ReportWire

Tag: military

  • Marines say live-fire 250th anniversary beach assault will not close the 5 Freeway in Orange, San Diego counties

    A live-fire beach assault that will include amphibious vehicles, aircraft, and Navy ships to commemorate the Marines’ 250th anniversary on Saturday at Camp Pendleton will be conducted off one of the base’s many training ranges and not cause road closures, Marine officials said.

    The mock assault dubbed: America’s Marines 250: From Sea to Shore – A Review of Amphibious Strength.– which will be held in conjunction with a program expected to include comments from Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John C. Phelan and Gen. Eric Smith, the Commandant of the Marine Corps — will be held off Red Beach, which lies on the coastal side of the 5 Freeway.

    Comments Wednesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom on X: “Donald Trump and JD Vance think that shutting down the I-5 to shoot out missiles from ships is how you respect the military,” caused public concern, with some media outlets reporting that a possible closure of the busy 5 Freeway is being considered for parts of Orange and San Diego counties from Friday to Saturday.

    “All training events will occur on approved training ranges and comply with established safety protocols,” Lt. Col. Lindsay Pirek, a spokesperson for the I Marine Expeditionary Force overseeing the planning, said late Wednesday. “No public highways or transportation routes will be closed.”

    “In advance of the training event and demonstration, we conducted a detailed risk assessment,” she added. “All participants will be briefed, medical, fire, and emergency assets will be on site, and multiple rehearsals will be conducted. All air, surface, and ground movements are scripted and rehearsed in accordance with standard operating procedures and established safety checklists.”

    Metrolink, however, will not be operating some of its trains that cross the base on Saturday.

    “Only OC Line train 1668, the final southbound train of the day, is anticipated to complete its normal route from LA Union Station to Oceanside,” the agency said in a press release.

    A request for comment on the situation was placed with the offices of Newsom and Caltrans.

    Following the live-fire demonstration, a community Beach Bash will take place at Del Mar Beach, where thousands of military personnel, families, and guests are expected to gather.

    “The force training activities planned ensure our readiness to defend the Homeland and protect our nation’s interests abroad against emergent and unprecedented challenges today and in the years ahead,” Pirek said. “The capabilities demonstration will feature integrated Navy and Marine Corps operations across air, land, and sea.”

    The White House Production Office will capture the Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration for inclusion in a national primetime broadcast on Nov. 9, ensuring Marine Corps contributions to America’s 250th birthday are highlighted for audiences across the nation.

    Originally Published:

    Erika I. Ritchie

    Source link

  • Opinion | Gaza Deal Is a Big Win for Trump—but Voters Are Fickle

    He has secured a place in history, but the midterm elections are another matter.

    Karl Rove

    Source link

  • Satellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data

    That suggests anyone could set up similar hardware somewhere else in the world and likely obtain their own collection of sensitive information. After all, the researchers restricted their experiment to only off-the-shelf satellite hardware: a $185 satellite dish, a $140 roof mount with a $195 motor, and a $230 tuner card, totaling less than $800.

    “This was not NSA-level resources. This was DirecTV-user-level resources. The barrier to entry for this sort of attack is extremely low,” says Matt Blaze, a computer scientist and cryptographer at Georgetown University and law professor at Georgetown Law. “By the week after next, we will have hundreds or perhaps thousands of people, many of whom won’t tell us what they’re doing, replicating this work and seeing what they can find up there in the sky.”

    One of the only barriers to replicating their work, the researchers say, would likely be the hundreds of hours they spent on the roof adjusting their satellite. As for the in-depth, highly technical analysis of obscure data protocols they obtained, that may now be easier to replicate, too: The researchers are releasing their own open-source software tool for interpreting satellite data, also titled “Don’t Look Up,” on Github.

    The researchers’ work may, they acknowledge, enable others with less benevolent intentions to pull the same highly sensitive data from space. But they argue it will also push more of the owners of that satellite communications data to encrypt that data, to protect themselves and their customers. “As long as we’re on the side of finding things that are insecure and securing them, we feel very good about it,” says Schulman.

    There’s little doubt, they say, that intelligence agencies with vastly superior satellite receiver hardware have been analyzing the same unencrypted data for years. In fact, they point out that the US National Security Agency warned in a 2022 security advisory about the lack of encryption for satellite communications. At the same time, they assume that the NSA—and every other intelligence agency from Russia to China—has set up satellite dishes around the world to exploit that same lack of protection. (The NSA did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment).

    “If they aren’t already doing this,” jokes UCSD cryptography professor Nadia Heninger, who co-led the study, “then where are my tax dollars going?”

    Heninger compares their study’s revelation—the sheer scale of the unprotected satellite data available for the taking—to some of the revelations of Edward Snowden that showed how the NSA and Britain’s GCHQ were obtaining telecom and internet data on an enormous scale, often by secretly tapping directly into communications infrastructure.

    “The threat model that everybody had in mind was that we need to be encrypting everything, because there are governments that are tapping undersea fiber optic cables or coercing telecom companies into letting them have access to the data,” Heninger says. “And now what we’re seeing is, this same kind of data is just being broadcast to a large fraction of the planet.”

    Andy Greenberg, Matt Burgess

    Source link

  • Trump sets off for the Mideast to mark Gaza ceasefire deal

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is setting off for Israel and Egypt on Sunday to celebrate the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas and urge Middle East allies to seize the opportunity to build a durable peace in the volatile region.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Donald Trump is setting off for Israel and Egypt to celebrate the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. He’s also expected to urge Middle East allies to seize the opportunity to build a durable peace in the volatile region
    • Trump is stopping first in Israel to meet with hostage families and address the parliament
    • Vice President JD Vance says Trump could also meet with hostages themselves
    • In Egypt, the Republican president and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will chair a summit on peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East with leaders from more than 20 countries

    It’s a fragile moment with Israel and Hamas only in the early stages of implementing the first phase of the Trump agreement designed to bring a permanent end to the war sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants.

    Trump thinks there is a narrow window to reshape the Mideast and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

    It is a moment, the Republican president says, that has been helped along by his administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

    The White House says momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States

    “I think you are going to have tremendous success and Gaza is going to be rebuilt,” Trump said Friday. “And you have some very wealthy countries, as you know, over there. It would take a small fraction of their wealth to do that. And I think they want to do it.”

