Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence (DNI) pick, said the attack on Sept. 11 likely could have been prevented if not for government "stovepiping," where government officials deliver intelligence directly to high-ranking officials without broadening communications. 

"There's a general consensus that there was a massive intelligence failure," Republican Sen. Roger Wicker said during Gabbard's hearing regarding 9/11. "This caught us all by surprise, even though the the World Trade Center had been attacked earlier. Do you think stovepipeing was a problem in our intelligence failure?"

"There's no question about it, senator," Gabbard said before Wicker asked her to elaborate. 

"Senator, when we looked back at the post-9/11 reporting and the post-assessments that were made, it was very clear, that there was stovepiping of information and intelligence that occurred at many levels, at the highest, but also at the lowest levels," she said. 

'LIES AND SMEARS': TULSI GABBARD RAILS AGAINST DEM NARRATIVE SHE'S TRUMP'S AND PUTIN'S 'PUPPET'

"Information that was collected by the FBI, information that was collected by the CIA was not being shared. It was almost ships passing in the night where if there was an integration of those intelligence elements and information being shared, it is highly likely that that horrific attack could have been prevented," she said. 

TENSION BUILDS AROUND TULSI GABBARD’S CONFIRMATION WITH KEY GOP SENATORS UNDECIDED

Wicker pressed if the intelligence community could face another "stovepipe" issue in the future if plans to trim the DNI office of redundant jobs and increase efficiency, as Gabbard has said she will do, is put into effect. 

"And that's the reason, really, your position was created," Wicker told Gabbard after she said 9/11 likely could have been prevented. "There's been some discussion this morning, I again, have not been able to listen in, but I understand there's been some discussion about reforming the office of DNI, to eliminate redundancy and increase effectiveness. Do you worry that in doing so, we might be getting back to the same problem that we had in 2001?"

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ SPARKS BACKLASH FOR CLAIMING TULSI GABBARD IS A RUSSIAN ASSET

"The problem that we had in 2001, senator, remains at the forefront of my mind. And as you said, this is exactly why the ODNI was created. Given my limited vantage point not being in this seat, I am concerned that there are still problems with stovepiping that need to be addressed. And in some cases, my concern would be that unnecessary bureaucratic layers may be contributing to that problem. This is where coming in and being able to really take a fresh look, given my experience and my background, will be essential to making sure that the ODNI is accomplishing the reason why it was created in the first place," she responded. 

Gabbard was elected to the U.S. House representing Hawaii during the 2012 election cycle, serving as a Democrat until 2021. She did not seek re-election to that office after throwing her hat in the 2020 White House race. 

She left the Democratic Party in 2022, registering as an independent, before becoming a Republican this year and offering her full endorsement of Trump amid his presidential campaign before Trump named her his DNI pick.

She appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday as part of the last leg of her confirmation process. Fox News Digital reported ahead of the hearing that Gabbard does not currently have a majority of its members' votes, which are necessary to move to the full Senate, according to a senior Intel Committee aide. 

Fox News Digital's Julia Johnson contributed to this report. 

Director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard shed further light on her 2017 meeting with then-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, a trip that has come under the microscope since President Donald Trump nominated the former congresswoman. 

"There is not a great deal in the public record about what you and Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad discussed for so long in January of 2017. And I think there's a great deal of interest from the American people about what was discussed in that meeting. So what did you talk about? And did you press Assad on things like his use of chemical weapons, systematic torture and the killing of so many Syrians?" Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., asked Gabbard on Thursday. 

Gabbard, when she served in the U.S. House, traveled to Syria in 2017, when she met with the dictator, whose government was overthrown years later in 2024. The visit has become a focal point of Democrats' criticism of the DNI nominee, arguing the visit casts doubt on her worldview and judgment. 

'LIES AND SMEARS': TULSI GABBARD RAILS AGAINST DEM NARRATIVE SHE'S TRUMP'S AND PUTIN'S 'PUPPET'

"Yes, senator, I, upon returning from this trip, I met with people like then-Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Steny Hoyer, talked to them and answered their questions about the trip," Gabbard, who served in the U.S. House representing Hawaii from 2013 to 2021, responded. 

TENSION BUILDS AROUND TULSI GABBARD’S CONFIRMATION WITH KEY GOP SENATORS UNDECIDED

"And quite frankly, I was surprised that there was no one from the intelligence community or the State Department who reached out or showed any interest whatsoever in my takeaways from that trip. I would have been very happy to have a conversation and give them a back brief. I went with former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who had been there many times before and who had met with Assad before. A number of topics were covered and discussed. And to directly answer your question, yes. I asked him tough questions about his own regime's actions. The use of chemical weapons and the brutal tactics that were being used against his own people."

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also met with Assad in 2007, despite then-President George W. Bush's criticism of the visit at the time. 

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ SPARKS BACKLASH FOR CLAIMING TULSI GABBARD IS A RUSSIAN ASSET

"Were you able to extract any concessions from President Assad?" Heinrich asked Gabbard. 

"No, and I didn't expect to, but I felt these issues were important to address," she continued. 

"Just in complete hindsight, would you, would you view this trip as, good judgment?" the Senate lawmaker continued. 

"Yes, senator. And I believe that leaders, whether you be in Congress or the president of the United States, can benefit greatly by going and engaging boots on the ground, learning and listening and meeting directly with people, whether they be adversaries or friends," Gabbard said. 

Gabbard is appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday as part of her nomination process to serve as director of national intelligence under the second Trump administration.

Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard slammed the Democratic narrative that she is a puppet for U.S. and world leaders, saying she is loyal to only God, the Constitution and her own conscience in her opening remarks before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. 

"Before I close, I want to warn the American people who are watching at home. You may hear lies and smears in this hearing that will challenge my loyalty to and my love for our country," Gabbard said.

"Those who oppose my nomination imply that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, my own conscience and the Constitution of the United States. Accusing me of being Trump's puppet, Putin's puppet, Assad's puppet, a guru's puppet, Modi's puppet, not recognizing the absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of five different puppet masters," she continued. 

Gabbard appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday as part of her confirmation process to serve as director of national intelligence during President Donald Trump's second term. 

TENSION BUILDS AROUND TULSI GABBARD’S CONFIRMATION WITH KEY GOP SENATORS UNDECIDED

"The same tactic was used against President Trump and failed," she continued of the accusations against her. 

"The American people elected President Trump with a decisive victory and mandate for change. The fact is, what truly unsettles my political opponents, is I refuse to be their puppet. I have no love for Assad or Gadhafi or any dictator. I just hate al Qaeda. I hate that we have leaders who cozy up to Islamist extremists, minimizing them to so-called rebels."

TRUMP APPOINTS TULSI GABBARD AS DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: ‘FEARLESS SPIRIT’

Gabbard was elected to the U.S. House representing Hawaii during the 2012 election cycle, serving as a Democrat until 2021. She did not seek re-election to that office after throwing her hat in the 2020 White House race. 

Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022, registering as an independent, before becoming a member of the GOP this year and offering her full endorsement of Trump amid his presidential campaign before Trump named her his DNI pick. 

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ SPARKS BACKLASH FOR CLAIMING TULSI GABBARD IS A RUSSIAN ASSET

"If confirmed as director of national intelligence, I will continue to live by the oath that I have sworn at least eight times in my life, both in uniform, as and as a member of Congress. I will support and defend our God-given freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same," she said. 

Tulsi Gabbard doesn't currently have enough votes to advance out of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Fox News Digital has learned. 

The former Democrat representative's nomination to be director of national intelligence (DNI) under President Donald Trump is in danger as she lacks enough Republican support on the committee, sources confirmed.

Before heading to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote, Trump's picks all have hearings and their nominations are voted on at the committee level. Gabbard's confirmation hearing will take place at 10 a.m. Thursday.

SCOOP: KEY GOP SENATOR WHO HESITATED ON PETE HEGSETH PUSHES KASH PATEL FOR FBI

So far, no Trump nominees have failed to advance out of their respective committees. 

A senior Intel Committee aide confirmed to Fox News Digital that Gabbard does not currently have a majority of its members' votes, which are necessary to move to the full Senate. 

According to the source, half of the Republicans on the coveted committee are not sold on Trump's DNI pick. 

A Senate source familiar told Fox News Digital, "Some members are undecided."

"Not true that [they] are NOs," they clarified. 

The source confirmed that the undecided senators in question are Republicans. 

