. Now, with scientific evidence confirming what Navalny&#8217;s widow and new leader of the Russian opposition, Yulia Navalnaya, and her allies long suspected, the focus has shifted to the Kremlin’s responsibility and the broader implications for Russia’s treatment of political dissent.
The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-by-the-uk-sweden-france-germany-and-the-netherlands-on-alexei-navalnys-death">statement</a> released by the European governments says forensic analysis of biological samples taken from Navalny’s body confirmed the presence of epibatidine. “There is no innocent explanation for the presence of this toxin,” the British Foreign Office said, adding that epibatidine is “not naturally found in Russia” and originates from poison dart frogs native to South America.
Navalny, 47, died on February 16, 2024, while serving a 30.5-year sentence in a high-security penal colony above the Arctic Circle. Russia’s prison service claimed at the time that Navalny collapsed after feeling unwell during a walk and could not be revived.
Western officials now say that explanation does not withstand scrutiny.
“Only the Russian government had the means, the motive, and the opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin against Alexei Navalny during his imprisonment,” said U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, in the U.K.&#8217;s own <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-confirmsrussia-poisoned-navalny-in-prison-with-rare-toxin">statement</a>. “By using this form of poison, the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition.”
The toxin identified, epibatidine, is estimated to be up to 200 times stronger than morphine. Officials said it remains unclear how the substance was administered, though they stressed that access to Navalny was tightly controlled by Russian authorities at the time of his death.
Navalny’s widow said the announcement was welcomed as closure, that it confirmed what she had believed since the moment she learned of her husband’s death.
“I’m satisfied,” Navalnaya said in an <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/international-telecasts/russian-opposition-leader-yulia-navalnaya-speaks-to-politico-at-munich-security-conference/673394">interview</a> following the announcement. “It’s difficult for me to say that it’s good news, because my husband was killed. He was very young — he was less than 50.”
Navalnaya said she never believed the Kremlin’s account that Alexei Navalny died suddenly of natural causes. The day before his death, she said, they spoke by video link and he appeared healthy.
“We saw him just one day before — yes, by video connection — but he was laughing. He looked absolutely healthy,” Navalnaya said. “So it was obvious to me that something horrible happened to him.”
From the outset, she said, she believed responsibility lay with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I was sure that it was Vladimir Putin who killed him,” she said. “And it’s not the first time.”
Navalnaya pointed to a 2020 assassination attempt, when Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent while traveling in Russia. After recovering in Germany, he returned home and was immediately arrested — a move widely condemned by Western governments.
“It was obvious to me that he was poisoned, that he was killed in this penal colony,” she said. “We didn’t know how exactly, and we knew it would take a long time to discover how it happened.”
That uncertainty, Navalnaya said, has now been resolved.
She said she was “very grateful to the governments of the U.K., Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany,” adding that “all the uncertainty is now dismissed.”
“This is not just our investigation,” she said. “This is an investigation based on very, very scientific sources.”
Navalnaya has since assumed a public leadership role in Russia’s opposition movement, vowing to continue her husband’s anti-corruption work despite mounting personal risk. For her, the Western findings represent an official, <a href="https://x.com/yulia_navalnaya/status/2022652772500316538">evidentiary record</a> of what she says the Kremlin tried to erase.
Moscow had delayed the release of Navalny’s body for more than a week. Thousands of mourners later attended his funeral in Moscow, while hundreds more were <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/hundreds-detained-in-russia-while-mourning-death-of-alexei-navalny-vocal-putin-critic">detained</a> across Russia for laying flowers in his honor.
The joint European governments have formally notified the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of their findings, alleging that Russia breached the Chemical Weapons Convention. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot <a href="https://x.com/jnbarrot/status/2022683063637946838">said</a> the findings showed that Moscow was willing to use prohibited weapons against its own citizens to maintain power.
Throughout his imprisonment, Navalny remained the most prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, exposing corruption and calling for democratic reform. The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed allegations of wrongdoing, characterizing Western accusations as politically motivated.
As of publication, Russian officials had not commented on the latest findings.

COMBO-GERMANY-RUSSIA-POLITICS-NAVALNY

Western Allies Say Alexei Navalny Was Poisoned With Frog Toxin, Accuse Putin’s Kremlin Of Political Murder