    A tenuous point in the agreement

    The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final 48 hostages held by Hamas, including about 20 believed to be alive; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.

    Israeli troops on Friday finished withdrawing from parts of Gaza, triggering a 72-hour countdown under the deal for Hamas to release the Israeli hostages, potentially while Trump is on the ground there. He said he expected their return to be completed on Monday or Tuesday.

    Trump will visit Israel first to meet with hostage families and address the Knesset, or parliament, an honor last extended to President George W. Bush during a visit in 2008. Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said Trump also was likely to meet with newly freed hostages, too.

    “Knock on wood, but we feel very confident the hostages will be released and this president is actually traveling to the Middle East, likely this evening, in order to meet them and greet them in person,” Vance told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

    Trump then stops in Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with leaders from more than 20 countries on peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East.

    It is a tenuous truce and it is unclear whether the sides have reached any agreement on Gaza’s postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.

    “I think the chances of (Hamas) disarming themselves, you know, are pretty close to zero,” H.R. McMaster, a national security adviser during Trump’s first term, said at an event hosted by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies on Thursday. He said he thought what probably would happen in the coming months is that the Israeli military “is going to have to destroy them.”

    Israel continues to rule over millions of Palestinians without basic rights as settlements expand rapidly across the occupied West Bank. Despite growing international recognition, Palestinian statehood appears exceedingly remote because of Israel’s opposition and actions on the ground,

    The war has left Israel isolated internationally and facing allegations of genocide, which it denies. International arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister are in effect, and the United Nations’ highest court is considering allegations of genocide brought by South Africa.

    Hamas has been militarily decimated and has given up its only bargaining chip with Israel by releasing the hostages. But the Islamic militant group is still intact and could eventually rebuild if there’s an extended period of calm.

    Netanyahu reiterated that Israel would continue with its demilitarization of Hamas after the hostages are returned.

    “Hamas agreed to the deal only when it felt that the sword was on its neck — and it is still on its neck,” Netanyahu said Friday as Israel began to pull back its troops.

    Trump wants to expand the Abraham Accords

    Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and rebuilding is expected to take years. The territory’s roughly 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions.

    Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

    Trump is also standing up a U.S.-led civil-military coordination center in Israel to help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance into Gaza.

    Roughly 200 U.S. troops will be sent to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players. U.S. troops will not be sent to Gaza, Adm. Brad Cooper, the U.S. military commander for the region, said in a social media post Saturday.

    The White House has signaled that Trump is looking to quickly return attention to building on a first-term effort known as the Abraham Accords, which forged diplomatic and commercial ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

    A permanent agreement in Gaza would help pave the path for Trump to begin talks with Saudi Arabia as well Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country, toward normalizing ties with Israel, according to a senior Trump administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.

    Such a deal with Saudi Arabia, the most powerful and wealthy Arab state, has the potential to reshape the region and boost Israel’s standing in historic ways.

    But brokering such an agreement remains a heavy lift as the kingdom has said it won’t officially recognize Israel before a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Palestinians return to ruins and U.S. troops land in Israel as ceasefire holds

    GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians returned to their Gaza neighborhoods Saturday, weaving through dust-shrouded streets as bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of two years of war and a ceasefire held in its second day.

    What You Need To Know

    • Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are returning to their neighborhoods as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas enters its second day

    • Aid groups are preparing to scale up relief work but many will find their homes reduced to rubble

    • UNICEF is urging Israel to reopen more border crossings to allow aid to flow freely

    • About 200 U.S. troops have arrived in Israel to help retrieve hostages and monitor the ceasefire, which Israel’s military confirmed took effect Friday

    “Gaza is completely destroyed. I have no idea where we should live or where to go,” said Mahmoud al-Shandoghli as he walked through Gaza City. A boy climbed a shattered building to raise the Palestinian flag.

    About 200 U.S. troops arrived in Israel to monitor the ceasefire with Hamas. They will set up a center to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance. The head of the U.S. military’s Central Command said he visited Gaza on Saturday to prepare it.

    “This great effort will be achieved with no U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza,” Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement.

    An Egyptian official said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with senior U.S. and Israeli military officials in Gaza on Saturday and that Witkoff stressed the implementation of the ceasefire deal’s first phase. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters.

    Tons of desperately needed food

    Aid groups urged Israel to reopen more crossings to allow aid into Gaza. A U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet public, said Israel has approved expanded aid deliveries, starting Sunday.

    The World Food Program said it was ready to restore 145 food distribution points across the famine-stricken territory, once Israel allows for expanded deliveries. Before Israel sealed off Gaza in March, U.N. agencies provided food at 400 distribution points.

    Though the timeline and how the food will enter Gaza remain unclear, the distribution points will allow Palestinians to access food at more locations than they could through the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which had operated four locations since taking over distribution in late May.

    COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid, said more than 500 trucks entered Gaza on Friday, although many crossings remain closed.

    Some 170,000 metric tons of food aid have been positioned in neighboring countries awaiting permission from Israel to restart deliveries.

    Israel braces for hostages’ return

    Israel’s military has said the 48 hostages still in Gaza would be freed Monday. The government believes around 20 remain alive. They were among about 250 hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

    “It’s been a few nights that we can’t sleep. We want them back and we feel that everything is just hanging on a thread,” Maayan Eliasi, a Tel Aviv resident, said at a gathering at the city’s Hostages Square.

    Israel is to free some 250 Palestinians serving prison sentences, as well as around 1,700 people seized from Gaza the past two years and held without charge. The Israel Prison Service said Saturday that prisoners have been transferred to deportation facilities at Ofer and Ktzi’ot prisons, “awaiting instructions from the political echelon.”

    Questions about Gaza’s future

    Questions remain on who will govern Gaza after Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in the ceasefire agreement.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who unilaterally ended the previous ceasefire in March, has suggested Israel could resume its offensive if Hamas fails to disarm.

    “If it’s achieved the easy way, so be it. If not, it will be achieved the hard way,” Netanyahu said Friday, pledging that the next stage would bring Hamas’ disarmament.