'SQUEEZED BY RISING COSTS': DEMOCRAT JACKY ROSEN LEADS BIPARTISAN BILL TO ADDRESS CHILDCARE AFFORDABILITY

A spokesperson for Gabbard told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Anonymous sources are going to continue to lie and smear to try and take down the President’s nominees and subvert the will of the American people and the media is playing a role in publishing these lies. That doesn’t change the fact that Lt. Col. Gabbard is immensely qualified for this role and we look forward to her hearing."

The senior committee aide shared that the reasons for GOP uncertainty include her previous Section 702 stance, her past meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and her past defense of Edward Snowden.

"It’s about judgment," they said. 

Gabbard will likely need every Republican vote to move past the committee, assuming Democrats will vote against her. 

DOGE CHAIR JONI ERNST TAKES ON FOOD STAMPS IN NEW BILL TO HOLD STATES 'ACCOUNTABLE'

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., serves as chair of the committee alongside other Republican members Jim Risch of Idaho, Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornyn of Texas, Jerry Moran of Kansas, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Todd Young of Indiana and Ted Budd of North Carolina.

Lankford recently came out in support of Gabbard after she reversed her position on a controversial intelligence gathering tool known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Neither the White House nor Cotton's office provided comments to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

Fox News Digital reached out to multiple Republican Senate offices for comment. 

SENATE TO KICK OFF RFK JR, KELLY LOEFFLER CONFIRMATION HEARINGS FOR TOP TRUMP POSTS

As Gabbard's confirmation fate hangs in the balance, there is reportedly a push by some Trump-aligned Republican senators to waive the committee's rules in order to open the vote on Gabbard's nomination, as Politico reported. This would mean each senator's vote is accessible to the public. 

The Intel Committee's rules stipulate that the vote is conducted in a closed meeting and a tally is released afterward. The vote is expected to go forward in a closed manner, in accordance with the rules.

Two of President Donald Trump's most vulnerable administration picks will get back-to-back confirmation hearings in the Senate this week. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump nominated to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom he selected to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), will have committee confirmation hearings on Wednesday and Thursday. 

REPUBLICANS REACT TO PETE HEGSETH'S CONFIRMATION AS DEFENSE SECRETARY: ‘HE IS THE CHANGE AGENT’

On Wednesday, Kennedy will have his first hearing with the Senate Finance Committee, who will eventually vote on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate. He will have an additional hearing on Thursday with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), but that committee will not have a vote on the nomination. 

Gabbard's hearing with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will take place Thursday morning. 

The two Trump picks were some of the more controversial administration selections. Both Kennedy and Gabbard are former Democrats with histories of policy positions that clash with what many Republican senators believe. 

At issue for lawmakers on both sides is Kennedy's history of significant criticism of vaccines and vaccination programs. For some Republicans whose states have a large farming constituency, his positions on further regulating agriculture and food production have been cause for concern. 

TIM SCOTT EMPHASIZES 'RESULTS' OVER RECONCILIATION PROCESS AS HE STAYS OUT OF DEBATE

Gabbard's past policy stances as they relate to national security have given bipartisan lawmakers some reason for pause, since the role she is nominated for is critical to the nation's safety and defense. 

Both of the nominees have taken steps to moderate themselves amid the confirmation process. Kennedy has pushed back on suggestions that he is "anti-vaccine" and explained, "If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away."

DEM WHO CALLED TRUMP 'EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO DEMOCRACY' NOW BLOCKING HIS NOMINEES

"People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information," he said in an interview with NBC News. "So I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them."

Gabbard recently made a remarkable reversal on a controversial intelligence tool used by the government. And her choice to change her position on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act's (FISA) section 702 managed to win her the backing of a Republican senator on the intel committee that she will need to advance out of. 

HEGSETH LAWYER SLAMS 'FLAWED AND QUESTIONABLE AFFIDAVIT' FROM EX-SISTER-IN-LAW

Recently asked whether her change of heart on section 702 had earned his vote, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said, "Yeah, I am, and that was a very important piece for me."

While both nominees have gotten some necessary Republican backing in the relevant committees, not everyone has said whether they will vote to advance the selections. And even if they are voted out of the committees, they could still face an uphill battle to be confirmed by the full Senate. 

Legal experts, privacy groups and parents alike applauded the Supreme Court's Friday ruling upholding a federal law banning TikTok unless it is divested from its Chinese parent company ByteDance, while others deemed it as "anti-democratic."

The ban is set to go into effect on Sunday.

"There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community," the court wrote in the unsigned ruling. "But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary."

SUPREME COURT APPEARS SKEPTICAL OF BLOCKING US BAN ON TIKTOK: WHAT TO KNOW

Former Vice President Mike Pence turned to X and called the decision "a victory for the privacy and security of the American people."

"This law was the result of a bipartisan cooperation and I commend it's authors and supporters in Congress for enacting this vital law for our national security," he continued. The CCP has been put on notice that the American people’s data is no longer for the taking. The incoming Trump administration must be prepared to uphold this TikTok divestment law and put the privacy and security of America first."

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., likewise said the Supreme Court "correctly rejected TikTok’s lies and propaganda masquerading as legal arguments" in a post on X. 

"ByteDance and its Chinese Communist masters had nine months to sell TikTok before the Sunday deadline," the senator wrote. "The very fact that Communist China refuses to permit its sale reveals exactly what TikTok is: a communist spy app. The Supreme Court correctly rejected TikTok’s lies and propaganda masquerading as legal arguments."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., said the decision was "unsurprising, and the answer is that the Chinese government needs to give up control of TikTok."

Carrie Severino, President of Judicial Crisis Network, echoed Cotton's sentiments, also saying in a statement that the high court "rightly recognizes the danger of the Chinese Communist Party being able to access and maliciously deploy the data of hundreds of millions of Americans."

READ THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON TIKTOK LAW – APP USERS, CLICK HERE

President Biden notably maintained his stance that he would enforce the law banning the social media app and would instead punt the implementation to President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration. 

Severino stated she hopes "that President Trump's incoming administration vigorously enforces this important national security law."

Executive Director of American Parents Coalition Alleigh Marré also posted on X reacting to the holding. "This is a huge win for parents! Kids will be free from TikTok’s poison, its powerful, dangerous algorithm and compromising influences."

"I am incredibly proud to see that the highest court in the land has agreed that our elected officials hold the power to protect our national security from our most powerful foreign adversaries," said Michael Lucci, Founder and CEO of State Arumor, in a statement. "This decision is a vindication of the tireless work of so many patriotic groups, including State Armor, have done over the last year to make the public and lawmakers aware of the dangers that TikTok poses."

Lucci continued on to call for TikTok's sale to an American company "or immediately cease all operations within the United States, per the Supreme Court’s decision."

Others reacted to the Supreme Court's decision with disappointment, including Electronic Frontier Foundation Civil Liberties Director David Greene who called the holding "anti-democratic." 

TRUMP SAYS FATE OF TIKTOK SHOULD BE IN HIS HANDS WHEN HE RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE

"Shutting down communications platforms or forcing their reorganization based on concerns of foreign propaganda and anti-national manipulation is an eminently anti-democratic tactic, one that the U.S. has previously condemned globally," he said in a statement released. 

Likewise, Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law Erwin Chemerinsky told Fox News Digital in a statement that he believes the Court was "wrong" in its decision. 

"Although unanimous, I think the Court was wrong," Chemerinsky said. "It accepted uncritically the government’s argument that China being able to gather information would harm national security; it never explained what kind of information is likely to be gathered to what effect.

"The impact on speech is staggering to ban a platform used by 173 million people in this country," he continued. 

Just last year, Congress required that TikTok's China-based parent company ByteDance divest the company by Jan. 19. The law was subsequently signed by Biden.

When the law was passed, Congress specifically noted concerns over the app's Chinese ownership, which members said meant the app had the potential to be weaponized or used to amass vast amounts of user data, including from the roughly 170 million Americans who use TikTok.

Fox News Digital's Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report. 

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a federal law that would ban the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok just two days before the bipartisan divestiture law is slated to take effect.

"There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community," the court wrote in the unsigned ruling. "But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. 

"For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights. The judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is affirmed."

There were no noted dissents.

At issue was the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a law passed by Congress last April with wide bipartisan support. The law gave TikTok nine months to either divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or be removed from U.S.-based app stores and hosting services. 

