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Fort Hood soldiers shift to underground training to prepare for battlefield medical care
This week, the 1st Medical Brigade of the III Armored Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, held a training exercise called "Operation Silver Lightning."
The exercise, according to the 1st Medical Brigade, "is designed to simulate the challenges of providing advanced medical care in a contested, large-scale combat environment."
Between March 23 and April 1, the 1st Medical Brigade employed the tactical arm of the Army Health System. Combat medics, optometrists, doctors, veterinarians, and other medical personnel simulated a mass casualty event in combat conditions in underground tunnels on the Fort Hood base.
This week, Fox News got an up-close look at how this training exercise was implemented.
UKRAINE SIGNALS PROCESS ON US SECURITY GUARANTEES
"So the medics have understood that you cannot set up a multi-tent field hospital that occupies four or five, up to 15 acres and provides that world-class care, above ground anymore," said Col. Kamil Sztalkoper, director of public affairs for the III Armored Corps.
Sztalkoper said the shift is driven in part by drone warfare observed in the war in Ukraine.
"We have to disperse, number one. And then hide in plain sight, is number two. So dispersing is using multiple different kinds of locations. Hiding in plain sight could be in a building, a warehouse, or here. Using one of our unique training facilities that was designed in the 1940s. Utilized in the 1950s to house nuclear and atomic weapons," Sztalkoper told Fox News.
The tunnels have since been decommissioned and cleaned out for use as a training facility — in this case, an underground field hospital. Sztalkoper said the several miles of tunnels are used as a "triage emergency room, operating room, vet, optometry [and] clinics," allowing troops to avoid what he described as the growing drone threat observed in Ukraine.
US ARMY USING INFLUENCERS FOR RECRUITMENT
During this exercise, about 300 soldiers and role players portraying wounded troops ran through different evacuation and medical drills, with soldiers rushing the wounded from a helicopter to a military medical vehicle and then into the tunnels.
Combat medics are then trained to treat wounded soldiers, or, role players. Each of the wounded imitated the pain and symptoms of an injury that could happen on the battlefield.
"Really the dilemma for them is managing how they deal with all of this with what they have," said Col. Brad Franklin, deputy commander of the 1st Medical Brigade.
Franklin, who also serves as a chief nurse, said he has experienced similar challenges in real-world operations.
"Knowing you don't have enough people, you don't have enough surgeons, you don't have enough nurses, don't have enough medics and there's more patients than you can handle," Franklin said. "So it's forcing them to triage, reverse triage and take care of these casualties."
WORLD WAR II VETERAN SHARES SPECIAL PERFORMANCE
Aside from treatment for soldiers, K-9s and their handlers are also training in this exercise. Further down a dark tunnel, veterinarians work on a simulated wounded K-9, while the handler is being treated for simulated injuries across the room.
Lt. Col. Cynthia Fallness, commander of the 43rd Medical Detachment providing veterinary service support, said the personnel conducting this training are doctoral-level veterinarians.
"In this case, it is a traumatic fracture, a compound fracture of the hind limb. And the dog also has a chest wound and also, is having trouble breathing because there's a traumatic injury to the mouth," Fallness said.
"So these are our diesel dogs," she said of the fake K-9 on the operating table.
Out of the dozens of combat medics training, one medic says his role in the military is more than just a job.
"My grandfather actually served in World War II as a combat medic," William Rothwell, a combat medic with the 1st Medical Brigade, told Fox News. "He went into Normandy, I believe, after the push on Omaha Beach."
Rothwell, a Boston native, never met his grandfather, but heard stories from his father.
"Which was just how brutal it was, how rough it was. Medicine back then wasn't as great. So handling patients was somewhat traumatic."
In this training, Rothwell is getting that real-world medical combat experience before stepping foot on a battlefield.
"The stories of how much he cared and was willing to go, you know, the mile and above to make sure that he can get his brothers home … really touched me," Rothwell said. "So that's kind of how I feel in this situation."
Local Dem leader says he was not 'an aggressor' after arrest for hitting man with bullhorn at 'No Kings' rally
The chair of the Hernando County, Florida, Democratic Party who was arrested for allegedly hitting a man in the head with a bullhorn during a "No Kings" protest, said that he did not act as an aggressor and did not escalate the confrontation.
