Fox News Latest Headlines
Trump urges Jeanine Pirro to revisit dropped Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism case
President Donald Trump on Friday urged U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to take a second look at the recently dropped charges over vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
"Now that people are able to see it up close, they are reporting pure VANDALISM at The Reflecting Pool," Trump wrote on Truth Social, sharing photos from a freelance photographer that allegedly showed vandalism.
The president claimed that "People were on their knees with their hands in the water at the exact location of the ‘slashes.’ Additionally, there were witnesses to the VANDALISM, and the flexible areas of the material were cut with a knife.
TRUMP SAYS HE 'DISAGREES 100%' WITH U.S. ATTORNEY JEANINE PIRRO OVER REFLECTING POOL CASE
"U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro should re-visit her hastily made decision, especially since it turned out that the ‘gentleman’ involved is a big player in ActBlue, a disgraceful fundraising SCAM, and is represented by a TRUMP DERANGED SLEAZEBAG, Political Hack Lawyer, Norm Eisen, and CREW, a group that uses ‘charity’ for political purposes which is, to the best of my knowledge, ILLEGAL!"
Trump has been highly critical of Pirro’s decision to drop the felony vandalism case against former Olympian David Hearn last Friday.
Earlier this week, Trump claimed Pirro "choked" under pressure from a judge regarding the case and "folded like an umbrella."
A day after the case was dropped, Trump wrote on Truth Social "I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking?"
FORMER US OLYMPIAN DAVID HEARN INDICTED IN ALLEGED REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM
Hearn was indicted on July 2 on one count of felony destruction of property. U.S. Park Police alleged Hearn grabbed and tugged at a loose section of the pool’s coating on June 19, continuing after a National Park Service employee told him to stop. Officials initially claimed he caused more than $1,000 in damage.
However, Pirro’s office said the Department of the Interior initially provided prosecutors with "barebones" reports and failed to disclose records documenting extensive problems with the coating’s installation.
"Had DOI been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment," prosecutors wrote.
"It was not until after the return of the indictment, that the DOI provided additional documents to the USAO-DC indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings (‘AIC’), and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026."
OLYMPIAN CHARGED IN REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM DONATED THROUGH DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT
The DOJ said the new evidence made it difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hearn caused the damage. Prosecutors asked the court to dismiss the indictment without prejudice, which would leave open the possibility of bringing the charge again.
"The Trump administration’s case against Davey Hearn should never have been brought," Hearn’s attorneys Norm Eisen, Mary Dohrmann and Steve Levin in a statement last Friday, according to the New York Post. "Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong. The government’s approach was ready, fire, aim. The administration owes Mr. Hearn an apology."
Fox News' Jackson Thompson and Reuters contributed to this report.
Ex-MLB pitcher gives his take on Mets reliever Jefry Yan's wild strikeout split celebration
Few sports are as steeped in tradition as baseball, and that's why it really raises some eyebrows when someone comes along and does something wildly untraditional.
Y'know, like what is basically a James Brown split after every strikeout.
That's why Mets reliever Jefry Yan has got the people talking, and why we here at OutKick reached out to former Big League pitcher Collin Balester to get his perspective on the unorthodox punch-out celebration.
BREWERS PITCHER ABNER URIBE APOLOGIZES AFTER CONTROVERSIAL STRIKEOUT CELEBRATION SPARKS BACKLASH
"I mean, there's guys that teeter down that line, that do a little celebration here and there," Balester said, before noting that big celebrations are common in winter leagues in Mexico and Yan's native Dominican Republic. "I don't think I've ever seen a guy jump ten feet in the air."
Balester — who played for the Nationals, Tigers and Reds — also noted that a celebration like Yan's comes with an injury concern.
"At the end of the day, if I was the team, I would be a little nervous about him blowing out his knee jumping up like that," he said. "Over time, throwing they say is bad, but I think jumping up and landing on your knee like that and doing the moonwalk up the mound, I would probably try to nip that."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE
Which is why he says he was so surprised to see the 29-year-old bring the habit with him to the Majors.
"I said I don't know when this guy's getting into the big leagues, but if he gets up there, I guarantee you he's not going to do it," he said. "And hey, I mean, to his credit, he's done it."
But, of course, hitters aren't going to look kindly upon someone striking them out and then dropping a Jean-Claude Van Damme split on them for good measure.