SUPREME COURT APPEARS SKEPTICAL OF BLOCKING US BAN ON TIKTOK: WHAT TO KNOW

In passing the law, Congress cited concerns over the app's Chinese ownership, which members said meant the app had the potential to be weaponized or used to amass vast amounts of user data, including from the roughly 170 million Americans who use TikTok.

TikTok, ByteDance and several users of the app swiftly sued to block the ban in May, arguing the legislation would suppress free speech for the millions of Americans who use the platform. After a lower court upheld the ban, the Supreme Court agreed to hear TikTok's emergency request to either block or pause implementation of the law under a fast-track timeline just nine days before the ban was slated to go into effect.

President-elect Donald Trump did not immediately respond to the Supreme Court decision, which comes just days before his inauguration. As president, Trump could move to delay the law, either by not enforcing it vigorously— which would allow TikTok more time to find a buyer, or continue operating as-is—or take other actions that would uphold the status quo.

Trump said he spoke by phone Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping hours before the Supreme Court decision was published. Trump described the conversation between the two as being "a very good one" both for China and the U.S. He noted that the two had discussed shared interests, including TikTok. 

Trump has also invited TikTok CEO Shou Chew to attend his inauguration. Chew said he plans to attend.

READ THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON TIKTOK LAW – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

During oral arguments, lawyers for the Biden administration reiterated the argument that TikTok’s Chinese ownership poses a "grave" national security risk for American users. 

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar cited risks that China could weaponize the app, including by manipulating its algorithm to prioritize certain content or by ordering parent company ByteDance to turn over vast amounts of user data compiled by TikTok on U.S. users.

TRUMP SAYS FATE OF TIKTOK SHOULD BE IN HIS HANDS WHEN HE RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE

TikTok’s lawyers, meanwhile, sought to frame the case primarily as a restriction on free speech protections under the First Amendment, which the company has argued applies to TikTok’s U.S.-based incorporation.

Noel Francisco, TikTok’s lawyer, argued that the U.S. government has "no valid interest in preventing foreign propaganda," and reiterated TikTok's position that the platform and its owners should be entitled to the highest level of free speech protections under the U.S. Constitution. 

Francisco also argued TikTok cannot divest from its Chinese parent company, citing portions of its source code and intellectual property that are housed in China.  

First Amendment protections must be considered under strict scrutiny, which requires the government to sustain a higher burden of proof in justifying a law's constitutionality. 

More specifically, laws that deal with First Amendment protections must be crafted to serve a compelling government interest, narrowly tailored to achieve that interest.

It's a difficult legal test to satisfy in court. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit used it last month in considering the divestiture law, and still voted to uphold it— outlining a way that the Supreme Court could have theoretically considered the case under strict scrutiny and still opted to uphold the law.

During oral arguments at the Supreme Court, several justices appeared skeptical of the company's core argument, which is that the law is a restriction of speech.

"Exactly what is TikTok's speech here?" Justice Clarence Thomas asked in the first moments of oral arguments in an early sign of the court's apparent doubt that the law is in fact a First Amendment violation. 

POTENTIAL TIKTOK BAN: WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA APPS ARE POPPING UP IN APP STORES?

The Supreme Court and its 6-3 conservative majority have been historically deferential to Congress on matters of national security.

The divestiture law in question passed Congress last year under the guidance of top Justice Department officials, who worked directly with House lawmakers to write the bill and help it withstand possible legal challenges.

But it also comes at a time when President-elect Trump has signaled apparent support for the app in recent months.

In December, Trump hosted TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago resort, and later told reporters that his incoming administration will "take a look at TikTok" and the divestiture case. 

Attorneys for the president-elect also filed a brief with the Supreme Court last month, asking justices to delay any decision in the case until after Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.

The brief did not signal how Trump might act, but cited his request for the court to pause the ban from taking effect until Trump's inauguration. 

Fox News' Bill Mears and Shannon Bream contributed to this report.

As a fellow New Yorker, I had paid attention to Donald Trump for years, long before he got involved in politics.  

When he ventured a comment about foreign policy, people scoffed at him. What did Trump know! National security was the exclusive domain of the experts, not real estate developers or reality TV stars. 

But looking back, Trump was right about all the major foreign policy issues. It was the credentialed elites who got things wrong! 

Here are Trump’s top six:

OUR LONG NATIONAL BIDEN NIGHTMARE IS ALMOST OVER. TRUMP INVICTUS IS NOW LIBERATED

For decades, the consensus opinion was if the U.S. assisted China’s economic growth, it would become a friendly trading partner, and play by the rules – just like Japan, South Korea and the European nations. Trump disagreed. Experts laughed when he claimed China had ripped us off for decades. "China raided our factories, offshored our jobs, gutted our industries, stole our intellectual property, and violated their commitments under the World Trade Agreement." 

As recently as 2019, Joe Biden scoffed at the idea that China could overtake the U.S. as a world leader, telling a crowd in Iowa City, "China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man." The experts were wrong, Trump was right.

Well before he ran for president in 2015, Trump realized recent advances in oil and gas production would be a strategic game changer for the U.S. and the world. When President Barack Obama left office, oil was at $120/barrel and experts warned the world was running out of oil.  

TRUMP CAN POWER THE US INTO THE FUTURE WITH A MUSCULAR NUCLEAR ENERGY POLICY

Trump’s embrace of the U.S. energy industry increased American production and pushed oil down to $40/barrel. Not only did it spur extraordinary American economic growth, it also devastated the economies of Russia and Iran, because they needed oil prices above $90/barrel to fund their governments. When their energy export revenues fell by nearly two-thirds in the Trump years, Russia and Iran were forced to tighten their belts; they couldn’t afford costly wars. 

Biden reversed Trump’s energy policies, and oil prices predictably rose back up to $100 per barrel. Iran used these windfall profits to fund its nuclear program and arm its proxies to attack Israel. Russia used its new-found wealth to attack Ukraine. There is a reason Russia invaded Ukraine during the Obama and Biden presidencies, but not during Trump’s. In the Trump years, they didn’t have the money to pay for expensive wars. 

Democrats and Republicans supported the Afghan and Iraq wars for 20 years. Trump disagreed. As early as 2003, he called the Iraq war "a mess." Turns out he was right. We shed American blood and spent trillions on two unwinnable, forever wars. 

THE THREAT FROM RADICAL ISLAM IS NOW INSIDE OUR GATES. BIDEN IGNORED IT. TRUMP MUST ACT

Trump pulled out of Obama’s flawed Iran nuclear deal, because it made Iran rich and didn’t stop its nuclear weapons program. He ordered the assassination of Gen. Qassam Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Forces. Instead of fruitless endless negotiations, Trump set out to bankrupt Iran with his energy policy and oil sanctions. 

By the time Trump left office Iran was nearly bankrupt, and its proxy armies weakened.  But President Biden threw Iran a lifeline. He reversed course on American energy production, paid Iran billions and refused to enforce sanctions. Iran used this $100 billion windfall to fund Hamas and Hezbollah in renewed proxy wars against Israel. 

For decades, American leaders said we had to settle the Palestinian problem as the first step to a wider Arab-Israel peace. But time and again, the Palestinians refused to negotiate seriously, so peace proved elusive. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

Trump took the opposite approach, and focused on Arab-Israeli peace as the first step. His energy policies lowered global oil prices. Arab leaders realized they could no longer count on oil export revenues alone to fund their government. They needed to diversify their economies, which required peace with Israel. 

Trump also recognized that the younger generation of Arab leaders, schooled in the West and comfortable with more open societies, would be amenable to dramatic social change and to developing economic ties with Israel. The Abraham Accords were the first peace agreements between Israel and the Sunni Gulf states – ever. Trump succeeded where all the experts had failed for decades. 

American presidents going back to John F. Kennedy complained that our NATO allies were not paying their fair share for our common defense. Obama called them "freeloaders." Our allies always made excuses, claiming they couldn’t afford to pay the 2% of GNP they had promised, and relied on America to foot the bill for their defense.

Trump hectored, scolded and threatened them until our NATO allies finally increased their defense spending. Turns out they DID have the money after all.  

For years, Washington bureaucrats, politicians and experts have been wrong about the major foreign policy problems confronting the nation. It took an outsider who saw things from a different perspective. Instead of endless rounds of fruitless diplomacy and an open checkbook, Trump used a combination of trade, economics and common sense to reestablish American security. And his second term will be even better.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM KT McFARLAND

CIA nominee John Ratcliffe is telling senators on Wednesday about how he’ll reshape the intelligence community in what he calls "the most challenging national security environment in our nation’s history." 