Brian Stewart, 63, was charged with simple battery, a misdemeanor in Florida, and booked into the Hernando County Sheriff's Detention Center after the incident in Spring Hill on Saturday. He was released later that day, records show.
Stewart said he is "not a violent person" and that the man he was accused of hitting — a disabled veteran identified as Thomas Michta in police reports — was harassing others at the demonstration "in an attempt to elicit a reaction."
"This was a peaceful event attended by many members of the community," Stewart told Fox News Digital.
"Unfortunately, an individual disrupted that environment and was harassing rally attendees in an attempt to elicit a reaction," he continued. "At no point did I act as an aggressor. I am not a violent person, and I did not seek out or escalate any conflict. I never expected that I’d be accosted or need to defend myself as I did in that moment."
The incident happened as demonstrators in Hernando County and across the country protested against the Trump administration's policies.
Deputies responded at around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday to the intersection of Mariner and Cortez boulevards, where Stewart allegedly struck Michta in the head with a bullhorn.
Michta told deputies he was walking through the protest when he and Stewart became involved in an argument. He accused Stewart of striking him during the dispute and reported being in pain, with a visible lump on his head, according to an arrest affidavit, WTSP reported.
According to the affidavit, video footage captured by a witness and reviewed by deputies showed Stewart using a bullhorn to hit the man in the head and push him in the chest.
After reviewing the video, a witness' statement and Stewart's own admissions, deputies said they developed probable cause to believe Stewart intentionally hit the man and caused bodily harm, the affidavit says.
Stewart declined to comment further, saying his lawyers advised him not to make additional public statements.
"I have many more thoughts to share, but my lawyers advise that I should defer doing so until after the case has concluded," Stewart told Fox News Digital. "Out of respect for the legal process and on the advice of counsel, I will not be commenting further on the specifics of the case at this time."
Stewart is scheduled to appear in court on April 27.
LATE-NIGHT HOST JIMMY KIMMEL SHOWS UP TO 'NO KINGS' PROTEST WITH KIDS, HOLDS 'ENOUGH ALREADY' SIGN
The Florida Democratic Party and the Hernando County chapter said in separate statements earlier this week that they "condemn violence."
"We have been made aware that our Chair, Brian Stewart, was arrested after responding to a provocation from a local agitator who threw a drink on him and yelled obscenities at community members during a protest," the Hernando County Democratic Party said in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times.
The Florida Republican Party called for Stewart to be removed as chair over the incident at the protest.
"Violence and political intimidation have no place in our state, and Floridians deserve better than mere silence from Democrat leadership. Nikki Fried must immediately remove Brian Stewart from his position of leadership in the Florida Democrat Party!" Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power said in a statement to WTSP.
7-month-old baby killed by stray bullet in Brooklyn shooting, police say
A 7-month-old baby girl was killed by a stray bullet Wednesday afternoon when a gunman on a moped opened fire on a Brooklyn street, police said.
According to the New York City Police Department, two individuals on a moped approached the intersection of Moore Street and Humboldt Street in Brooklyn when the individual in the back fired a weapon multiple times, with a stray bullet striking a young girl on the sidewalk.
The NYPD has identified the 7-month-old girl as Kaori Patterson-Moore of Brooklyn. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The individuals fled the scene on the moped. The NYPD said one person of interest is in custody, while a manhunt is underway for the second suspect as police ask for the public’s help identifying those involved.
HOUSTON POLICE INVESTIGATE FATAL SHOOTING OF 17-YEAR-OLD AT VALENTINE'S DAY HOUSE PARTY
The shooting was believed to be gang-related, and the child was an unintended victim, according to police.
"There are no words that can mend the heartbreak this family is feeling right now," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a news conference. "A life that had barely begun was taken in an instant."
The shooting took place around 1:20 p.m. on a street corner where several adults and children were gathered. Police said there were no other injuries connected to the shooting.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the moped sped off after the shooting but crashed into an oncoming car two blocks away. Both riders fell off the vehicle, and the impact caused the passenger to lose both his shoes, she added.