    The scale of Gaza’s destruction will become clearer if the truce holds. More than three out of every four buildings have been destroyed, the U.N. said in September — a volume of debris equivalent to 25 Eiffel Towers, much of it likely toxic.

    A February assessment by the European Union and World Bank estimated $49 billion in damage, including $16 billion to housing and $6.3 billion to the health sector.

    The death toll is expected to rise as more bodies that couldn’t be retrieved during Israel’s offensive are found.

    A manager at northern Gaza’s Shifa Hospital told The Associated Press that 45 bodies pulled from the rubble in Gaza City had arrived over the past 24 hours. The manager, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, said the bodies had been missing for several days to two weeks.

    New security arrangements

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s initial 20-point plan calls for Israel to maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza, though the timeline is unclear.

    The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50% of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.

    Witkoff told Israeli officials on Friday that the United States would establish a center in Israel to coordinate issues concerning Gaza until there is a permanent government, according to a readout of the meeting by a person who attended it and obtained by the AP. Another official who was not authorized to speak to the media confirmed the readout’s contents.

    The readout said no U.S. soldiers will be on the ground in Gaza, but there will be people who report to the U.S. and aircraft might operate over the strip for monitoring.

    The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel in the 2023 attack, killing some 1,200 people.

    In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

    The war has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Husted highlights funding to Ohio’s military projects after bill passes Senate

    DAYTON, Ohio — The U.S. Senate voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Thursday 77-20, and Republican Ohio Sen. Jon Husted said he helped ensure funding for various Ohio-based military projects.

    It now needs to pass the House and then be signed by President Donald Trump for it to become law.

    What You Need To Know

    • Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is highlighting the funding to Ohio’s military projects after the National Defense Authorization Act passed the Senate

    • In particular, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base would see millions for various projects

    • The bill passed the Senate 77-20
    • It must still pass the House and be signed by the President to become law

    This vote comes amid an ongoing government shutdown that has led to Democratic and Republican lawmakers becoming increasingly heated as it stretches on.

    “I’m especially proud that Ohio will continue to lead the way in America’s defense,” Husted said in a release from his office. “This legislation delivers major investments in new infrastructure and technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, advances cutting-edge research at NASA Glenn in Cleveland and strengthens key national defense assets across our state.”

    In addition to a 3.8% pay increase for members of the military, here are just some of the Ohio-specific benefits within the bill, should it become law, according to Husted’s office.

    There would be $45 million going toward Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) for the construction of a Human Performance Wing Laboratory.

    “This building will serve as the modernized headquarters for the Human Effectiveness Directorate of the 711th Human Performance Wing, which advances human warfighter capabilities in training, bioeffects and bioengineering,” the release reads.

    There would be $15 million going toward refurbishing WPAFB’s main runway, which the release states has been deteriorating for years.

    The WPAFB would also be seeing $2.8 million go toward the design of an AI supercomputing center.

    “The construction of the AI Supercomputer Center is essential to U.S. defense capabilities in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and advanced modeling & simulation,” the release reads. “…This investment will ensure the Air Force can meet supercomputing needs for weapon system development and intelligence applications.”

    Husted’s office also states that Ohio jobs would be created out of the $10 million headed to Project Pele, which will create “an expeditionary micro nuclear reactor for the military.”

    A couple million dollars would also be headed to the DEEP SENTRY program, “to infuse AI and machine learning into America’s missile defense system…Ohio is home to developers of the missile defense software used in DEEP SENTRY,” according to the release.

    You can view the full text of the bill here, which Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, also voted to pass.

    “Peace is preserved through strength, and deterrence is our surest safeguard against war,” Husted said in the release. “This bill puts America back on solid footing to deter our adversaries and protect our national interests. I will continue fighting to ensure our Armed Forces have the tools to win—and that Ohio remains at the heart of America’s renewed strength and pride.”

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Cody Thompson

    Source link

  • Trump-appointed judges signal willingness to let president deploy troops to states

    The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals appears poised to recognize President Trump’s authority to send soldiers to Portland, Ore., with members of the court signaling receptiveness to an expansive new read of the president’s power to put boots on the ground in American cities.

    A three-judge panel from the appellate court — including two members appointed by Trump during his first term — heard oral arguments Thursday after Oregon challenged the legality of the president’s order to deploy hundreds of soldiers to Portland. The administration claims the city has become lawless; Oregon officials argue Trump is manufacturing a crisis to justify calling in the National Guard.

    While the court has not issued a decision, a ruling in Trump’s favor would mark a sharp rightward turn for the once-liberal circuit — and probably set up a Supreme Court showdown over why and how the U.S. military can be used domestically.

    “I’m sort of trying to figure out how a district court of any nature is supposed to get in and question whether the president’s assessment of ‘executing the laws’ is right or wrong,” said Judge Ryan D. Nelson of Idaho Falls, Idaho, one of the two Trump appointees hearing the arguments.

    “That’s an internal decision making, and whether there’s a ton of protests or low protests, they can still have an impact on his ability to execute the laws,” he said.

    U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut of Portland, another Trump appointee, previously called the president’s justification for federalizing Oregon troops “simply untethered to the facts” in her temporary restraining on Oct. 4.

    The facts about the situation on the ground in Portland were not in dispute at the hearing on Thursday. The city has remained mostly calm in recent months, with protesters occasionally engaging in brief skirmishes with authorities stationed outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.

    Instead, Nelson and Judge Bridget S. Bade of Phoenix, whom Trump once floated as a possible Supreme Court nominee, questioned how much the facts mattered.

    “The president gets to direct his resources as he deems fit, and it seems a little counterintuitive to me that the city of Portland can come and say, ‘No you need to do it differently,’” Nelson said.

    He also appeared to endorse the Department of Justice’s claim that “penalizing” the president for waiting until protests had calmed to deploy soldiers to quell them created a perverse incentive to act first and ask questions later.

    “It just seems like such a tortured reading of the statute,” the judge said. He then referenced the first battle of the U.S. Civil War in 1861, saying, “I’m not sure even President Lincoln would be able to bring in forces when he did, because if he didn’t do it immediately after Fort Sumter, [Oregon’s] argument would be, ‘Oh, things are OK now.’”