"I know the game is a little bit different now; guys are a little bit more obviously pimping home runs and that kind of stuff," Balester — who played in the Majors between 2008 and 2015 — said. "But at the end of the day, guys are chomping at the bit to try to hit a home run to do something.
And perhaps, they'll want to do too much, and that could make Yan's over-the-top celebration his secret weapon.
"I think it's going to play in his favor, to be honest," he said. "I think people are going to be trying to do too much at first to make sure they can show him up, but at some point that's going to kind of falter.
"Unfortunately, (getting shown up) is what he's kind of asking for."
More than 50 bodies found decomposing inside Chicago funeral home after neighbors complained of 'stench'
Chicago authorities are investigating a South Side funeral home after more than 50 bodies were discovered improperly stored and in various states of decomposition Thursday.
The discovery came months after nearby residents began complaining about a "stench" coming from the funeral home.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said state and local officials alerted it to improperly stored bodies at South Chicago Chapel. Investigators and forensic pathologists who responded found remains in various states of decomposition.
"Staff is assessing the conditions of the remains, searching for documentation regarding identification of the decedents as well as death certificates," the medical examiner's office said in a statement online. "This process could take several days to ensure proper disposition."
State officials suspended the license of one of the funeral home's directors, alleging multiple bodies were kept in an unrefrigerated area under "deplorable conditions."
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said the conditions included rodent and maggot infestations, adding the lack of refrigeration had caused bodies to decompose.
No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed after the discovery, but Chicago police said detectives are investigating.
NEW CALIFORNIA LAW EXPANDS DNA TOOLS FOR MISSING PERSONS INVESTIGATIONS
State business records show funeral director Johanna Morgan incorporated South Chicago Chapel Inc. in 2022. Her funeral director's license was temporarily suspended Wednesday.
The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said the suspension was based on a finding that Morgan's continued practice posed "a danger to the public safety, interest and welfare."
The agency accused Morgan of "allowing multiple decedents to be kept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions, including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies."
The funeral home is operated by a couple who previously ran a crematory that authorities said was also shut down over the mishandling of remains.
Business records identify Clark Morgan, whom state officials describe as Johanna Morgan's husband, as president of the funeral home. His funeral director's license was revoked in 2024 for practicing with an expired license and "unprofessional conduct."
Fox News Digital has reached out to South Chicago Chapel for comment.
Latasha Johnson, 55, said her mother's funeral was held at South Chicago Chapel on Thursday, shortly before authorities arrived and made the discovery.
Johnson told The Associated Press that authorities informed her that her mother's body would need to undergo an autopsy and that she would have to identify the remains within the next several days.
"I'm discombobulated," Johnson said. "My heart is broken."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former NBA player Royce White says he is declaring for next WNBA Draft after Enes Kanter announcement
EXCLUSIVE: Former NBA player Royce White told Fox News Digital that he apparently plans to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, as he now claims to be transgender.
There are now two former NBA players to announce such a decision, after Enes Kanter Freedom made his announcement earlier on Friday.
"I'm transgender. I'm a woman. I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purpose of basketball, professional basketball, so I'll be declaring for the WNBA draft in 2027 as well," White said.
FORMER NBA FIRST ROUND PICK ENES KANTER FREEDOM DECLARES FOR 2027 WNBA DRAFT
"I think I’d be unstoppable. But I’m a team-first guy. I’m a pass-first kind of player. I do the little things. I led my team in all five major stat categories at Iowa State University, so I do a little bit of everything. I’ll do whatever the coach needs me to do. I’ll do whatever the girls need me to do...
"I think it’s only fair."
White said only the league could end his challenge by stating its position plainly on the subject of males playing in women's sports.
"I think the WNBA could come out and make a definitive statement about guys with a pair of balls playing in the Women’s Association," he said.
Asked whether he would proceed unless the league did make such a statement, White replied, "Oh, no, I’m declaring. And I don’t want to be discriminated against. I want fair treatment. I’m a young Black, hopefully United States Senator that would like a fair chance to participate as a sometimes-identifying-as-a-transgender-woman athlete."
White also suggested that he would pursue legal action if he goes undrafted and is not signed to a team.
"I have to file a discrimination lawsuit, right? I mean, that's, that's ridiculous," he said. "We're gonna have to have a huge legal battle about discrimination if I can't play."
White, 35, is also on the ballot in Minnesota’s Aug. 11 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. He was the Republican nominee against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024, losing the general election.