One of the men on the moped was injured and taken to the hospital and is in police custody in connection with an unrelated investigation, police said. Investigators believe the man fits the description of the alleged shooter based on his clothing and appearance.
The other man fled and has not been located by police as of Wednesday evening.
MAN FOUND NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF INSANITY IN KILLING OF PREGNANT SEATTLE WOMAN, UNBORN CHILD
No gun has been recovered from the scene, but two shell casings were found, police said.
"This is a terrible day in our city, a tragedy that truly shocks the conscious," Tisch said at the news conference. "As a mother, I cannot imagine the pain that this family is feeling or the grief that they now carry with them. It is unspeakable."
Investigators reviewed neighborhood security cameras and tracked the moped's movement following the shooting, Tisch said.
Mamdani said Wednesday’s homicide is a reminder that more work needs to be done to reduce gun violence.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips online or on X @NYPDTips.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
NYPD cop's killer convicted of manslaughter, not guilty of murder after split jury ordered to deliberate more
The man accused of fatally shooting NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller during a traffic stop in Queens two years ago was found not guilty of first-degree murder, but guilty of manslaughter and other charges.
Guy Rivera was convicted Wednesday of aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, attempted murder in the first degree for attempting to shoot a NYPD sergeant who also responded to the scene and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. He was acquitted of murder in the first degree.
Earlier on Wednesday, the jury said it had reached a verdict but were sent back for further deliberations after one juror told the court the decision was not unanimous.
The foreman told the judge at the time that they had reached a not-guilty verdict on the first-degree murder charge but found Rivera guilty of the rest of the charges against him. But when the court clerk polled the jurors one by one to confirm they agreed with the verdict, juror No. 5 said they disagreed, according to the New York Post.
"As I told you jurors, your verdict must be unanimous. Please go back in and deliberate," Judge Michael Aloise told the jury, the outlet reported.
A short time later, a couple of notes were sent in from the jury — one asking how many days they would have to deliberate if they were unable to reach a verdict that day and another in which one juror said she needed to make a phone call to cancel an appointment.
"There is no time limit, continue deliberating," the judge told them.
Later on Wednesday, the jury came back and agreed on the verdict.
Authorities said Diller and his partner, Sergeant Sasha Rosen, stopped a vehicle illegally parked outside a cell phone store in Far Rockaway in March 2024. Prosecutors said Rivera then shot and killed Diller after being ordered to step out of the vehicle.
After shooting Diller, Rivera pointed his gun at Rosen’s chest and pulled the trigger, but the gun jammed, prosecutors said. Diller wrestled the gun away from his hand before he collapsed on the street from his injuries.
Rivera was also shot twice during the encounter.
Diller was scheduled to be off duty the day of the killing. He was at a park with his wife and young son when he was called in.
"The last words Detective Jonathan Diller told his wife were 'I love you,'" Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. "Detective Diller was a father, a husband and a son. He was also a dedicated member of the New York City Police Department who put on a uniform every day to protect our city."
"This crime stole the life of a dutiful officer and a family man and endangered the life of a devoted NYPD sergeant," the statement added. "We continue to stand in solidarity with Detective Diller’s loved ones, Sergeant Sasha Rosen and all the brave men and women who protect our city."
Sham Philadelphia coffee shop hiding crack operation busted in sweeping raid, 17 arrested: AG
Officials in Philadelphia have dismantled a massive drug ring operating out of a sham coffee shop, run largely by longtime, senior figures in the criminal world, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced Sunday.
The sweeping takedown, dubbed "Operation Cocaine and Coffee," was launched and primarily targeted a storefront known as Cumberland Coffee and Snacks, where authorities say the second floor was used to cook and package crack cocaine for street-level distribution.
At least 17 suspected members of the operation were arrested, many described by officials as well past middle age and deeply entrenched in the drug trade.
Authorities said the group, allegedly run by 56-year-old Lewis Alexander, plagued the community with "absolute harm" for more than a decade and is believed to have ties to violent crime.