Ratcliffe, who served as director of national intelligence during President-elect Trump's first term, is testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The committee will then vote on his nomination before a full Senate vote to confirm him as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. 

Ratcliffe ticked off the nation’s biggest threats – China, the border, the Russia-Ukraine war and risk of nuclear fallout, Iran, North Korea and "increasing coordination among America’s rivals."

At a time when intelligence and law enforcement agencies have found themselves front and center in the political realm, a source familiar with Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital he’s focused on "depoliticizing" the agency, and "eliminating any distractions" to its core mission of obtaining intelligence. 

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM PETE HEGSETH'S SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING

Ratcliffe is also expected to push for more aggressive spying operations, particularly on Beijing, where CCP operatives have been spying on the U.S. for years. 

"With Trump and Ratcliffe, the days of China pillaging American companies, infecting American infrastructure, and otherwise targeting and abusing the American people are over. The jackals can only scavenge in the lion's domain for so long before they get their heads ripped off," the source said. 

Ratcliffe signaled plans in his opening statement to increase the agency’s capacity to obtain human intelligence "in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult."

"We will produce insightful, objective, all-source analysis, never allowing political or personal biases to cloud our judgment or infect our product," Ratcliffe will say in his opening statement. 

"We will conduct covert action at the direction of the president, going places no one else can go and doing things no one else can do. To the brave CIA officers listening around the world, if all of this sounds like what you signed up for, then buckle up and get ready to make a difference. If it doesn’t, then it’s time to find a new line of work."

RUBIO TO PITCH FOREIGN POLICY CREDENTIALS TO SENATE AS HE VIES TO BECOME AMERICA'S TOP DIPLOMAT

Ratcliffe said he would try to recruit agents that could be described as "a Ph.D. who could win a bar fight," but promised to fully investigate anomalous health incidents like Havana Syndrome. 

Ratcliffe also hopes to increase coordination with the CIA and the private sector – potentially through rotations that allow CIA agents to do a stint in the private sector or allowing private employees at AI and tech companies to join the CIA in mid-career appointments, according to the source. 

Ratcliffe's hearing is expected to have a more policy-heavy focus than some of Trump's more controversial nominees like Pete Hegseth, picked to lead the Defense Department. Hegseth faced senators on the Armed Services Committee on Tuesday where he was questioned on his drinking, sexual assault allegations and reports of financial mismanagement. 

Trump's choice to oversee all intelligence agencies, Tulsi Gabbard, has also been met with skepticism by some in the Senate over her past opposition to U.S. surveillance laws and seeming closeness to U.S. adversaries, in particular a meeting she took with former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. She's since walked back her opposition to a surveillance program known as Section 702.

Gabbard's hearing is not yet on the books, neither is Trump's nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel. 

Trump's national security nominees are in lockstep on at least one thing – the threat of China – and the need to update technologies and defenses to thwart the CCP's chronic attacks on U.S. infrastructure. 

"We have to stop trying to just play better and better defense," Mike Waltz, Trump's national security adviser pick, recently told FOX Business. "We need to start going on offense."

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - The Biden Administration has been blasted by the incoming Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho., for "waiting" until the outgoing President had only 13 days left in office before declaring rebel actions in Sudan, a country torn apart by 21 months of bitter war, to be "genocide."

Earlier this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that members of the Sudanese rebel group, the Rapid Support Forces or RSF, "have committed genocide in Sudan." 

In a statement, Blinken said, "The United States is committed to holding accountable those responsible for these atrocities. We are sanctioning RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, known as Hemedti, for his role in systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese people."

BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN ACCUSED OF ‘TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE’ TO SAVE THE PEOPLE OF WAR-TORN, FAMINE-STRICKEN SUDAN

Blinken made his rulings, he stated, because "the RSF and RSF-aligned militias have continued to direct attacks against civilians, have systematically murdered men and boys—even infants—on an ethnic basis, and (have) deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence."

The Secretary continued, "Those same militias have targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies."

Blinken added that the African nation is suffering through "a conflict of unmitigated brutality that has resulted in the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe, leaving 638,000 Sudanese experiencing the worst famine in Sudan’s recent history, over 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, and tens of thousands dead."

Risch has held out that the situation in Sudan has been catastrophic for well over a year, and called into question the timing of Blinken’s declaration. In a statement earlier this week, he wrote, "It has been nearly a year since I introduced a resolution calling the atrocities in Sudan what they are: a genocide. Additionally, I first called for Global Magnitsky sanctions to be imposed against the RSF and Hemedti 263 days ago – and yet these sanctions still have not been leveraged."

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Risch spoke to Fox News Digital, declaring, "The Biden Administration waited until it has less than two weeks in office to sanction RSF-affiliated companies and Hemedti for their crimes and to call atrocities in Sudan a genocide."

Risch said, "This neglect to address the crisis in Sudan weakened America’s influence in the region and the world years ago. If the Biden Administration backed its rhetoric with action, Sudan would be in a better position today, more lives would be saved, and the foreign proxies exacerbating this conflict would be kept at bay."

Risch added, "This war must end. Further instability in Sudan will only breed terrorism and regional turmoil, threatening global security. The U.S. and our allies must seek to end the killing and atrocities, end the malign actions by proxies, manage migration pressures from mass displacement and protect strategic interests like the Red Sea corridor."

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Thomas Perriello, said "Making an atrocity determination is an immense responsibility that the Secretary takes seriously.  Such determinations are based on a careful review of the facts and the law. It requires information not only of certain acts but also that those acts were done with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in substantial part, a racial, ethnic, national, or religious group. Information demonstrating intent is often difficult to find and assess."
 
"Since the start of the conflict the United States has taken repeated action to promote accountability of the RSF for its atrocities conduct. The U.S. already had sanctioned five RSF leaders, including two of Hemedti’s brothers. We also determined in December 2023 that members of the RSF committed ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. So the designation of Hemedti and the genocide determination reflect a consistent effort to document and call out atrocities, acknowledge the suffering of victims and survivors, and pursue justice and accountability."

In his declaration, Blinken announced new sanctions stating, "We are also sanctioning seven RSF-owned companies located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and one individual for their roles in procuring weapons for the RSF."

The Treasury Department also sent out a statement, virtually simultaneously to the one from State, saying "the RSF's ability to acquire military equipment and generate finances continue to fuel the conflict in Sudan." Treasury stated one particular company in the UAE, owned by a Sudanese national  "has provided money and weapons to the RSF."  

Other UAE companies sanctioned this past week have been accused by the Treasury Department of handling financial transactions, of being "an essential part of the RSF’s efforts to finance its operations", and of importing IT and security equipment .

One gold company in the UAE has been sanctioned because it has allegedly "purchased gold from Sudan, presumably for the benefit of the RSF, and subsequently transported it to Dubai." Additionally, Treasury claimed "the RSF’s procurement director and brother of RSF leader Hemedti maintained access to (the gold company’s) bank account in the UAE, which held millions of dollars."

"The United States continues to call for an end to this conflict that is putting innocent civilian lives in jeopardy," Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo stated. "The Treasury Department remains committed to using every tool available to hold accountable those responsible for violating the human rights of the Sudanese people."

In response to Fox News Digital questions involving UAE registered companies an official from its foreign ministry fired back, stating. "The UAE’s primary focus in Sudan remains on addressing the catastrophic humanitarian crisis. We continue to call for an immediate cease-fire and a peaceful resolution to this man-made conflict. In this regard, the UAE has already made absolutely clear that it is not providing any support or supplies to either of two belligerent warring parties in Sudan."

The official continued, "the UAE takes its role in protecting the integrity of the international financial system extremely seriously. We remain committed to combating financial crime globally, enhancing international cooperation and developing strategies to address emerging risks."

Tulsi Gabbard, who is President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in his next administration, has reversed course on a controversial item after lobbying from Republican senators. 

Gabbard revealed on Friday that she believes section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) "is crucial for gathering foreign intelligence on non-U.S. persons abroad."

She previously opposed FISA section 702 re-authorization while serving as a Democrat in the House of Representatives. 

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"We have a very important responsibility to strike a balance between national security to keep the American people safe, while also protecting our constitutionally protected freedoms," she said on the House floor in 2018. "Let us make this critical choice. Vote to keep our country safe. Vote to uphold our constitutional rights that so many have fought and died to protect."