Freedom, who set the internet ablaze with his announcement earlier on Friday, said in a social media post that he and his team had reviewed the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and its approach to self-identification and inclusion. He argued that if declaring an identity were sufficient, he met the requirements to compete.
The WNBA’s actual governing language is more limited. Article XIII of the league’s 2026 collective bargaining agreement states that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA." The 409-page agreement does not further define "women" or set out a public policy governing transgender or intersex eligibility. It also does not say self-identification alone establishes eligibility.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association addressed the broader controversy Friday without defining who is eligible to play.
"We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion," the union said. In the same statement, it added, "Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns."
WNBPA ISSUES STATEMENT EMBRACING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AMID TRANS ATHLETE DEBATE IN WOMEN'S SPORTS
White said that if he had his choice of WNBA teams, he would stay home and play for the Minnesota Lynx and head coach Cheryl Reeve. Reeve recently wore a "trans kids belong" T-shirt in a game against the Indiana Fever and Sophie Cunningham, who became the league's only player to recently speak out in support of protecting women's sports from biological males.
"It’s got to be the Minnesota Lynx, and I hear the coach loves a good transgender, so we’ll all be in perfect harmony," White said.
"How you gonna pass up on a 6-foot-8, 270-pound point forward?" he said. "That’s ridiculous."
The Houston Rockets selected White 16th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft after his lone season at Iowa State. He averaged 13.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and five assists and became the only Division I player that season to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks.
White measured 6-foot-8 and 260.6 pounds at the 2012 NBA Draft Combine, with an 11.5-inch hand width — the largest recorded among players at that combine.
He predicted current WNBA players would "have nightmares" about guarding him.
"I’m 260 pounds, 265 pounds, 6-foot-8, can palm a basketball — can palm a men’s basketball probably as easily as any player in history," White said. "I think I had the third-biggest hands in the modern NBA Draft Combine. So, yeah, I’m sure the women’s basketball is going to fare even easier to palm, which is a huge advantage."
"They’re going to have nightmares, and they should," he added. "I really feel like I’m going to be dominant."
White also said he would use the women’s locker room if he made a team.
"Of course," he said. "I don’t want to be discriminated against. Why wouldn’t I use the women’s locker room?"
White said he has deep respect for women’s basketball, noting that his younger sister Savannah White has played Division I basketball and that Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman coached him in the BIG3.
FRENCH TRANS PHENOM JULIE TÉTART LOOKS WNBA-READY — SO WHY HASN’T THE ‘INCLUSIVE’ LEAGUE CALLED?
"I have great respect for the skill of women’s basketball," White said. "Even at the girls’ level in high school, you see that the girls have to play a much more skilled game because they don’t have some of the physical, God-given abilities or natural physical abilities as the men."
"There’s a significant difference between biological men and women, and I think we’ve blurred that line, like we’ve blurred many other lines unnecessarily," he continued. "And I plan to exploit that for my economic and athletic benefit."
White claims he conceived of the declaration several days before Freedom’s Friday announcement. In an X post on Aug. 4, White declared that he is "transgender" and will "pursue a career in the WNBA."
"I think I was first," White said. "His must have been today or yesterday. I was about three days ago. But great minds think alike. There’s no time limit on these things. When great ideas and great opportunities pop up like this, you’ve just got to jump on them and ride them all the way."
White also floated the possibility of teaming up with Freedom.
"Maybe Enes," White said when asked whether any WNBA player could match up with him. "Maybe me and Enes should play on the same team. That’d be great...
"Maybe this is how it was supposed to all play out. Me and Enes Kanter running off about five, six WNBA championships."
A public declaration does not, by itself, place White or Freedom in the WNBA Draft pool, and it would not guarantee either player a selection or contract. The league has not publicly explained what criteria it would use to decide whether a transgender applicant satisfies the CBA’s women-only provision.
"I’d like to know what the parameters are," White continued. "What exactly are the specifics? What criteria do I need to meet in order to be able to play? Is it just a wig? Do I have to cut my beard? Does my voice have to get a little bit lighter? Do I have to do this snip-snip? I’d like to know the specifics of the criteria, and I hope they’d be able to defend it in a court of law."
Trump ally 'El Tigre' sworn in as Colombia's new president amid continent's rightward shift
Colombia entered a new political chapter as conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn into office Friday, pledging to reverse much of former President Gustavo Petro’s left-wing agenda and restore a tougher approach to security, economic policy and relations with the United States.