FEDERAL AGENTS ARREST 12 ALLEGED MEMBERS OF LA'S MASSIVE 18TH STREET GANG DRUG TRAFFICKING OPERATION
"Well, today, North Philadelphia's, the Lewis Alexander drug trafficking organization, they have a new turf and it's inside a correctional facility," Sunday said.
"Some of the defendants here are in their 50s, 60s and 70s," he added. "Many of these defendants have been at this a very long time. They were menaces to society, to people and families who just want to live free without concern of violence and crime in their everyday life."
While the raid centered in North Philadelphia, the operation’s reach reportedly extended well beyond the coffee shop, with officials serving warrants at roughly 30 locations across Philadelphia, Delaware County and New Jersey.
DRUG KINGPIN ON PAROLE CAUGHT WITH ENOUGH FENTANYL TO KILL MOST OF COUNTY, DA SAYS
Prosecutors described the organization as a persistent blight on the neighborhood, with a nearby bar and barbershop also swept up in the investigation as authorities worked to dismantle the network.
"The criminal organization has remained like weeds as families and homeowners have moved in and out of residences in the area," Sunday said.
The takedown resulted in 17 arrests and the seizure of 27 firearms, roughly four pounds of cocaine, more than 130 pounds of marijuana, as well as fentanyl, ecstasy and cash, according to officials.
The defendants face a range of felony charges, including running a corrupt organization, drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession.
Alexander is currently incarcerated on $750,000 bail.
Former Cowboys player Trysten Hill appears to grin after arrest tied to alleged assault of pregnant woman
Former NFL defensive tackle Trysten Hill was booked into a Texas jail last week on multiple charges relating to an alleged assault of a pregnant woman.
Ellis County Sheriff’s Office jail records list "assault of a pregnant person" and "interfering with an emergency request for assistance."
FOX 4 in Dallas obtained the records, which also showed Hill was arrested March 26.
Hill was booked and held on a $3,500 bond connected to two bond-forfeiture warrants from a 2025 criminal investigation, the sheriff’s office said.
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Hill appeared to grin in his booking photo.
The identity of the alleged victim and any relationship to Hill were not disclosed. Fox News Digital contacted the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, but a request for comment was not immediately returned.
WNBA PLAYER 'WILLING TO TESTIFY' AGAINST EX-BOYFRIEND JAMES PEARCE JR AFTER ALLEGED DOMESTIC DISPUTE
After his three-year career at Central Florida, the Cowboys selected Hill in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He appeared in 25 regular-season games with the Cowboys, recording 39 combined tackles over four seasons.
Hill joined the Arizona Cardinals midway through the 2022 season, recording five solo tackles and one sack in six games. He signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2023 but was released before the regular season kicked off.
The New England Patriots signed Hill to their practice squad later in 2023.
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Behind the scenes of Congress' eleventh-hour rush to fund the DHS
What would you say if one body of Congress didn’t take a formal roll call vote on a major piece of legislation – yet passed it at 2:19 on a Friday morning?
Would you try to outdo your colleagues across the Capitol Rotunda with some Congressional chicanery of your own? Perhaps by passing an equally important version of the same bill – while officially sidestepping a direct up/down vote on the measure – at 11:28 p.m. on that same Friday night.
That’s what happened late last week. The Senate scored approval from all 100 senators to pass a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security for the rest of the fiscal year – but did it on a voice vote at 2:19 a.m. Friday with only five senators in the chamber.
House Republicans scoffed at this. So they passed their own bill – to fund all of DHS – just before the witching hour Friday. But technically, the House didn’t even vote directly on the legislation itself. The House voted to approve a "rule" (which manages debate for bills). With adoption of that rule, the House "deemed" the underlying DHS funding measure as passed.
GOP LEADERS ENDORSE TRUMP'S SHUTDOWN-PROOF MOVE TO END DHS FUNDING LAPSE
But despite all of this, the House and Senate weren’t aligned. They hadn’t approved the same bill. And despite the parliamentary antics, House Republicans then implored the Senate to pass the measure it approved Friday night on Monday morning – without a roll call vote and with just two senators in the chamber.
If you followed all of that, that is exactly what’s unfolded on Capitol Hill the past few days as lawmakers struggled to end the six-week Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
It was clear early Thursday evening that there wasn’t a path in the Sente to approve a partisan GOP bill to fund DHS after a lengthy roll call vote which started in the afternoon.