In her statement, provided by a Trump transition spokesperson, Gabbard said, "This unique capability cannot be replicated and must be safeguarded to protect our nation while ensuring the civil liberties of Americans."

"My prior concerns about FISA were based on insufficient protections for civil liberties, particularly regarding the FBI's misuse of warrantless search powers on American citizens. Significant FISA reforms have been enacted since my time in Congress to address these issues. If confirmed as DNI, I will uphold Americans' Fourth Amendment rights while maintaining vital national security tools like Section 702 to ensure the safety and freedom of the American people," she said. 

The change in Gabbard's beliefs on the key national security issue was first reported by Punchbowl News. 

It comes after multiple Republican senators made the case to her of the importance of FISA's section 702. 

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Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told Fox News Digital in a statement: "Tulsi Gabbard has assured me in our conversations that she supports Section 702 as recently amended and that she will follow the law and support its reauthorization as DNI."

One GOP aide shared that during his meeting with Gabbard, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., emphasized how important the authority granted by section 702 is, and how important her navigation of it would be. 

In a podcast appearance earlier this week, Lankford told the Wall Street Journal's Kim Strassel that there were some issues "that people aren't talking about" as it relates to Trump's picks. One of them, he said, was Gabbard and her stance on section 702. 

"She has voted against what's called 702 authority every time that she was in Congress and voted against it. Well, now she's going to be the spokesman for 702 authority. It's a legitimate question just to say, ‘Okay, how are you going to handle this?’" he asked. 

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Lankford suggested that this is something that matters to other Republican senators. "I don't hear anyone really coming up publicly and saying, 'I'm adamantly opposed'" to Trump's nominees, he explained. 

But, "What I hear is a lot of people saying, ‘Hey, I want to give a fair hearing. I want people to be able to answer questions publicly.’" 

While most GOP senators are supportive of FISA, some have been vocal critics. "Voting to reauthorize FISA 702 without a warrant requirement is difficult to defend. So are those casting such votes—especially if they purport to care about the Fourth Amendment," Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote on X ahead of the most recent FISA re-authorization. 

Another top critic, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said in 2023, "Using 702, Americans’ communications content and metadata is inevitably swept up and kept in government databases without a warrant. Law enforcement agencies then access Americans’ communications without a warrant." 

NEW GOP SENATOR TEARS INTO DEMS 'SEEKING TO DELAY' PETE HEGSETH DOD CONFIRMATION

These Republicans may not be as happy about Gabbard's change of heart. However, there isn't any indication that it would harm their support for her as of yet. 

One Republican senate source cast doubt on Gabbard's new stance, noting that she has been "a life-long skeptic of intelligence gathering." They suggested it is unlikely that she has "completely changed her mind." 

A GOP Senate source confirmed to Fox News Digital that conservative senators are encouraged by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and his apparent desire to confirm Trump nominees on the day he is sworn into office. 

The group is eager to have all national security nominees confirmed on Trump's first day, they added. 

TAIPEI, Taiwan - The United States should increase and promote both official and unofficial contacts with Taiwan’s government and the Taiwanese military during President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, regardless of the inevitable Beijing response of "anger" and "hurt feelings," analysts say. 

Exchanges between U.S. officials, scholars, as well as members of think tanks, foundations, and institutes, will be crucial for accurate information to be relayed to both the American and Taiwanese public and their respective governments, say experts.

On Thursday, a delegation from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute met with Taiwan President William Lai, Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung. 

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"We deeply appreciate the bipartisan support from our American friends and welcome delegations from the U.S. and like-minded nations," Lin told Fox News Digital in exclusive comments. 

The foreign minister added, "These visits demonstrate concrete support for Taiwan and contribute to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, essential for global security and prosperity." 

Speaking from Taipei, David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, told Fox News Digital, "We met with the President, Vice President, Foreign Minister, and other government leaders to advance President Reagan’s legacy and our shared values of freedom and democracy, economic opportunity, and peace through strength." 

Describing Taiwan as "a vibrant democracy and key economic partner of the United States," Trulio added that visits to Taiwan – by U.S. civil society groups, foundations, think tanks, and official U.S. government officers – serve as "valuable opportunities to maintain relationships with Taiwan’s leaders, address challenges and opportunities, and visibly promote shared values." 

The Reagan Foundation, comprised of national security and business leaders, met with representatives from all three of Taiwan’s main political parties, as well as top Taiwanese government officials, during a weeklong visit to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that has never been governed by Communist China. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and never misses a chance to make bombastic statements against what it calls "secessionist forces." 

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 2024 New Year’s address included claims that "reunification" was a "historical inevitability," despite the two sides being separately ruled for more than 70 years. Beijing refuses to pledge to use only peaceful means to achieve "unity" with Taiwan and says it reserves the option of using military force.

While Foreign Minister Lin did not directly reference pre-U.S. election comments by then-Republican candidate Trump that "Taiwan should pay us for defense," he did not sidestep the issue. In comments to Fox News Digital, Lin said, "Taiwan has increased its defense spending by over 80% since 2016, reaching US$20 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. In 2025, if the special budget for military procurement is included, Taiwan’s total military spending is expected to account for 20% of the central government’s annual budget—higher than that of the U.S."

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This is the Reagan Foundation’s second time leading a delegation to Taiwan in as many years. A recent poll conducted by the foundation showed roughly 70-75% of Americans – Democrats and Republicans alike – would support strong measures should China make the ill-advised choice to use military force against Taiwan. For example, a significant majority agreed that should there be an attack, the U.S. should immediately recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation. 

The current reality is that China faces significant domestic challenges and is not in a position of strength. In 2022, despite threats of "dire consequences," then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, and the Chinese response was hardly "dire." The following year, after Republicans took control of the House, the then-President Tsai Ing-wen met with then-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy during a stop in California, a historic first meeting between a Taiwanese president and a U.S. House speaker on U.S. soil. 

China responded with three days of war games and a simulated blockade of the island, but those exercises and maneuvers demonstrated no new capabilities that the U.S. or Taiwanese defense departments were not aware of already. Speaking after meeting with McCarthy in 2023, President Tsai told the media, "To preserve peace, we must be strong," clearly paraphrasing former President Ronald Reagan. 

VOTERS WANT MORE US INVOLVEMENT ON WORLD STAGE DESPITE ISOLATIONIST TALK, RONALD REAGAN INSTITUTE SURVEY FINDS

"China can and will huff and puff over visits, especially ones involving in-office U.S. government personnel," Liam Keen told Fox News Digital via email. "But we cannot allow the theatrics of mock blockades and firing rockets into the sea to in any way deter closer U.S.-Taiwan exchanges." Keen, who is part of the U.S.-based NGO Formosan Association for Public Affairs, noted his organization strongly supported and was instrumental in helping the Taiwan Travel Act get passed in Congress and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in 2018. 

The Taiwan Travel Act – which China predictably harshly criticized – removed many previous restrictions on travel to Taiwan by U.S. officials. Keen noted that "The act passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate. I think China calling it a ‘red line’ only emboldened sponsors of the law such as Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and [former] Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio., which is exactly the right way to respond to bullying by the Chinese Communist Party."

Foreign Minister Lin told Fox News Digital that Taiwan’s government looked forward to working with the new U.S. administration. "Strengthening economic partnerships is also crucial," he said. "Taiwanese businesses, such as TSMC with its $65 billion investment in Arizona, are increasingly investing in the U.S." Lin noted that Taiwanese President Lai has emphasized the importance of Taiwan’s global role, with Lin quoting Lai as saying, "The more secure Taiwan is, the more secure the world will be." 

War between the U.S. and China over Taiwan would be catastrophic for both superpowers and the globe. Aside from horrific human losses, Bloomberg Economics estimated in 2024 that the "price tag" of such a war could be around $10 trillion; 10% of global GDP – "dwarfing the blow from the war in Ukraine, COVID pandemic and global financial crisis." Increased contact between the United States and Taiwan to build trust, and transmit accurate, bias-free information is a major key to ensuring such a conflict never happens. 

The Trump transition team is accusing Democrats in the Senate of "stonewalling" Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation to the position of Director of National Intelligence (DNI). 

A hearing has yet to be set for President-elect Trump's DNI pick, despite Republicans pushing for Gabbard's nomination to be one of the first considered due to national security concerns. The potential delay in her hearing was first reported by Axios. 