Known by his nickname "El Tigre" (the tiger), his inauguration marks one of the most significant political shifts in Latin America in recent years. After four years of socialist President Gustavo Petro’s "Total Peace" strategy, expanding coca cultivation and increasingly strained relations with Washington, de la Espriella now faces the challenge of translating campaign promises into governing reality.
He was joined at the inauguration by several conservative presidents from across the region, including Argentina's Javier Milei, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa and Chile’s José Antonio Kast. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche was there as part of the U.S. delegation. Spain's King Felipe VI and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were also in attendance, The Associated Press reported.
"I have come to close a long chapter of national resignation and, together with the people, embark on the most profound transformation of our destiny," De La Espriella said, according to Reuters while speaking at the Pichincha Battalion military base in Cali.
"I send a firm message to the Colombian people: The time has come to restore order, authority, and freedom."
Reuters said one of his first acts as president was to join The Shield of the Americas, founded by President Donald Trump.
For the U.S., Colombia remains its closest security partner in South America, a key trading ally and one of the region’s largest recipients of U.S. security assistance. Hundreds of American companies operate in Colombia, while the country’s security conditions directly affect regional migration, organized crime and narcotics trafficking.
On foreign policy, the new president has committed to rebuilding strategic ties with the United States, restoring close cooperation with Israel and adopting a tougher stance toward the authoritarian governments of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
Whether those commitments produce measurable improvements, however, will depend on resources that remain in short supply. Camilo Guzmán, executive director of Libertank, told Fox News Digital that the country’s financial situation will define what the administration can realistically accomplish.
"President de la Espriella inherits a house with the roof leaking and the safe empty. The order matters because almost everything he promised requires money he does not have." Guzmán pointed to Colombia’s deteriorating fiscal position as the administration’s most immediate challenge.
"Start with the fiscal picture. It is worse than his own team seems to expect. The 2026 deficit is tracking around 6.5-6.7% of GDP, the financing gap is close to $34 billion and the implicit medium-term adjustment being left on his desk is near five points of GDP. It is also a cash problem, not only an accounting one. Before he governs, he must make payroll."
WALTZ WARNS OF CHINESE, RUSSIAN-FUELED ‘NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT’ LOOMING CLOSE TO US SHORES
The International Monetary Fund projects Colombia’s economy will grow by only about 2.3% this year while inflation remains elevated, limiting the government’s room to finance new security initiatives or major economic reforms without additional spending cuts or new revenue measures.
Security presents an equally daunting challenge. Violence has intensified across several regions as criminal organizations and guerrilla groups have expanded their territorial influence over the past several years.
Guzmán said, "Security is the second fire. The first half of 2026 closed with the highest homicide count for any first semester in a decade, extortion still rising and armed groups that have grown sharply since 2022. Security is rebuilt in years, not in quarters. Expect operations, captures and hard rhetoric in the first 100 days, visible and real, but not yet structural."
Even if the administration moves quickly on executive actions, its legislative agenda will depend on building consensus in a fragmented Congress. Although De la Espriella won the presidency, his party controls only five seats in the Senate, while Petro’s Historic Pact remains the largest individual political bloc. Passing security reforms, fiscal legislation and broader economic initiatives will require negotiations with centrist and traditional parties on virtually every major proposal.
Guzmán believes those political realities may prove just as important as the security challenges. "He won the election; he did not win Congress. The July fight over the Senate presidency was the first warning. He has a coalition that is numerically large and poorly disciplined. His agenda will be negotiated bill by bill."
REPUBLICAN REP MARÍA ELVIRA SALAZAR DECLARES, 'AFTER CUBA, NICARAGUA IS NEXT'
For that reason, analysts caution against measuring the administration’s success solely by immediate results. Instead, the first 100 days are likely to be judged by whether the new president establishes credibility, assembles an effective governing team and demonstrates that campaign promises can evolve into a coherent governing strategy.
Guzmán concluded, "The realistic expectation is this: the first 100 days will produce signals, not results. Appointments, decrees, an emergency spending cut, a tax bill, a security package. Meanwhile, expectations are enormous, and the distance between what people were promised and what is physically possible in 100 days is the main political risk he faces. He will spend those 100 days putting the house in order. He should say so out loud, and early. Credibility is the one asset he can build by day 100."