    Trump’s efforts to use troops to quell protests and support federal immigration operations have led to a growing tangle of legal challenges. The Portland deployment was halted by Immergut, who blocked Trump from federalizing Oregon troops. (A ruling from the same case issued the next day prevents already federalized troops from being deployed.)

    In June, a different 9th Circuit panel also made up of two Trump appointees ruled that the president had broad — though not “unreviewable” — discretion to determine whether facts on the ground met the threshold for military response in Los Angeles. Thousands of federalized National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines were deployed over the summer amid widespread protests over immigration enforcement.

    The June decision set precedent for how any future deployment in the circuit’s vast territory can be reviewed. It also sparked outrage, both among those who oppose armed soldiers patrolling American streets and those who support them.

    Opponents argue repeated domestic deployments shred America’s social fabric and trample protest rights protected by the 1st Amendment. With soldiers called into action so far in Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago, many charge the administration is using the military for political purposes.

    “The military should not be acting as a domestic police force in this country except in the most extreme circumstances,” said Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice. “That set of circumstances is not present right now anywhere in the country, so this is an abuse of power — and a very dangerous one because of the precedent it sets.”

    Supporters say the president has sole authority to determine the facts on the ground and if they warrant military intervention. They argue any check by the judicial branch is an illegal power grab, aimed at thwarting response to a legitimate and growing “invasion from within.”

    “What they’ve done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles — they’re very unsafe places, and we’re going to straighten them out one by one,” Trump said in an address to military top brass last week. “That’s a war too. It’s a war from within.”

    The 9th Circuit agreed to rehear the Los Angeles case with an 11-member “en banc” panel in Pasadena on Oct. 22, signaling a schism among Trump’s own judges over the boundaries of the president’s power.

    Still, Trump’s authority to call soldiers into American cities is only the first piece in a larger legal puzzle spread before the 9th Circuit, experts said.

    What federalized troops are allowed to do once deployed is the subject of another court decision now under review. That case could determine whether soldiers are barred from assisting immigration raids, controlling crowds of protesters or any other form of civilian law enforcement.

    Trump officials have maintained the president can wield the military as he sees fit — and that cities such as Portland and L.A. would be in danger if soldiers can’t come to the rescue.

    “These are violent people, and if at any point we let down our guard, there is a serious risk of ongoing violence,” Deputy Assistant Atty. Gen. Eric McArthur said. “The president is entitled to say enough is enough and bring in the National Guard.”

    Sonja Sharp

    Source link

  • The VFW Stands Up For Marijuana

    Long a conservative standard, the VFW is recognizing  science and the needs of their members.

    Seen as a symbol of small towns, patriotic service and right of center, the VFW stands up for marijuana. In a move that reflects shifting attitudes toward cannabis and wellness, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is partnering with Torch Cannabis Co. to introduce THC-infused beverages at select posts across the country. The rollout will occur only in states where cannabis products are legal, and profits will support veteran assistance programs and community services.

    RELATED: Cannabis Can Help PTSD

    The decision marks one of the most progressive steps in the VFW’s 125-year history—aligning the organization more closely with public opinion than with the still-cautious federal stance on marijuana.

    Founded in 1899 by veterans of the Spanish-American War, the VFW has long been a cornerstone of American veteran life—championing health care access, benefits, and social connection for returning service members. Its neighborhood posts have served as gathering places for generations, known as much for camaraderie as for the signature bar and beer taps behind it.

    The move toward cannabis beverages represents both a generational shift and an acknowledgment of new realities. Many younger veterans—especially those from Iraq and Afghanistan—are increasingly open to low-dose cannabis drinks as alternatives to alcohol or prescription medications.

    “This isn’t about turning the VFW into a dispensary,” one national officer explained. “It’s about offering veterans responsible choices and keeping our organization relevant to the next generation.”

    For years, veterans have turned to medical marijuana to ease symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain, and insomnia. Studies from the Department of Veterans Affairs and independent researchers show mixed results, but many service members report improved sleep, reduced anxiety, and fewer nightmares.

    While the VA still cannot prescribe or recommend cannabis under federal law, the VFW has publicly supported research into medical cannabis as a treatment option for veterans. The organization has lobbied Congress to allow VA doctors to discuss it openly with patients—a step most lawmakers have yet to take.

    RELATED: Is Cannabis Now The #1 Sleep Aid

    Public sentiment is firmly on the VFW’s side. Surveys show that more than 70 percent of Americans support marijuana legalization, and an even higher percentage favor its use for medical purposes. Yet federal cannabis policy remains largely unchanged, despite repeated bipartisan efforts to loosen restrictions for veterans’ medical care.

    By embracing cannabis beverages, the VFW is once again ahead of the curve—echoing the will of its members and the public rather than waiting for Washington to catch up.

    For an organization steeped in tradition, the VFW’s new partnership sends a clear message: supporting veterans means evolving with them. Whether the drink in hand is a cold beer or a mild cannabis seltzer, the mission remains the same—honor, community, and care for those who served.

    Terry Hacienda

    Source link

  • Israel, Hamas to exchange hostages and prisoners after deal to pause in Gaza war

    CAIRO — Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners — a breakthrough greeted with joy and relief Thursday but also caution.

    What You Need To Know

    • Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners

    • The breakthrough was greeted with joy and relief Thursday but also caution

    • Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects of the plan advanced by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump

    • Those aspects include whether and how Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza, but the sides appear closer than they have been in months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, brought famine to parts of the territory, and triggered other conflicts across the Middle East.

    Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects of the plan advanced by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump — such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza. But the sides appear closer than they have been in months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, brought famine to parts of the territory, and triggered other conflicts across the Middle East.

    The war, which began with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has also sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

    Even with the agreement expected to be signed in Egypt later in the day, Israeli strikes continued, with explosions seen Thursday in northern Gaza. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

    An Israeli military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military guidelines said that Israel was continuing to hit targets that posed a threat to its troops as they reposition.

    In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, celebrations were relatively muted and often colored by grief.

    “I am happy and unhappy. We have lost a lot of people and lost loved ones, friends and family. We lost our homes,” said Mohammad Al-Farra. “Despite our happiness, we cannot help but think of what is to come. … The areas we are going back to, or intending to return to, are uninhabitable.”