Committee rules dictate that the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence can't hold a hearing unless all necessary paperwork is received at least a week beforehand, the office of Intel Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., told Fox News Digital. 

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Per Warner's office, the committee has yet to receive pre-hearing questions from Gabbard or an ethics disclosure. They also haven't gotten a copy of her FBI background check.

However, a spokesperson for Gabbard and the Trump transition team pushed back on this. According to the transition, the paperwork that was due on Dec. 18 was submitted, the FBI background check has been done, and an additional round of paperwork is due on Thursday and will be finished by then. 

The FBI did not respond immediately to Fox News Digital's question about whether the background check had been provided to the Intel Committee. 

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The transition team also noted that Gabbard has a top-secret security clearance from her Army service, meaning her background check was expedited. 

The spokesperson for Gabbard asserted that Warner was directing Democratic members of the committee not to set up meetings with her until he had done so, drawing out her meeting process. According to them, Warner's office was emailed on Nov. 27 but did not reply until Dec 29. 

"After the terrorist attacks on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, it's sad to see Sen. Warner and Democrats playing politics with Americans' safety and our national security by stonewalling Lt. Col. Gabbard's nomination, who is willing to meet with every member who will meet with her as this process continues," said transition spokesperson Alexa Henning. 

"It is vital the Senate confirms President-elect Trump's national security nominees swiftly, which in the past has been a bipartisan effort. We are working in lockstep with Chairman Cotton and look forward to Lt. Col. Gabbard's hearing before Inauguration Day." 

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The only Democrat to bypass this supposed directive was Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., the transition team said. The two met last month at the Capitol. 

Gabbard's team added that Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Angus King, I-Maine, only responded after Warner's team finally confirmed their meeting. 

Warner's office denied issuing any such directive to Democratic members. "That is flat-out untrue. Vice Chairman Warner has encouraged every senator on the Committee to meet with the nominee (as he has), carefully evaluate her experience, record and statements for themselves, and reach their own conclusions about whether she has the qualifications and background for this critical role," spokesperson Rachel Cohen told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

The intel vice chairman met in person with Gabbard on Tuesday. "I had a session with Ms. Gabbard, I went in with a lot of questions. I've still got a lot of questions," Warner said afterward.

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"This is an extraordinarily serious job that requires maintaining the independence of the intelligence community. It also means maintaining the cooperation of our allies. We've got a lot of our intelligence from our allies on a sharing basis, and if those – that information is not kept secure, it raises huge concern. So I've got, you know, we've got a number of questions out for her. This is the beginning of a process." 

A spokesperson for the new Intel chairman, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Chairman Cotton intends to hold these hearings before Inauguration Day. The Intelligence Committee, the nominees, and the transition are diligently working toward that goal."

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that the committee has yet to prompt Gabbard for her written responses to the advance policy questions, and emphasized that she can't respond to something not yet received. 

Mental health disorders are on the rise in the military, now accounting for more hospitalizations than any other ailment, according to a new Defense Department health report. 

Diagnoses of mental health disorders are up 40% over the past five years, from 2019 to 2023, according to a Defense Health Agency report. It found that anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) doubled over the five-year period. 

In 2023, active-duty service members experiencing a mental health disorder made up 54.8% of hospital bed stays, more than every other affliction combined.

From 2019 through 2023, 541,672 active-duty service members across all branches were diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder, according to the report. About 47% of those were diagnosed with more than one mental health disorder. In 2023, there were 1.3 million U.S. active duty troops.

The sobering report follows the New Year's Day vehicle attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people, revealing that the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was an Army veteran with multiple deployments.  

That same day in Las Vegas, Col. Matthew Livelsberger, an active member of the Army Green Berets, shot himself in the head in a Cybertruck full of explosives. 

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"As service members continue to experience increased rates of mental health disorders after the COVID-19 pandemic, help-seeking behaviors to address psychological as well as emotional well-being should be prioritized to maintain force readiness," the report read. 

The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment on what's behind the uptick in diagnoses and whether U.S. forces are mentally prepared to go into combat if needed. 

Female service members, those who are younger and those in the Army, were most likely to be diagnosed. 

The Navy led all other branches in depressive disorders, bipolar disorders and personality disorders.

Active duty female service members were diagnosed with PTSD twice as often as their male counterparts. 

The medical data came from records accessed via the Defense Medical Surveillance System and Theater Medical Data Store. It analyzed ambulance encounters, hospitalization or outpatient visits to a psychiatric facility, and other factors to define a mental health diagnosis. 

Meanwhile, military suicides ticked up again last year, following a dark trend the Pentagon has struggled to combat. 

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Overall, there were 523 reported suicides in 2023, the most recent data available, up from 493 in 2022. The number of active-duty troops who died by suicide increased to 363 from 331 the previous year, up 12%. 

Suicide is by far the biggest killer of service members, killing more than training accidents, illnesses, homicides or combat, according to the Defense Department (DOD). In addition to the sheer number, the rate of suicides per 100,000 also went up last year. 

Suicide deaths by active-duty service members have been on the rise since 2011.

Another troubling sign from the data is how many suicide victims sought help: 67% had a primary care encounter in the 90 days before their death; 34% had been to an outpatient mental health center; 8% had been discharged from an in-patient mental health facility; and 18% were on psychotropic medication at the time of their death. 

Within a year prior to their death, 44% of military suicide victims reported intimate relationship problems, and 42% reported a behavioral health diagnosis. 

During his first term as president, Donald Trump saw the height of a violent civil war in Syria, a resurgence of Islamic State activity, and a rise in ISIS-inspired attacks both abroad and on U.S. soil.

Eight years later, many of these bogeymen have returned.

In the last eight weeks, Syrian rebels launched a lightning offensive, wresting back control of the country and then of its capital—forcing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia for safe haven. Like Trump’s first term, the instability in the Middle East has prompted fresh questions over if, or what role the U.S. should play in Syria—amid concerns that failing to act will further open the power vacuum in Syria, making it ripe for exploitation by Islamic State militants and other terrorist groups.

And on Wednesday, U.S. authorities scrambled to investigate and respond to two separate attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Despite taking place thousands of miles apart, both are being investigated as possible acts of terrorism—a glaring indicator that the threat of homegrown extremism remains just as pervasive as ever. 

Ahead of Trump's second term, the violence—and the unexpected collapse of Syria's authoritarian regime— have prompted new questions as to how the U.S. might act.

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Options for Trump

Trump, for his part, has long opposed the idea of involving U.S. troops in foreign wars. In 2019, he ordered the complete withdrawal of all military personnel in Syria's north.

He reiterated that view in a post last month on Truth Social, saying the U.S. should "have nothing to do with" the situation in Syria.

"Let it play out," he said. 

It's unclear whether, or to what degree, this week's deadly attacks may have swayed Trump's decision. Fourteen people were killed in New Orleans early Wednesday morning by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Texas native and U.S. army veteran who had driven from Houston to Bourbon Street in a rented pickup truck, plowing through crowds of people massed outside the famed string of bars to celebrate the new year. Jabbar himself was fatally shot by police.

FBI officials said that Jabbar, who had affixed an Islamic State flag to the rented vehicle, was "100% inspired by ISIS" in carrying out the terrorist attack, though it remains unclear whether he has any legitimate ties to the group.

Jabbar had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and is believed to have joined the group this past summer, officials said. He was also seen on surveillance footage planting two explosive devices in coolers along the corners of Bourbon and Orleans Streets, and another intersection nearby, though both were later rendered safe by bomb squad teams.

Separately, the FBI said they are investigating a Las Vegas explosion carried out in a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas as a possible act of terrorism. 

The suspect in that case, Matthew Alan Livelsberger, had been a member of the U.S. Army's elite special forces unit prior to the explosion, and FBI officials raided a house in Colorado Springs on Thursday that they said they believe could be connected to the case.

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Should Trump opt to maintain his longtime opposition to U.S. intervention in "foreign wars," there are other options he could take to try to crack down on violent domestic attacks. This could include cracking down on immigration— a policy long embraced by Trump and many Republicans in Congress—to prevent possible threat actors from crossing the border.

In fact, the Department of Homeland Security told reporters in June that it had identified more than 400 migrants from Central Asia and other countries who had been smuggled into the U.S. by ISIS-linked smuggling groups over the last three years, prompting a flurry of new arrests and "subjects of concern" designations.