But something was afoot.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MAKES MAJOR MOVE TO RELIEVE 'UNFAIR BURDEN' ON DHS WORKERS AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON
Congress was staring at a 15-day recess for Easter and Passover on Friday. Failure to address the crisis now meant that lawmakers would leave town until the middle of April – extending the shutdown until then as airport lines swelled.
So Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., got to work on something which could pass the Senate – and potentially pass the House – before everyone abandoned Washington for the break.
Thune suggested earlier in the week that the Senate usually has to get "to Thursday" before frozen positions may begin to thaw. He was right. There was a corridor for the Senate to approve a bipartisan bill to tackle most of the funding crisis at DHS. So Thune’s charge late Thursday night and into the wee hours of Friday morning was not necessarily to persuade bipartisan senators to support the bill he was putting on the floor. But instead, Thune’s goal was to coax skeptical senators not to object and blow the whole thing up.
There’s something called a "hotline" in the Senate. Any time the leadership wants to set up a series of votes, make particular amendments in order and perhaps allocate wedges of time to debate, it sends around a "hotline" to all 100 senators. If any senator objects, they let the leadership know. This streamlines the process ahead of time. It also ensures that senators aren’t blindsided by something called a "unanimous consent" request. Unanimous consent requests, or "UC’s," happen all the time in the Senate.
One of the most powerful tools in the Senate is "unanimous consent." If you obtain the "unanimous consent" of all 100 senators, you can make the sun rise in the west. But all it takes is one objection to block a UC – even if all other 99 senators agree.
The behind the scenes hotline takes care of this in advance. Any senator could object and block Thune’s proposal to fund most of DHS. But there shouldn’t be any problem if he cleared it with all 100 senators offstage in advance.
That’s why Thune went to the floor at 2:19 a.m. Friday. Not a single senator flagged his proposal. And so the South Dakota Republican went to the floor with a team of five senators – and passed the bill. Not by UC. But by something called a "voice vote. Those in favor shout yea. Those who oppose holler nay. The louder side wins. The Senate passed the bill. There was no roll call vote.
HOUSE GOP RAMS THROUGH NEW DHS FUNDING PLAN WITH SHUTDOWN FAR FROM OVER
So, this wasn’t something snuck by in the dead of night on the sly. If any senator had a reservation, they could have flagged it. Or better yet, come down to the floor at 2:19 a.m. and contested it. In short, there were 100 senators, 100 chiefs of staff, 100 legislative directors and 100 counsels who should have known about Thune’s plan. That’s a universe of at least 400 people – if not more. So, this wasn’t an episode of someone pulling a fast one.
By morning, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said he "opposed this bill." Same with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
Well, that’s fine. But no one objected nor pushed back on the hotline. No one went down to the floor to demand a roll call vote – or even argued that the Senate couldn’t do anything because there wasn’t a quorum present to conduct business. So anything said by Republican senators upset about the bill were simply academic or rhetorical objections. If those senators truly opposed the bill, they missed their opportunity to do something about it.
It was thought that the House might take up the bill – reluctantly – the next day to end most of the shutdown and pay TSA workers. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., signaled support. So did Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. Granted, liberal Democrats might oppose the bill because there weren’t changes at ICE. But the bill probably would have passed with some Republicans and lots of Democrats. In fact, there may have been more Democratic yeas than Republican yeas. That would have been toxic for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., lost his gavel over moving a bipartisan bill to avoid a shutdown in the fall of 2023.
So by Friday afternoon, Johnson strenuously lodged his opposition to the Senate bill.
"Republicans are not going to be any part of any effort to reopen our borders or to stop immigration enforcement," said Johnson, noting that the Senate plan left out funding for ICE and the Border Patrol. "This gambit that was done last night is a joke. I'm quite convinced that it can't be that every Senate Republican read the language of this bill."
In other words, were they not dialed in on the hotline?
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHAT TO EXPECT ON DHS FUNDING WHEN THE SENATE MEETS MONDAY
Yours truly questioned the Speaker, asking why he and Thune weren’t on the same page. Johnson accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. of being behind the bill. I pointed out that Thune "was the engineer behind this."