The decisions investors and policymakers will watch most closely include whether De la Espriella formally abandons Petro’s negotiations with the ELN, resumes aerial coca fumigation, expands intelligence and security cooperation with Washington, restores full diplomatic engagement with Israel and introduces a credible fiscal adjustment plan.
Those early moves, analysts say, will offer the clearest indication of whether Colombia’s new president can begin delivering on his promise to reverse the Petro era, or whether the country’s fiscal, political and security realities will force him to scale back one of the most ambitious conservative agendas in modern Colombian politics.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hasan Piker calls for Democrats who oppose Abdul El-Sayed to be 'punished'
Controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker is calling on Democrats to ensure that those who do not support Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed face consequences for not holding the party line.
"There are haters in our ranks. Notice how whenever someone comes out and says, 'Yeah that's actually a bad association,' immediately it's weaponized by the Republicans," he said Thursday while reacting to a clip of Fox News' Bill Hemmer interviewing former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel.
"You can't be out here saying like, 'Oh, I'm a centrist Democrat. And I think Abdul is a bridge too far.' That must be punished."
Piker, a socialist, went on to argue that the Democrats should use "Marxist-Leninist" punishment against those who do not "follow the party line." He acknowledged that it was appropriate for Democrats to debate amongst themselves until a winner is declared.
The controversial Twitch streamer's statement came just two days after El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination, narrowly defeating Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in the primary. Piker appeared on the campaign trail with El-Sayed, who is set to face off against Republican nominee Mike Rogers in November.
FORMER DNC VICE CHAIR DAVID HOGG CLAIMS DEMOCRATIC MODERATES 'DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT VALUES'
Piker's call for punishment sparked backlash among some Democrats, including Center for American Progress President and CEO Neera Tanden, who served under former President Joe Biden. She warned that Piker's rhetoric could alienate voters.
"It’s hard to imagine a bigger turnoff to swing voters than this guy. My free advice to the AES campaign is to get him to shut up about your race," Tanden wrote on X.
In response to the stream clip, Project Liberal co-founder Joshua Eakle noted that Piker refused to endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election. Eakle slammed Piker, claiming that the Twitch streamer was using "authoritarian language" and was seeking to "make the Democratic Party no different from the MAGA cult around Trump."
Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville, a critic of Piker, told Fox News Digital this week that the party will have to decide in the 2028 primary which direction it's going.
HASAN PIKER UNLOADS ON 'ISLAMOPHOBIC PIECES OF S---' DEMOCRATS AS EL-SAYED FACES PARTY UNITY TEST
Piker hit back at Eakle, saying, "koch payroll 'liberal' mad that i think dc establishment 'democrats' that work with maga are irredeemable and must be excised from the party ranks, wonder why?"
This is not the first time Piker criticized El-Sayed's opponents and urged Democrats to get behind the Senate candidate. After the Michigan Democrat's victory, Piker said those who suggested El-Sayed had "a f---- ton of work to do mending bridges" were "unbelievably Islamophobic pieces of s---."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
"You literally called the dude a f---ing terrorist for months on end and, like, called him a sexist, misogynist, terrorist, bad candidate, fake doctor, when he has two f---ing degrees. And now you're going to say sit there and be like, 'Well, you know, you really got to come to me now.' What are you talking about?" Piker said.
Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed's campaign and Piker for comment.
President Trump pumps up the 'Protect College Sports Act' as the Senate works to pass it
The "Protect College Sports Act" is still trying to get its way through Congress, and — as you may recall from middle school civics class — if it clears both houses, it's off to President Donald Trump's desk.
There's no question how he feels about this particular piece of legislation.
He's a big fan.
TRUMP URGES CONGRESS TO PASS PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT BEFORE RECESS: 'WE HAVE TO GET THAT DONE'
"THE PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT is a great Bill, and the Senate will hopefully stay in D.C. until it passes," the president wrote on Truth Social. "Without this Bill, millions of young Athletes will be hurt, programs will be canceled, Women's and Olympic Sports will go away, the fans will be robbed, and Universities will go broke.
"Nobody has done more to protect Women Athletes than me — and this Bill CLEARLY protects the Laws in 27 States protecting Women's Sports, and banning Men from Women's Sports," he continued. "Anyone who tells you differently is LYING! Stop grandstanding, and try getting this done. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
These latest comments by the president urging Congress to pass the bill come just one day after he offered similar remarks while welcoming US Olympians to the White House Rose Garden.