DHS officials said the arrests, first reported by NBC, were made out of "an abundance of caution," and noted at the time that they had not identified any credible threats to the U.S. by the migrants, who may have simply been attempting to find a way to cross into the U.S. 

Still, a border crackdown might not be enough to solve the problem, made especially complex by the role of lone-wolf threat actors and individuals who become radicalized online.

A pervasive threat 

The FBI has focused heavily on the risk of terrorism posed by domestic and homegrown violent extremists, as it noted in its most recent "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland" report. 

These small groups or individuals pose the biggest risk to national security, the report noted—often using easily accessible weapons, such as guns and cars, to attack so-called "soft targets," or groups of civilians gathered en masse at accessible locations.

The "greatest, most immediate international terrorism threat to the homeland" are individuals who have lived primarily in the U.S. and who carry out actions inspired by, but not at the express direction of, a foreign terrorist organization such as ISIS, the law enforcement agency said. 

Early in December, the FBI and other authorities warned of a heightened risk of vehicular attacks by lone-wolf offenders during the holidays, noting in a shared bulliten that threat actors have "plotted and conducted attacks against holiday targets" in previous years, with likely targets including public places with "perceived lower levels of security" holding large gatherings.

The threat is also not going away. Trump's first term as president saw multiple attacks carried out by individuals pledging allegiance to ISIS or other jihad groups—even if they had not been operating at the direction of the group itself. These individuals were responsible for the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, the 2017 New York City truck attack, a 2017 machete attack at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, and many more acts of violence.

Vehicular attacks have also increased: Since 2014, there have been at least 16 vehicular ramming attacks in the U.S. and Europe carried out by individuals practicing jihad, according to a report from the think tank New America.

And since 2020, the number of domestic terrorism investigations conducted by the FBI has more than doubled—a staggering rate that indicates both the scope and the complexity of the growing problem.

Speaking to reporters at a press briefing on Thursday, FBI officials said the suspect in the New Orleans attack, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was "100% inspired by ISIS." 

"First and foremost, let me be very clear about this point," the FBI Assistant Director of Counterterrorism, Christopher Raia, told reporters. "This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act." 

As President-elect Donald Trump approaches his second inauguration, does he have a plan for his second-term "legacy achievements" in mind?

Trump already holds the title for "biggest upset win in a presidential election ever" as a result of Trump’s 2016 besting of Hillary Clinton.

Trump is also never going to be dislodged from the title of "greatest political comeback in American history," a title he took from his old friend Richard Nixon.

And Trump is already the most significant president ever when it comes to turning the United States Supreme Court in a dramatically new direction—in Trump’s case, back to the actual text and public meaning of the Constitution—a legacy which may deepen and extend even further into the future if retirements follow the end of this SCOTUS term or next.

Trump will almost certainly put two new and different markers on the board. If the GOP holds its Senate majority in 2026, Trump will almost certainly top the record for total number of federal judges appointed over the course of a presidency, which is currently 383, held by Ronald Reagan, which is currently 149 ahead of the 234 total judges Trump appointed in his first term.

As for federal appeals court judges, Trump’s first term saw 54 nominees to those benches confirmed, just one shy of the total Barack Obama saw confirmed in his eight years as president. Trump should end up with greatest number of federal appeals court judges appointed, probably within three months of taking the oath of office again. (President Biden appointed one Supreme Court justice and 45 appeals court judges. Those 45 are of course obliged to follow the law as declared by the Supreme Court.)

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When "the Wall" is complete, Trump will almost certainly attend the completion of its last section, and for as long as anyone reading this is alive, the Wall will be the country’s visible expression of an invisible national resolve to control our own borders.

Trump’s second economic boom will follow aggressive deregulation and the energy production and housing construction deregulation ignites.

The one area where Trump did not succeed in his first term? His promise, often repeated, to expand the U.S. Navy to 355 ships while revitalizing ship building via the expansion and modernization of the dry docks and graving docks the expanding fleet needs. He was making a start at the end of his first term when Ambassador Robert O’Brien, a "navalist," was Trump’s national security advisor and doing everything he could to help Trump move the DOD bureaucracy to get serious about ships but Trump ran out of time. He gets a second at-bat on this goal and this legacy.

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Making America’s Navy as great as it has ever been is a big lift for Trump but one he can obtain if he begins on January 20. He can message this goal in his second inaugural address and can hammer on it every day by asking his senior staff every morning: "What did we do for the Navy yesterday and what are we going to do for it today?"

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies—easily the equal of any think tank that dives deep into national security matters—"China now possesses the world’s largest maritime fighting force, operating 234 warships to the U.S. Navy’s 219."

There’s more bad news. "About 70 percent of Chinese warships were launched after 2010, while only about 25 percent of the U.S. Navy’s were," the CSIS report noted. "Chinese ship production dwarfs that of the United States. The Office of Naval Intelligence assessment noted that China has ‘dozens’ of commercial shipyards larger and more productive than the largest U.S. shipyards, and an unclassified U.S. Navy briefing slide suggested that China has 230 times the shipbuilding capacity of the United States. China’s massive shipbuilding industry would provide a strategic advantage in a war that stretches beyond a few weeks, allowing it to repair damaged vessels or construct replacements much faster than the United States, which continues to face a significant maintenance backlog and would probably be unable to quickly construct many new ships or to repair damaged fighting ships in a great power conflict."

Read the whole CSIS assessment and be very alarmed and correctly so. Trump has consistently aimed for the sort of seapower legacy that marked the greatest presidencies of the 20th century—TR, FDR, and Reagan. All three of these leaders understood at their core that the United States is first and foremost a "seapower," and that maintaining dominance of the world’s waterways is essential to American strength and endurance in the face of many global adversaries, most especially the only superpower peer: The People’s Republic of China. (TR and FDR had the advantage of having been Assistant Secretaries of the Navy earlier in their careers.)

Trump knows Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, the ruthless leader of a ruthless regime. Trump isn’t afraid of Xi but would certainly prefer to manage the tensions between our nation and the Chinese Communist Party rather than have them explode into conflict. "Making America Great Again" necessarily includes avoiding a war with China and that in turn means maintaining our strategic superiority over the People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Liberation Army Navy ("PLAN").  

Mackenzie Eaglen and Brady Africa of the American Enterprise Institute recently assessed both our Navy and the PLAN and concluded that "China has been investing so much in shipbuilding over the past 18 years that it can now build more ships in a month than the United States can in a year — and Beijing aims to keep widening its advantage."

"If the U.S. military does not soon catch up to this capacity, it risks finding itself off-guard and ill-equipped in a conflict scenario," the continued. "China’s recent expansions should alarm American military planners and spur investments to bolster naval power."

Trump can join TR and Reagan as godfather of fleet which primarily deters wars, but also can support winning them. When Woodrow Wilson first sent a half dozen destroyers to join the Allies in World War One, the first six destroyers to reach Ireland and join the battle against the Kaiser’s U-boats were the USS McDougal (Destroyer #54); USS Conyngham (Destroyer #58); USS Porter (Destroyer #59); USS Wadsworth (Destroyer #60), and USS Davis (Destroyer #62). All six of these ships were built between 1913 and 1916. When Wilson finally reacted to unrestricted warfare on all shipping and to the revelation of the "Zimmerman telegraph," he had the destroyers at hand to dispatch to the Channel and the waters nearby. 

The Germans’ secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office on January 17, 1917. The telegram was intercepted by the Royal Navy, and it proposed a military contract between the German Empire and Mexico if the United States entered World War I against Germany, one that argued that Mexico should gain Texas, New Mexico and Arizona from the United States. The telegram was sent from the Kaiser’s foreign office to his Ambassador in Mexico City and laid down blunt instructions: 

"On February 1 we intend to begin submarine warfare without restriction. In spite of this it is our intention to endeavour to keep the United States neutral. If this attempt is not successful, we propose an alliance on the following basis with Mexico:

That we shall make war together and together make peace; we shall give general financial support, and it is understood that Mexico is to reconquer her lost territory of New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. The details are left to you for settlement."

Wilson received the contents of the telegram in late February of 2017 and chose to release it to the public and America’s entry into the war followed.

We don’t need a Zimmerman Telegraph to alert us to Xi’s plan. He’s building ports in Peru and Namibia to support a blue-water PLAN and new ships suited to the invasion of Taiwan. Trump’s best way to go down in history as a "peace-maker," is to throw much of his vast energy at rebuilding our power on, above, and under the seas.