"I wouldn’t call John Thune the engineer of this," said Johnson.
"He didn’t have the accept it," I countered.
"Let me answer the question, Chad," sighed an exasperated Johnson.
So the House forged ahead and passed its own bill to fully fund DHS Friday night. Some House Republicans then expected the Senate to break custom and pass its bill – by unanimous consent – during a brief pro forma session Monday. In other words, House Republicans ripped the Senate for what it did early Friday morning. But those same House Republicans wanted senators to approve THEIR bill on Monday the same way they criticized the Senate for passing its bill on Friday.
Note that there was no hotline for the House bill at that point.
"We’d love to see them do that," said Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., on Friday.
But Democrats dispatched a watchdog to guard the floor against any possible GOP chicanery as the Senate met for 31 seconds with meager attendance.
The Senate gaveled in. The Senate gaveled out. Nothing happened.
"I was there to object," said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. "I was here just in case there were some shenanigans."
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., called it "insane" that Senate Republicans "didn’t even try" to pass the House bill. But the lone Senate Republican on duty said the presence of Coons doomed that to failure.
"We don't have consent yet," said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., who presided over the session. "They declined. Obviously Sen. Coons was there to do that."
But by Wednesday, the bill which Johnson trashed Friday afternoon was on its way to passage. Despite a sea of opposition from conservative Republicans, the House would accept the Senate bill and end most of the DHS shutdown. The Earth shifted. President Trump was fine with this. Suddenly, Johnson and Thune were on the same page.
So the Republican House would eat what the Senate originally cooked up early Friday morning. And the House would likely approve it with lots of Republicans spread around the country. But like Senate Republicans early Friday morning, no one would likely return to block it.
And by now, this wasn’t something engineered in the dead of night that only 400 people knew about. The entire country was more than aware what happened.
Trump says Iran ‘no longer a threat’ after 32 days — outlines next phase of US war
President Donald Trump declared Iran is "essentially really no longer a threat" after a 32-day U.S. military campaign, telling Americans in a primetime address Wednesday that the country has been "eviscerated" following weeks of strikes.
Even so, Trump said the United States is preparing additional attacks in the coming weeks even as diplomatic discussions continue.
"I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly. Very shortly, we are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks," Trump said. "We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong. In the meantime, discussions are ongoing."
INSIDE IRAN’S MILITARY: MISSILES, MILITIAS AND A FORCE BUILT FOR SURVIVAL
"We have all the cards. They have none," Trump said. "American involvement in World War II lasted for three years, eight months and 25 days," the president went on, noting that the Vietnam War lasted 19 years and Iraq War lasted eight.
"We are in this military operation … for 32 days," he said. "And the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat."
Trump pointed to U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, saying sites hit by B-2 bombers were "obliterated" and warning the United States would launch additional strikes if Tehran attempts to recover nuclear material.
"The nuclear sites that we obliterated with the B-2 bombers have been hit so hard that it would take months to get near the nuclear dust," Trump said. "If we see them make a move, even a move for it, we'll hit them with missiles very hard."
The remarks come as key questions remain about the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, including roughly 900 pounds to 1,000 pounds of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to international watchdog estimates.
The conflict has driven volatility in global energy markets and rising fuel costs for Americans.
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Addressing those concerns directly, Trump blamed recent increases in gasoline prices on Iranian attacks targeting commercial shipping and regional infrastructure.
"Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home," Trump said. "The short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries."
Trump also suggested Iran’s leadership structure has been fundamentally altered by the strikes, saying senior figures are dead and warning of additional attacks if Tehran does not reach an agreement with the United States.
"We never said regime change, but regime change has occurred because of all of their original leaders' death. They're all dead," Trump said. "If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously."
He further claimed Iran’s air defenses had been eliminated. "They have no anti-aircraft equipment," Trump said. "Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable."
The mission known as Operation Epic Fury began just more than one month ago, on Feb. 28.
Since then, U.S. forces have struck more than 12,000 targets inside Iran and damaged or destroyed 155 naval ships, according to the Central Command. Thirteen U.S. service members have died in the operations, and 350 have been injured.