Europe

WASHINGTON — Melania Trump has reunited even more Russian and Ukrainian children with their families today, the First Lady&#8217;s office announced on Thursday.
The news marks the third time that the First Lady has helped to bring children back to their families after these children were separated due to the Russia and Ukraine war.
&#8220;I appreciate that Russia and Ukraine are dedicated to bringing back the children who have been displaced because of the circumstances surrounding this conflict,&#8221; Melania Trump said in a statement on Thursday. &#8220;Although all parties are cooperating and our communications remain robust, I urge Russia and Ukraine to intensify their efforts to ensure the safe return of every child to their families and guardians.”
“Today marks the third reunification since I have been working strategically with both nations,&#8221; she added. &#8220;I have no doubt more progress will come.”
The First Lady and her representative helping with the negotiations &#8220;continue to engage&#8221; in these conversations with both Russia and Ukraine.
In October, the First Lady <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/melania-trump-persuaded-putin-to-help-her-reunite-children-displaced-during-russia-ukraine-war">revealed that she had been in frequent contact</a> with Russian President Vladimir Putin as she sought to bring home children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war, sharing at the time that she had reunited eight Ukrainian children with their families.
“President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children,” the first lady explained during a press conference at the White House, sharing that Putin responded to her August plea to help the children with his own letter, and willingly agreed to engage with her. “For the past few months, both sides have participated in several back channel meetings and calls, all in good faith.”
“Each child has lived in turmoil because of the war in Ukraine,” she said. “Three were separated from their parents and displaced to the Russian Federation because of frontline fighting. The other five were separated from family members across borders because of the conflict, including one young girl who has now been reunited from Ukraine to Russia.”
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<div id="attachment_1043309" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/for-the-third-time-melania-trump-reunites-russian-ukrainian-children-with-their-families/melania-trump-meets-with-released-american-israeli-hostage-keith-siegel" rel="attachment wp-att-1043309"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1043309" class="wp-image-1043309 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2259906303.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)</div>
The First Lady has been unusually public-facing this year, partially due to the release of her documentary film, &#8220;Melania,&#8221; which premiered at the Kennedy Center with an elegant black and white soiree attended by top members of the president&#8217;s administration and many staff.
On February 4, the First Lady met with Keith and Aviva Siegel at the White House, where they had a private, sit-down conversation before bringing in the press. Hamas forcibly took the Siegels from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023, and held them hostage. The terrorist group held Aviva Siegel hostage for 51 days, and Keith Siegel for 484 days.
Hamas released Aviva Siegel during the first hostage deal in November 2023, then released her husband on February 1, 2025, during a ceasefire brokered by the president before he even took office. Keith Siegel&#8217;s release came after his wife met with both Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
One of these meetings, between Melania Trump and Aviva Siegel, was included in the first lady’s new film, “Melania.&#8221; The film showed footage of Melania Trump and Aviva Siegel sharing an emotional moment in Manhattan. Melania Trump hugs Siegel as she weeps into her shoulder, and the first lady promises to pray for her husband, who was still in captivity.
One of the final title cards in “Melania” states that the first lady “played a key role in securing the release of Keith Siegel after 484 days as a hostage in Gaza, just 12 days after the inauguration.” And the First Lady states in the film: “I will always use my influence and power to fight for those in need.&#8221;

First Lady Melania Trump Meets Freed Israeli-American Hostage Keith Siegel

For The Third Time, Melania Trump Reunites Russian, Ukrainian Children With Their Families