Hugh Hewitt is host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990.  Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcast, and this column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said Monday it continues to operate under a "heightened threat environment" ahead of the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration. 

More than a million visitors are expected in Times Square on Tuesday to attend the 120th tradition of watching the ball drop on the stroke of the New Year. 

This year, the NYPD’s class of more than 600 new recruits will work their first detail Tuesday night. At a press conference about security preparations on Monday, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there are no credible threats to the Times Square event at this time, but the department has been operating in a "heightened threat environment" since the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. 

New York City has seen mass demonstrations against Israel, including the encampments, antisemitic rallying cries and clashes with police seen at Columbia University and New York University earlier this year. 

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"We remain vigilant," Tisch told reporters. "The public can expect to see a tremendous amount of police resources deployed throughout the area and across the city. That includes members of some of our elite specialized units, including our emergency services unit, who will be strategically deployed throughout the area on rooftops. Our K-9 teams, who will patrol with bomb sniffing dogs. Our aviation unit will be in the skies scanning the event and the surrounding areas with special attention to the bridges and other landmarks. And of course, our drones will be deployed overhead to monitor the crowds in real time and watch for any suspicious or unusual activity."

Last year, the NYPD had about four drone teams inside the "bow tie" and "frozen area" around Times Square for New Year's Eve. That will increase to six drone teams – four inside the bow tie and two on the outer perimeter – this year, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said, adding that mobile drone teams will also operate around Manhattan and the rest of the city and monitor activity over the water as well.  

A reporter at the press conference asked the NYPD if any extra security measures are being brought into Times Square in the wake of the suspected terror attack on a Christmas market in Germany last week. A psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia was reportedly arrested in connection to the Dec. 20 car-ramming at a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, that killed five people, including a nine-year-old boy, and injured over 200 others.

"Every year we formulate our plan based on incidents that are happening around the world, here in the city," Rebecca Weiner, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, said. "Christmas markets – you just flagged a terrible incident in Germany involving Christmas markets – they're a persistent, high-risk target, and so, frankly, are New Year's Eve celebrations around the world, which is why we put so much emphasis on all of the resources that are here focused on keeping this city and this event safe. So it's absolutely calibrated to what's happening overseas."

Noting precautions against vehicle ramming incidents, including NYPD trucks and blocked cars at the scene, Weiner added, "We are very confident it's going to be a safe and enjoyable evening for all." 

The NYPD was also asked to address the emerging threat of the Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua (TdA). Weiner said there was no specific threat related to the gang in connection to the Times Square event, but the TdA matter is "just something persistently that we deal with in the large panoply of crime issues that we are very good at handling all year." 

"There's been a ton of work being done by our detective bureau, patrol bureau, our bureau over in intel and counterterrorism," she said. "This is an issue that we're dealing with not specific to New Year's Eve, Times Square. But some newly emergent threats, newly emergent crime patterns that we have, again, tried to combat very early and very deeply so that we haven't had the entrenchment of some of this gang here in the city that you've seen elsewhere across the country." 

The NYPD will also utilize pickpocket teams, as well as "hotel response teams" to monitor for suspicious activity or other "anomalous" events. 

Tisch said all manholes, mailboxes, vending machines and litter baskets in the "frozen zone" around Times Square will be either sealed or removed, and frozen safety lanes will be created around the event using blocker cars and concrete barriers. 

"And, as always, there will be plenty of security measures that you will not see," the police commissioner said. "No one handles large-scale events like this better than the NYPD, but of course we do not do it alone. The Joint Operations Center will be fully activated with all of our city, state, and federal partners." 

Amid a string of high-profile subway crimes and killings – notably, Daniel Penny’s acquittal and the arrest of an illegal immigrant who allegedly set a sleeping woman on fire – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD officials still urged crowds to use public transportation to get to the Times Square New Year’s Eve event. Despite forecasts of rain, NYPD officials said no umbrellas will be allowed in the viewing area. Backpacks, large bags, coolers, chairs and alcohol are also prohibited. 

China is conducting the largest military build-up seen since that of Nazi Germany during the 1930s, one expert warns, after a new Department of Defense report detailed Beijing's operations including bolstering weapons and psychological warfare.

In a piece for The Federalist, Chuck DeVore, chief national initiatives officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, referenced the Pentagon's annual report to Congress and warned that the United States has spent $5.4 trillion on its war on terror and futile nation building while the Chinese threat has grown. He urged that Congress get on board with the incoming Trump administration to reallocate resources within the Pentagon to better prioritize naval strength, nuclear deterrence, missile defense, and logistics. 

"China is engaging in an unprecedented military build-up that the world frankly hasn't seen since Adolf Hitler in the 1930s," DeVore, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, told "Fox & Friends Weekend."

"Now the big difference there, is that he really focused on land power, which frankly is pretty easy to build up pretty quickly," he added. "Navies are much more difficult to build up. And we are way behind. And not only do we need to catch up, but we also need to modernize our nuclear weapons, and we need to put a lot of effort into missile defense." 

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DeVore further detailed the Department of Defense's findings in its report, which summarized "military and security developments involving the People’s Republic of China" in 2024. 

"They're massively building up their nuclear arsenal. We expect it to expand to at least 1,000 warheads by 2030, only five years from now. Probably going to be bigger than that," DeVore said Sunday. "The Chinese Navy, not by tonnage, but by numbers is now larger than the U.S. Navy. China has something like 250 times the ship building capacity that America does." 

The report cites how China has bolstered its People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) arsenal to include 50 new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which can strike the continental U.S., raising its total to 400. As far as the report discloses, the DoD says China has added 300 medium-range ballistic missiles and 100 long-range cruise missiles. Their arsenal also now includes more than 600 operational nuclear warheads and is expected to have more than 1,000 by 2030.

The DoD says the People's Republic of China (PRC) has the world’s leading arsenal of hypersonic missiles, including the DF-27, which as DeVore notes, "are capable of evading U.S. missile defenses and targeting Guam, Hawaii, and Alaska​." 

China already has the largest navy in the world but is expected to expand from its current 370 ships and submarines to 435 by 2030.

The 182-page DoD report also details how the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the military arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), seeks "to expand the reach of its influence operations around the world and seize information dominance on the battlefield," by researching and developing what it "believes to be the next evolution of psychological warfare," known as cognitive domain operations (CDO). 

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The DoD assesses that CDO "blends previous PRC concepts, such as public opinion guidance and psychological warfare, with modern internet technologies and communication platforms and is designed to achieve strategic national security goals by affecting a target’s cognition to change the target’s behavior and decision-making." CDO incorporates emerging technologies, such as AI, big data, brain science, and neuroscience, the report says. 

"The goal of CDO is to achieve what the PLA refers to as ‘mind dominance,’ which the PLA defines as the use of information to influence public opinion to affect change in a nation’s social system, likely to create an environment favorable to the PRC and reduce civilian and military resistance to PLA actions," the report says. "The PLA probably intends to use CDO as an asymmetric capability to deter U.S. or third-party entry into a potential conflict, or as an offensive capability to shape perceptions or polarize a society." 

The report says the PLA seeks to bring psychological pressure and fear on an opponent, assessing that using CDO to subdue the enemy without fighting "is the highest realm of warfare."

The White House said Friday that a ninth U.S. telecommunications company has been hacked as part of a Chinese espionage campaign that gave the country's officials access to private texts and phone conversations of Americans.

The Biden administration said earlier this month that at least eight telecommunications companies and dozens of nations had been impacted by the Chinese hacking operation known as Salt Typhoon.

On Friday, deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger told reporters that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to locate Chinese hackers in their networks.

The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to gather customer call records and access the private communications of a limited number of people, officials said.

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The FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, but officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among the victims whose communications were accessed.

Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense of how many Americans overall were targeted by Salt Typhoon, in part because the hackers were careful about their methods, but she said that a "large number" of the victims were in Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

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Officials said they believe the hackers wanted to identify who owned the devices and spy on their texts and phone calls if they were "government targets of interest," Neuberger said.

Most of the victims are "primarily involved in government or political activity," the FBI said.

Neuberger said the hacking showed the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, which the Federal Communications Commission is set to look at during a meeting next month.

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She also said, without offering details, that the government was planning further action in the coming weeks in response to the hacking campaign, though she did not say what they were.

"We know that voluntary cybersecurity practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure," she said.

The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking campaign.