    In Tel Aviv, families of the remaining hostages popped champagne and cried tears of joy after Trump announced on social media late Wednesday that “ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line.”

    On Thursday, thousands of observant Jews streamed into Jerusalem’s Old City to mark the holiday of Sukkot, with extra rejoicing for the upcoming hostage release.

    “We were screaming and singing last night,” said Hindel Berman, a New Jersey resident who came to Jerusalem for the holiday. “We never, never, never gave up hope.”

    Under the terms, Hamas intends to release all 20 living hostages in a matter of days, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details of an agreement that has not fully been made public.

    “With God’s help we will bring them all home,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed on social media.

    Netanyahu plans to convene his Security Cabinet late Thursday to approve the ceasefire, and the entire parliament will then meet to approve the release of Palestinian prisoners.

    The deal will include a list of prisoners to be released and maps for the first phase of an Israeli withdrawal to new positions in Gaza, according to two Egyptian officials briefed on the talks, a Hamas official and another official.

    Israel will publish the list of the prisoners — and victims of their attacks have 24 hours to lodge objections.

    The withdrawal could start as soon as Thursday evening, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named speaking about the negotiations.

    The hostage and prisoner releases are expected to begin Monday, the officials from Egypt and Hamas said, though the other official said they could occur as early as Sunday night.

    Five border crossings would reopen, including the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, allowing 400 trucks in the initial days and increasing to 600 trucks after that, the Egyptian and Hamas officials said.

    Trump is expected in the region in the coming days.

    Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has opposed previous ceasefire deals, said he had “mixed emotions.”

    While he welcomed the return of the hostages, he said he had “immense fear about the consequences of emptying the jails and releasing the next generation of terrorist leaders” and said that as soon as the hostages are returned, Israel must continue trying to eradicate Hamas and ensure Gaza is demilitarized.

    Hamas, meanwhile, called on Trump and the mediators to ensure that Israel implements “without disavowal or delay” the troop withdrawal, the entry of aid into Gaza and the exchange of prisoners.

    Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip celebrate after the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan, as they gather at a plaza known as the hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

    Trump’s peace plan

    The Trump plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and release of the 48 hostages that militants in Gaza still hold from their attack on Israel two years ago. Some 1,200 people were killed by Hamas-led militants in that assault, and 251 were taken hostage. Israel believes around 20 of the hostages are still alive.

    Under the plan, Israel would maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza. The U.S. would lead a massive internationally funded reconstruction effort in Gaza.

    The plan also envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years to implement.

    The Trump plan is even more vague about a future Palestinian state, which Netanyahu firmly rejects.

    More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded during the war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

    People react as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

    People react as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

    Relief at a deal

    Even with many details yet to be agreed, many expressed relief at the progress.

    In Tel Aviv, joyful relatives of hostages and their supporters spilled into the central square that has become the main gathering point in the effort to free the captives.

    Einav Zangauker, the mother of Israeli captive Matan Zangauker and a prominent advocate for the hostages’ release, told reporters that she wants to tell her son she loves him.

    “If I have one dream, it is seeing Matan sleep in his own bed,” she said.

    From the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, Alaa Abd Rabbo called the announcement “a godsend.”

    “This is the day we have been waiting for,” said Abd Rabbo, who was originally from northern Gaza but was forced to move multiple times during the war. “We want to go home.”

    This would be the third ceasefire since the start of the war. The previous two also saw hostages and prisoners exchanged. Israel ended the most recent ceasefire, which started in January, with a surprise bombardment in March.

    Ayman Saber, a Palestinian from Khan Younis, said he plans to return to his home city and try to rebuild his house, which was destroyed last year by an Israeli strike.

    “I will rebuild the house, we will rebuild Gaza,” he said.

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Opinion | The Oct. 7 Warning for the U.S. on China

    Hamas’s shock troops poured across Israel’s border two years ago, kidnapping, raping and killing civilian men, women and children. Israel’s bitter experience offers lessons America should learn before our own moment of reckoning.

    The most important is that the hypothetical war can actually happen. Even if we’re intellectually prepared, there’s a risk that years of relative peace has lulled us into a false sense of security. The Israeli defense establishment never truly believed Hamas would launch a full-scale invasion. They viewed Gaza as a chronic but manageable problem—one for diplomats and intelligence officers, distant from the daily concerns of citizens. Israeli politicians and generals also spoke of open conflict with the Iran-led Islamist axis much like their American counterparts speak of China and a Taiwan crisis—the pacing threat and the most likely test, yes, but ultimately a question for tomorrow. Then tomorrow came.

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

    Mike Gallagher

    Source link

  • War on cartels? White House says it has an iron-clad case to strike narco-terrorist groups

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    The White House has told Congress the United States is now in an “armed conflict” with narco-traffickers operating in Latin America — a declaration that sounded to some like a formal announcement of war.

    Last week, a memo sent to lawmakers stated that the U.S. is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug traffickers classified as “unlawful combatants.” That followed President Donald Trump’s earlier designation of several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and four U.S. strikes on boats allegedly carrying narcotics near Venezuelan waters, which killed 21 people over the past month, according to U.S. officials.

    The White House says those operations are part of a broader national-security campaign to stop what it calls a direct threat to Americans — and insists the administration’s legal case to do so is “iron-clad.”

    “The President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans,” deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement.

    CARTEL CONNECTION: HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN EXPLOIT MADURO’S VENEZUELA FOR COCAINE CASH

    President Donald Trump directed a deadly strike on a suspected drug-running boat, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday. (SecWar/X)

    A White House official stressed that the report “does not convey any new information,” noting that it followed a Sept. 15 strike against a designated terrorist organization after earlier operations in the Caribbean.

    Immediately after the report was delivered, the Department of War carried out its fourth strike on suspected traffickers in the Caribbean, killing four in international waters off the coast of Venezuela.

    “A boat loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE was stopped, early this morning off the Coast of Venezuela, from entering American Territory,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

    From law enforcement to wartime paradigm

    The new memo effectively shifts U.S. operations against drug cartels from a law-enforcement model — arrests and prosecutions — to a wartime paradigm that allows for lethal force and detention without trial. Like the post-9/11 War on Terror, the administration argues that drug cartels are “unlawful combatants” and can be targeted militarily rather than treated as criminals.