"Twice this past month, I have traveled to Dover Air Force Base, and it's been something I wanted to be with those heroes as they return to American soil. And I was with them and their families, their parents, their wives, their husbands. We salute them," Trump said in reference to the deceased service members.
"Now we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives. And every single one of the people, their loved one said, please, sir, please finish the job, every one of them, and we are going to finish the job and we're going to finish it very fast. We're getting very close."
Trump also called on U.S. allies to take a more active role in securing global energy routes, arguing that countries reliant on Middle Eastern oil should be responsible for protecting the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping chokepoint.
"The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage. They must cherish it. They must grab it and cherish it," Trump said. "We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on."
Trump suggested some nations had failed to support U.S. military efforts against Iran and urged them to step up, both militarily and economically.
"So to those countries that can't get fuel, many of which refuse to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, we had to do it ourselves," he said. "Go to the strait and just take it. Protect it. Use it for yourselves."
He added that global energy flows would stabilize once the conflict subsides, predicting the waterway would reopen and markets would recover.
"When this conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally," Trump said. "It will resume the flowing and the gas prices will rapidly come back down."
Billy Porter blames Trump as jobs dry up after 'performative wokeness' wave
Actor Billy Porter warned Saturday that the wave of "performative wokeness" may have come to an end as many arts jobs have dried up with it.
The Emmy-winning actor, known for appearing as a gender-neutral Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella," spoke to Rev. Al Sharpton on MS NOW about the shifting landscape of the entertainment industry.
"As a Black, gay, out artist, I caught the wave of what we now know as performative wokeness," Porter said on "PoliticsNation." "I caught the wave of being in the center of that very progressive space. And I crashed through glass ceilings that were concrete."
Porter also attended a rally outside the Trump-Kennedy Center as part of the "No Kings" demonstrations over the weekend. The venue recently underwent a name change when the Kennedy Center board voted to add President Donald Trump's name to the performing arts center, drawing criticism from some artists and cultural figures.
Protesters at the event claimed the Trump administration’s policies pose a threat to artists’ First Amendment rights. Porter was joined by other celebrity activists, including Joan Baez and Jane Fonda.
Porter noted that following a peak in progressive projects, he has seen a clear change in the culture and his own career prospects.
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"I have noticed the opportunities slowly drying up for the work that I do," Porter said.
"The Midwest CBS shows and the cop shows all of that stuff still exists, but when it's time to talk about heart, when it's time to talk about connection and when it's time to talk about people that don't look like everybody else, those of us who are on the margins. There's not a lot of that going on right now. There's not a lot of that work going on right now," he said, urging activists to "stay vigilant."
The actor and musician accused the Trump administration of attacking the arts, saying "authoritarian governments go after the arts first."
He said the arts can change people, adding, "That is dangerous for fascists, and they know it. And that’s why they attack us first."
A veteran of the stage and screen, Porter is known for appearing in the FX series "Pose" and is set to appear in "The Hunger Games" spin-off "Sunrise on the Reaping." He also appeared on Broadway, winning a Tony Award in 2013 for "Kinky Boots."
Trump is right about NATO’s weakness; the real question is how does America fix it
When President Trump told The Daily Telegraph NATO is a "paper tiger" and withdrawing the United States is "beyond reconsideration," the foreign policy establishment erupted. It shouldn’t have. Trump was saying aloud what many inside the Pentagon have known for years. The surprise isn’t the criticism. The surprise is how long Washington waited to have this conversation.
I know this alliance from the inside. During the Cold War, I served as a U.S. Army infantry officer in West Germany, drafting contingency plans to blunt a Soviet-armored assault long enough for reinforcements that might never come.
Later, as a Pentagon strategist, I spent years alongside NATO counterparts watching the alliance expand its reach, add members and quietly lose the clarity of purpose that once made it formidable. Nobody in authority asked the tough questions about what we were building toward. We are now living with the consequences.
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The Strait of Hormuz stripped away the pretense. When Washington called on NATO allies to help reopen a choke point through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, Germany’s defense minister said flatly, "This is not our war, we did not start it." Spain denied us airspace and bases.