Melania Trump

Politics

One year after Marc Fogel was brought from a Russian prison to the White House, the former schoolteacher is celebrating his freedom alongside his 96-year-old mother and the lawmakers who never stopped fighting for him.
Fogel, who spent more than three years imprisoned in Russia, returned to the United States in February after President Donald Trump secured his release. While Fogel has largely stayed out of the spotlight over the past year, those closest to him say he is still adjusting to life back home.
So is his mother, Malphine, who says she&#8217;s still not used to the fact that her son is home.
“I still wake up praying that Marc comes home — it just hasn’t fully registered yet,” Malphine Fogel told The Daily Wire. “But he’s doing well. He hasn’t talked a whole lot about his experience, but he’s enjoying family life again, catching up on sports, and relishing every moment.”
<div id="attachment_765637" style="width: 609px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-765637" class="size-large wp-image-765637" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/PhotoOct03202282115AM-599x576.jpg" alt="" width="599" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/PhotoOct03202282115AM-599x576.jpg 599w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/PhotoOct03202282115AM-300x289.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/PhotoOct03202282115AM.jpg 759w" sizes=" (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px" />Marc Fogel in a Russian prison (Courtesy)</div>
Fogel, 64, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for possessing medical marijuana in 2021 when he arrived in Moscow with his wife, Jane. An employee of the Anglo-American School of Moscow, Fogel spent 27 years teaching the children overseas, and was planning to retire the year he was arrested. An American doctor prescribed the marijuana after Fogel had surgeries on his back, shoulder, and knee. 
The State Department designated Fogel as “wrongfully detained” last December. Those involved in his case say he may have been targeted because of the school where he worked, which closed in April 2023 and was labeled a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities. At the time, the United States government <a href="https://2021-2025.state.gov/protesting-moscows-designation-of-the-anglo-american-school-as-a-foreign-agent/">condemned</a> the closure of the school for diplomats&#8217; children, calling it “troubling” and denouncing the shutdown as occurring “without legitimate cause.”
Throughout Fogel’s imprisonment, his family waged a relentless campaign to keep his case in the public eye and pressure politicians to act to secure his freedom.
<div id="attachment_875613" style="width: 930px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-875613" class="size-large wp-image-875613" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GjjfANZWIAA4XC8-920x576.jpeg" alt="" width="920" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GjjfANZWIAA4XC8-920x576.jpeg 920w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GjjfANZWIAA4XC8-300x188.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GjjfANZWIAA4XC8-768x481.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GjjfANZWIAA4XC8-1536x961.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GjjfANZWIAA4XC8-2048x1282.jpeg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 920px) 100vw, 920px" />Marc Fogel returning to the United States</div>
Lawmakers who helped bring about Fogel’s release are marking the anniversary of his freedom, including Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), who gave the credit to President Trump.
“His release was a top priority of mine in Congress, where I led the fight to force the Biden administration to bring him home,” Reschenthaler told The Daily Wire. “While our pleas to President Biden went unanswered, President Trump acted swiftly and secured Marc’s freedom just weeks after his inauguration.”
In August 2024, The Daily Wire published an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/my-soul-is-dead-american-teacher-speaks-from-russian-prison-after-exclusion-from-prisoner-swap">exclusive recording</a> of Fogel saying his “soul is dead” after being left out of a prisoner swap with Russia brokered by the Biden administration. He described feeling like a “second-class citizen” as higher-profile Americans, including WNBA player Brittney Griner and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, were brought home. The Fogel family had long been frustrated that he was not immediately granted the same “wrongfully detained” status — which would have unlocked financial support for his medical care — that Griner and Gershkovich received.
Instead, the Fogel family turned their attention to then-candidate Trump. Malphine met with Trump at his July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he told her he would do everything he could to free her son if elected. She was scheduled to appear <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-trump-rally-vip-recounts-heroism-amid-assassination-attempt-chaos">on stage</a> with Trump until a would-be assassin fired at him.
<div class="image"><img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-765627 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/IMG_6105-preview.heic" alt="" /></div>
“He did make good on his promise,” Malphine told The Daily Wire. “He promised to do it, and it happened immediately. We&#8217;re always going to be grateful for that. Just truly grateful.”
When the shooting occurred, Malphine was just about 25 feet from President Trump and standing next to Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA). He, too, promised to push for Fogel’s release before taking office.
“I remain overjoyed and deeply proud of President Trump and his team for moving with urgency to bring Marc Fogel home,” McCormick told The Daily Wire. “Standing next to President Trump, I first met Marc’s mother in his hometown of Butler, where I promised to do everything I could to help bring him home. Dina and I renewed that promise when we later hosted her in our Pittsburgh home.”
<div id="attachment_765645" style="width: 799px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-765645" class="size-large wp-image-765645" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/IMG_0958-preview-2-789x576.jpg" alt="" width="789" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/IMG_0958-preview-2-789x576.jpg 789w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/IMG_0958-preview-2-300x219.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/IMG_0958-preview-2-768x561.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/IMG_0958-preview-2-1536x1122.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/IMG_0958-preview-2-2048x1496.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 789px) 100vw, 789px" />Malphine Fogel with Pennsylvania GOP national committee woman Christine Toretti, Sen. Dave McCormick, and Rep. Dan Meuser.</div>
After departing Russia with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Fogel flew straight to Washington, where he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-trump-is-a-hero-marc-fogel-welcomed-at-white-house-after-release-from-russian-prison">greeted at the White House</a> by President Trump, McCormick, and other officials. He said he felt like “the luckiest man on earth” and called Trump, State Department officials, and the elected officials who worked for his release heroes.
“Never has one owed so much to so many,” Fogel said, with his own take on a Winston Churchill quote. “I am in awe of what they all did.”
McCormick added that “greeting Marc at the White House remains my best day in the U.S. Senate.”
McCormick said he teamed up with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) to push for Fogel to receive the “wrongfully detained” designation and noted that his very first question to Secretary Marco Rubio during his Senate confirmation hearing was about Fogel.
“We never let go,” McCormick said. “I am filled with relief and gratitude to know he is safe at home.”
<div id="attachment_1042147" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1042147" class="size-large wp-image-1042147" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2198419238-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2198419238-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2198419238-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2198419238-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2198419238.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Marc Fogel holding an Iron City Beer at the White House. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)</div>
Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), who was also at the White House one year ago, greeted Fogel with a handshake and an Iron City Beer — the local favorite from Fogel’s home of Western Pennsylvania,
“I was proud to work with the Pennsylvania congressional delegation across parties, two administrations, and several years to help bring my Western Pennsylvania constituent Marc Fogel home,” Deluzio said. “It was a long road for Marc, but every American should expect their representatives and government to fight for them if they are ever wrongfully detained — even if they aren’t famous or powerful.”
As Marc Fogel marks one year of freedom, the relief and gratitude are still palpable. Malphine recalled the whirlwind of his return — so sudden that the family didn’t have time to make it to Washington to greet him.
“I attribute it all to prayers. I really, really do,” she said. “I had so many people praying for Marc, and I think God was getting tired of hearing from me.”

Marc Fogel

From A Russian Prison To The White House: Marc Fogel Marks One Year Of Freedom

Dave McCormick

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