    Administration officials maintain this approach is legally justified, while critics warn it stretches presidential authority.

    TRUMP APPROVES MILITARY ACTION AGAINST LATIN AMERICAN CARTELS CLASSIFIED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

    Legal and constitutional questions

    Under Article II of the Constitution, presidents may use force to repel sudden attacks. The Trump administration argues drugs that have killed more than 100,000 Americans per year in recent years constitute an urgent national security threat, granting authority for the strikes.

    But national security lawyers say that authority is limited. 

    “That’s a far cry from authorizing an ongoing series of strikes,” wrote Georgetown law professor Marty Lederman, who argued such a campaign would amount to “war in the constitutional sense” and therefore require congressional approval.

    Image shows Tren de Aragua cartel

    Video footage showed a vessel shortly before it was destroyed off of Venezuela Sept. 2, 2025. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)

    National security lawyer Irina Tsukerman said the administration’s framing signals a protracted campaign and an effort to assert unilateral presidential authority.

    AJS: What is the administration’s framing?

    “He’s saying he doesn’t even need to go to Congress, because he’s essentially taking action against these unlawful combatants, and it’s going to be a long-term operation, just like with the War on Terror,” she said.

    She also noted that, unlike al Qaeda or ISIS, no Authorization for Use of Military Force exists for cartels. 

    “The President has only the authority to continue strikes for 60 days,” she added. “Beyond that, Congress must approve.” That means the 60-day War Powers clock is already running — it began with the first strike on Sept. 2. Unless Congress acts, that authority expires in early November.

    So far, Democratic leaders have questioned the scope of the strikes but have not moved to block them. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., claimed Trump’s advisors are pushing him toward war. 

    “The insecure, overcompensating war mongers around Trump — who convinced him to change the name of the Department of Defense — now seem to be trying to goad Venezuela into a war no one wants,” he wrote on X last month.

    Regional strategy and Venezuela

    Pedro Garmendia, managing director of geopolitical risk firm The Pinafore Group and a former representative of Venezuela’s interim government at the Organization of American States, the international body of Western Hemisphere nations, said the strikes should be viewed less as isolated counternarcotics operations and more as part of a larger regional message.

    “For years, the regime in Venezuela has used its ties to drug trafficking organizations and international terror groups like Hezbollah to prop itself up and destabilize its rivals,” Garmendia said. “This is best understood as an extension of the Bush Doctrine. It lets Trump take control of the Caribbean, a major drug route, while also sending messages to Iran, China, and Russia — all of whom have a footprint in Venezuela.”

    TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING?

    Garmendia argued that by treating cartels as non-state combatants, the administration is also signaling that Nicolás Maduro’s regime is not a legitimate government, but a “zombie behemoth” sustained by foreign sponsors and criminal enterprises.

    “The leaders of the cartels and gangs are the members of the government. They are completely intertwined,” he said. “The message here is more to Venezuelan authorities — that they are legitimate targets as well. If I were a minister in Maduro’s government, or even Maduro, I would be very scared by that declaration.”

    Maduro at military parade

    Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores ride in a military vehicle during Independence Day celebrations in Caracas on July 5, 2025. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)

    He added that Venezuela lacks the capacity to retaliate against overwhelming U.S. force. “They don’t have the ability to intercept an F-35 or match the firepower already in the Caribbean,” Garmendia said.

    Colombian President Gustavo Petro, facing an election year, may adopt an “anti-imperialist” posture toward U.S. escalation but is unlikely to provide material support to Maduro, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva may try to discourage strikes but is not expected to openly defend Caracas.

    “Maduro’s regime is essentially a drug cartel that captured an entire country,” Garmendia said. “I don’t see Lula putting his hands on the fire to save him.”

    Escalating tensions

    Trump has also moved to cut off diplomatic channels with Caracas, instructing his special envoy, Richard Grenell, to suspend all outreach efforts to Venezuela, the New York Times reported. This shift marks a further turn toward a hardline posture: now, rather than negotiate, the White House is doubling down on military leverage as its primary tool.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    With Friday’s strike, a total of 21 people have been reported killed across four operations over the past month. The U.S. has also repositioned 10 F-35 jets to Puerto Rico for counter-narcotics missions, and the Pentagon is weighing strike options inside Venezuelan territory.

    Maduro responded this week by declaring a state of emergency over what he called U.S. “aggression.” Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Maduro signed a decree granting himself “special powers” to act in defense if the U.S. “dares to attack our homeland.

    Legally, the White House says the president’s authority covers limited strikes for now. But unless Congress signs off before November, the operation could spark a fresh war-powers showdown.

    Source link

  • Trump ends Venezuela talks, military options loom, new report

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    President Trump has stopped diplomatic discussions with Venezuela in his bid to end drug trafficking and cartels operating in the U.S., according to a report by the New York Times.

    The outlet cited U.S. officials and claimed Trump has closed the door on negotiations, potentially setting in motion increased military action against drug traffickers, cartel ships or President Nicolás Maduro’s government.

    According to the report, Richard Grenell, the special presidential envoy who was leading talks with Maduro, was informed Oct. 2. that all diplomatic contact must stop. 

    TRUMP SAYS ‘WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS’ WHEN ASKED ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF STRIKING VENEZUELA AMID RISING TENSIONS

    President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference after testifying before the electoral chamber at the main headquarters of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) on August 2, 2024 ( Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

    During a meeting with top military leaders, Trump had reportedly called Mr. Grenell directly and delivered the new order.

    The president reportedly felt impatience with what the administration sees as Venezuelan intransigence.

    Reports said that in September, Maduro wrote a letter to Trump and denied Venezuela trafficked drugs. He offered further negotiations with the U.S. through Grenell.

    Officials also told the New York Times that the president was frustrated with Maduro’s refusal to step down voluntarily.

    VENEZUELAN MILITARY JETS BUZZ US NAVY SHIP IN ‘HIGHLY PROVOCATIVE’ MOVE, PENTAGON SAYS

    The U.S. has issued sanctions against six men for allegedly trafficking cocaine into the country using narco subs.