Most of Europe stood aside while Brent crude surged past $107 a barrel and American families paid four dollars at the pump. These are the countries we are treaty-bound to defend without question. When we asked for something in return, the answer was silence.
But NATO was formed in 1949 to defend Europe against Soviet aggression, not to project force into the Persian Gulf. The allies knew nothing about the Iran operation before the first strikes. Washington acted, then demanded their support. Asking an alliance to follow you into a war of choice it was never briefed on, then branding its hesitation cowardice is not a test of reliability. It’s a test of obedience. Those are different things, and conflating them weakens an otherwise legitimate grievance.
The alliance’s membership rolls deserve the same hard look. NATO has grown from twelve founding nations to 32 members, and the expansion has not always served military logic.
Many post-Cold War additions brought political symbolism rather than combat power — small nations with minimal deployable forces and armies that exist largely on paper, joining not because they could contribute to a fight, but because membership carried a security guarantee and a European identity. An alliance that cannot distinguish between members who can fight and members who provide little beyond a flag on a briefing slide has a credibility problem that goes deeper than spending percentages.
The numbers confirm what rhetoric obscures. The United States accounts for roughly 62% of NATO’s total combined defense spending, many times more than the second-largest contributor.
In 2014, only three members met the 2% of GDP commitment; all thirty-two are projected to reach it soon, with a new 5% pledge by 2035. Progress under duress, not conviction, and commitments made under pressure have a way of softening once the pressure eases.
Ukraine makes the same point. The United States committed $66.9 billion in direct military assistance to Kyiv since 2022 — the backbone of Ukraine’s survival — for a conflict on European soil in the wealthiest continent in history. That is not generosity. It is a habit neither side has had the will to break. Trump’s frustration is earned.
Withdrawal is still the wrong answer. It requires congressional involvement. No president dissolves a treaty by press release. More important is what we lose. Walking away hands Vladimir Putin the greatest strategic windfall of his career, signals to Beijing that American commitments have expiration dates and dismantles 75 years of basing rights, intelligence networks and military interoperability built at enormous cost.
NATO is a flawed institution. It is also infrastructure. Experienced commanders don’t blow up infrastructure because it needs repair. They fix it.
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Fixing NATO means confronting all three problems without flinching. Membership standards must reflect military reality, not political aspiration. Nations that cannot field credible forces or meet spending commitments should not carry the same standing as those who do. Burden-sharing needs teeth — enforceable standards with real consequences, not aspirational targets members can ignore until Washington loses its temper.
And the consensus rule that lets any single government veto collective action must give way to coalition structures that allow willing, capable nations to move without waiting for unanimity from thirty-two capitals with just as many different threat assessments.
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There is a larger question here. NATO was built to serve American strategic interests as was the United Nations and most of the post-World War II architecture Washington constructed and has sustained ever since. Do these institutions still do that? If NATO has become a vehicle for European security on American credit and the U.N. a forum where adversaries constrain American action more than advance American interests, then the Hormuz crisis is not an anomaly. It is a diagnostic.
A serious administration should be running that review across the board, not just threatening to leave NATO in frustration, but evaluating which postwar commitments still serve the country that underwrites them and which have quietly become obligations without reciprocity.
The underlying problem will not be resolved on its own. Either Europe’s NATO members decide the alliance’s survival depends on their willingness to act like partners rather than clients — including honest conversations about which members can actually fight — or the United States concludes that maintaining the fiction of shared burden costs more than changing the terms altogether.
The Iran crisis didn’t create that choice. It made it impossible to ignore. The question going forward is whether allied capitals treat this as a genuine inflection point or stall until American pressure cools. History says they’ll stall. The stakes say they can’t afford to.
I served in this alliance when the mission was clear and the commitment was mutual. The Cold War ended without a shot fired across the Fulda Gap because deterrence was real, and everyone on our side believed we meant it.
That credibility has been eroding for 35 years. Trump didn’t create this problem. Washington built toward it, one deferred hard question at a time. Those questions — about membership, mission, reciprocity and whether these institutions still serve the nation that built them — are now on the table. The only thing worse than asking them too late is walking away before we get the answers right.