    A cargo vessel carrying 400 pounds of cocaine was discovered off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago in March 2025.  (U.S. Department of Treasury)

    The Trump administration has accused Maduro of overseeing a “narco-state,” indicting him on drug trafficking charges and offering a $50 million reward for his arrest.

    Senior officials said several plans have been drawn up, including potential operations aimed at removing Maduro from power. 

    TRUMP TOUTS US STRIKE AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY ‘THREAT’ OFF VENEZUELA

    DEA Atlanta cartel bust

    The Drug Enforcement Administration in Atlanta seized more over 1,000 pounds of meth linked to the violent ‘Cartel Jalisco New Generation.’ (Fox News)

    Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio has also described Maduro as a “fugitive from American justice” and an “illegitimate leader” in the past.

    Trumps latest move comes amid escalating U.S. military activity and strikes against supposed cartel boats near Venezuelan waters. 

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    Last month, the administration formally notified Congress that the U.S. was engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, designating cartel members as “unlawful combatants.” 

    Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

    Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture. 

    Source link

  • Opinion | Japan Gets New Kind of Leader

    Sanae Takaichi, a hawkish nationalist, wants to make her country great again.

    Walter Russell Mead

    Source link

  • Opinion | Pacific Allies Need U.S. Support

    By

    Roger Wicker

    and

    Deb Fischer

    We set out across the Indo-Pacific in August to assess U.S. military readiness and consult with allies. In the Philippines, Palau and Taiwan, we found partners determined to resist Chinese coercion and willing to share the burden.

    In Taiwan we spoke with President Lai Ching-tse and senior officials. They understand the gravity of the threat and are responding with urgency to meet it. Mr. Lai has committed to increasing defense spending and mobilizing the public behind a resilience plan.

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

    Roger Wicker

    Source link

  • Military families turn to food pantries as government shut down continues

    article

    Non-perishable food sits on a shelf in the newly opened food pantry at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, July 12, 2024. Airmen interested in accessing the pantry must contact their first sergeant. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Sir Wyrick)

    Food pantries near U.S. military bases are seeing an increase in families seeking assistance.

    Armed Services YMCA helps military families around the country

    Big picture view:

    The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) provides resources to military families, including access to food security, child care and early childhood education.  ASYMCA has 22 food distribution locations across the country, including locations near large military installations such as Fort Hood, TX, Fort Campbell, KY, Fort Bragg, NC, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, Twentynine Palms, CA , and Virginia Beach, VA.  ASYMCA also partners with local YMCAs around the country where it doesn’t have a location

    The ASYMCA food pantry distribution location near Fort Hood says they have had a 34% increase in people seeking assistance. ASYMCA says they are working to increase their food supplies at all their locations to meet the increased demand for assistance.
     

    By the numbers:

    Military personnel are paid on the 1st and 15th of each month and were paid on Oct. 1, but if the shutdown continues, troops may not receive their Oct. 15 pay.  

    During a government shutdown, members of the U.S. military, including active duty, National Guard and reserve members, and Coast Guard personnel, are not paid but must continue to report for duty to carry out their assigned responsibilities. 

    Government shutdown now in sixth day

    US President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a visit to the USS Harry S. Truman during the US Navy’s 250th anniversary celebration, “America’s Navy 250: Titans of the Sea – A Salute to the Fleet”, at Naval Station Norfolk Pier 14 in Norfolk, Vir

    Senate Republican and Democratic lawmakers remain at an impasse

    What they’re saying:

    Over the weekend, President Trump spoke at a ceremony marking the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, where he reassured service members affected by the ongoing government shutdown, that they would receive “every last penny” of their pay promising an “across-the-board” raise once the impasse ends.

    “I want you to know that despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny,” Trump said. “Don’t worry about it, it’s all coming,” he added.

    On Friday, a vote in the Senate to advance a Republican bill to reopen the government failed to get the necessary 60 votes to end a filibuster. 

    House Speaker MIke Johnson closed the House for legislative business this week, a strategy that could obligate the Senate to work with the government funding bill that was passed by House Republicans.

    “Johnson’s not serious about this,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on CBS. “He sent all his congressmen home last week and home this week. How are you going to negotiate?”

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Sunday that the shutdown on discretionary spending, the furloughing of federal workers and requirements that other federal employees work without pay will go on so long as Democrats vote no.

    “They’ll get another chance on Monday to vote again,” Thune said on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

    “And I’m hoping that some of them have a change of heart,” he said. 
     

    The Source: Information in this article was sourced from The Military Times, The Associated Press, and FOX News. This story was reported from Orlando.

    NewsConsumerMilitaryMoney

    Mark.Richardson@fox.com (Mark Richardson)

    Source link

  • Trump’s National Guard deployment in Portland, Oregon halted as Chicago braces for troops

    President Donald Trump’s crime and immigration crackdown hit a legal roadblock in Portland, Oregon, as new details emerged about the administration’s plan to send federal troops into Chicago. On Saturday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s effort to federalize 200 members of the Oregon National Guard. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut said the plan to send troops to Portland likely overstepped Trump’s authority and threatened state sovereignty. “This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation,” Immergut said. The decision was celebrated by state and local leaders who brought the lawsuit, but the White House vowed to appeal. “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland has been at the center of recent protests. On Saturday, hundreds marched to the building, prompting federal agents to deploy tear gas, among other crowd-control munitions. At least six people were arrested. Similar demonstrations and a similar debate have been playing out in Chicago. On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said federal agents shot and injured one woman during what the agency described as a “defensive” response to an alleged vehicle-ramming attack. On Saturday, Trump authorized 300 troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago, despite opposition from Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker. The timeline of the National Guard’s arrival was not immediately clear. More from our Washington Bureau:

    President Donald Trump’s crime and immigration crackdown hit a legal roadblock in Portland, Oregon, as new details emerged about the administration’s plan to send federal troops into Chicago.

    On Saturday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s effort to federalize 200 members of the Oregon National Guard. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut said the plan to send troops to Portland likely overstepped Trump’s authority and threatened state sovereignty.

    “This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation,” Immergut said.

    The decision was celebrated by state and local leaders who brought the lawsuit, but the White House vowed to appeal.

    “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson.

    An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland has been at the center of recent protests. On Saturday, hundreds marched to the building, prompting federal agents to deploy tear gas, among other crowd-control munitions. At least six people were arrested.

    Similar demonstrations and a similar debate have been playing out in Chicago. On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said federal agents shot and injured one woman during what the agency described as a “defensive” response to an alleged vehicle-ramming attack.

    On Saturday, Trump authorized 300 troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago, despite opposition from Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker. The timeline of the National Guard’s arrival was not immediately clear.

    More from our Washington Bureau:

    Source link

  • Trump to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard ahead of expected deployment to Democratic state | Fortune

    The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Saturday.

    Pritzker said the guard received word from the Pentagon in the morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago.

    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.” 

    A spokesperson for the governor’s office said she could not provide additional details. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about Pritzker’s statement.

    The escalation of federal law enforcement in Illinois follows similar deployments in other parts of the country. Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to help Memphis police.

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued to stop the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed that ruling that the use of the guard was illegal, and a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated that it believes the government is likely to prevail.

    Pritzker called Trump’s move in Illinois a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state’s National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs.

    “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” said the governor, who also noted that state, county and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago.

    Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people protesting Friday near the facility, which has been frequently targeted during the administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.

    Trump also said last month that he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city war-ravaged. But local officials have suggested that many of his claims and social media posts appear to rely on images from 2020, when demonstrations and unrest gripped the city following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

    City and state officials sued to stop the deployment the next day. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments Friday, and a ruling is expected over the weekend.

    Trump has federalized 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, but so far it does not appear that they have moved into Portland. They have been seen training on the coast in anticipation of a deployment.

    Fortune Global Forum returns Oct. 26–27, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business. Apply for an invitation.

    Thomas Peipert, The Associated Press

    Source link

  • Judge temporarily blocks use of National Guard in Portland

    A federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked the deployment of 200 National Guard troops to Portland.

    U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, an appointee of President Donald Trump, issued a temporary restraining order after Oregon and Portland sued. The order expires on Oct. 18 but could be extended.

    The ruling is a setback to the Trump administration’s use of military troops in some Democrat-run cities.

    A federal judge in California last month ruled that the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles was illegal.

    U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco ruled that the administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act — the 1878 law that prohibits the president from using the military as a domestic police force.

    In the Portland case, the city and state of Oregon sued on Sept. 28 to prevent the use of military troops in Portland, and they asked a federal court to stop the deployment of troops to the city.

    Hours after a Friday hearing before Immergut about the case, and before she had issued any ruling, U.S. Northern Command announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had activated the 200 troops.

    Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that Trump directed Hegseth to call the Oregon National Guard into federal service for 60 days to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other government personnel in the city.

    Portland is not the only U.S. city that Trump has targeted for the deployment of military troops.

    On Saturday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he was informed by the Trump administration that the Department of Defense plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard and deploy them within his state.

    On Sept. 15, Trump signed a memo ordering the National Guard to Memphis. Although Tennessee has a Republican government, the city’s mayor is a Democrat.

    That order also was to send other federal law enforcement agencies to Memphis in what Trump characterized as a crackdown on crime.

    Trump at that Sept. 15 signing said that Chicago was “probably next.”

    Governors have the authority to deploy their states’ National Guard. The Trump administration would be federalizing the National Guard to send troops to cities if the governor declines to do so.

    Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, said Saturday that he was given an ultimatum by Defense Department officials to “call up your troops, or we will.” Pritzker said he would refuse.

    “I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people.”

    The National Guard plays a unique role in the U.S. — part state, part federal. But when can the president step in and take control? Here’s what you need to know.

    Phil Helsel | NBC News

    Source link

  • Judge temporarily blocks use of National Guard in Portland

    A federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked the deployment of 200 National Guard troops to Portland.

    U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, an appointee of President Donald Trump, issued a temporary restraining order after Oregon and Portland sued. The order expires on Oct. 18 but could be extended.

    The ruling is a setback to the Trump administration’s use of military troops in some Democrat-run cities.

    A federal judge in California last month ruled that the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles was illegal.

    U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco ruled that the administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act — the 1878 law that prohibits the president from using the military as a domestic police force.

    In the Portland case, the city and state of Oregon sued on Sept. 28 to prevent the use of military troops in Portland, and they asked a federal court to stop the deployment of troops to the city.

    Hours after a Friday hearing before Immergut about the case, and before she had issued any ruling, U.S. Northern Command announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had activated the 200 troops.

    Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that Trump directed Hegseth to call the Oregon National Guard into federal service for 60 days to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other government personnel in the city.

    Portland is not the only U.S. city that Trump has targeted for the deployment of military troops.

    On Saturday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he was informed by the Trump administration that the Department of Defense plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard and deploy them within his state.

    On Sept. 15, Trump signed a memo ordering the National Guard to Memphis. Although Tennessee has a Republican government, the city’s mayor is a Democrat.

    That order also was to send other federal law enforcement agencies to Memphis in what Trump characterized as a crackdown on crime.

    Trump at that Sept. 15 signing said that Chicago was “probably next.”

    Governors have the authority to deploy their states’ National Guard. The Trump administration would be federalizing the National Guard to send troops to cities if the governor declines to do so.

    Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, said Saturday that he was given an ultimatum by Defense Department officials to “call up your troops, or we will.” Pritzker said he would refuse.

    “I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people.”

    The National Guard plays a unique role in the U.S. — part state, part federal. But when can the president step in and take control? Here’s what you need to know.

    Phil Helsel | NBC News

    Source link

  • Daily Evening Randomness by Hendy

    “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”

    As you probably would assume by how the majority of my ‘Evening Randomness’ posts, I’m a big history nerd. That’s why a lot of my stuff tends to dip into the past…

    When I thought of this idea a few weeks ago, I wanted to do a post on cool historical military photos. However, I couldn’t bring myself to not show some respect to the people who fight & have faught for their country regardless of the timeline.

    So, this one’s got a mix of both historical and modern day shots.

    Welcome to ‘Daily Evening Randomness,’ where we wind down for the evening under a random theme. Tonight? Military.

    Hendy

    Source link