"I’m urging the House and the Senate to come together, bipartisan if possible, and it looks like they have done, to send the bill to my desk and I will sign it. I think we have no choice," Trump said on Thursday. "We have to get that done. If we don’t, we’re very foolish. Nobody knows what will happen. We’re in Never-Never Land. We’re not going to let that be happening. We’re not going to let that happen to these great people and others."
Also on Friday, the White House released an official memo clearing up misconceptions that the Protect College Sports Act would override state laws preventing biological men from competing in women's sports, adding that states can still legislate on the issue.
Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has security clearance revoked over Air Force One disclosure
The U.S. Department of War has revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s eligibility to access classified information over what the department says was an unauthorized disclosure involving Air Force One’s capabilities.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced the move Friday on X, saying it took effect immediately and also bars Kendall from holding any sensitive position.
"Effective immediately, the Department of War has REVOKED former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s eligibility for access to classified information and his ability to hold any sensitive position.
"This action follows his unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities to a media outlet. Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty. Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it."
US AIR FORCE SECRETARY KENDALL FLIES IN COCKPIT OF PLANE CONTROLLED BY AI
Parnell did not identify the media outlet or specify which information Kendall allegedly disclosed.
The move comes days after The Wall Street Journal published a report comparing the capabilities of the Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8, now used as a presidential aircraft, with the older Air Force One jets. Kendall was among the former officials quoted in the report.
The Journal reported that the newer aircraft lacks some capabilities available on the older VC-25A jets, including midair refueling and hardening against a nuclear blast. The report also detailed differences involving defensive systems, air stairs, baggage handling and food storage.
Kendall also discussed the aircraft publicly in other recent reports. Earlier in July, he told The Wall Street Journal that fully retrofitting a 747 with the defensive capabilities needed to protect the president should take three to four years.
Kendall served as secretary of the Air Force under former President Joe Biden from 2021 until January 2025. He previously served as the Pentagon’s undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics during the Obama administration.
Kendall also has a longstanding connection to the Air Force One modernization program.
In 2015, while serving as the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, Kendall coordinated with then-Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James on the decision to use the Boeing 747-8 platform for the next generation of presidential aircraft.
A representative for Kendall did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
This is a developing story; check back later for updates.
Dem attorney backs GOP hopeful in Michigan race against El-Sayed, 'jumping ship' from his party's 'lunatics'
A veteran Democratic attorney is speaking out in opposition to Michigan's new Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.
Julian Epstein, who served as the chief legal counsel for House Democrats during the Clinton impeachment hearing and worked for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, penned an op-ed in the New York Post Thursday about his support for El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.
In an interview Friday with Fox News Digital, Epstein said his op-ed was his declaration that he is "jumping ship" to the other side in the highly-contested Senate race.
ROGERS OPENS DOOR TO DEMOCRATIC VOTERS AFTER EL-SAYED’S PRIMARY VICTORY: ‘THERE IS STILL HOPE’
"The Democrats have gone off the deep end," Epstein told Fox News Digital. "I think the lunatics are in charge of the asylum. I think that there is no room in the tent for people that want to destroy our Constitution. There's no room in the tent for people that want to align themselves with radical Islam. There's no room in a tent for people that want to align themselves with antisemitism.
"And there's no room, in my view, for people who don't have any interest in building for the next generation but only want to redistribute what others have created and want to basically tear down the free market that has been the most effective anti-poverty liberation machine that human beings have ever invented."
Epstein warned his party it is "jumping off a cliff" with the positions it has embraced, predicting that a "large group of Democrats" will ultimately defect.
"I have been criticizing the Democratic Party for a long time as being far to the left of the median voter. So, just as a matter of practical politics and pragmatism, I think the party has gone way too far left, but I think that the party has also lost its moral center," Epstein said.
The Democratic strategist went on to praise Rogers as being a "practical, middle-of-the-road normie guy," insisting he would have aligned with Democrats during the Clinton administration.
On Tuesday, El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic primary against Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, who was seen as the establishment favorite who largely campaigned on progressive views but has been supportive of Israel.
High-profile Democrats are rallying behind El-Sayed's campaign, but it is unclear whether Stevens' voters will support the party's nominee in November.
In his op-ed, Epstein said Rogers will be able to "paint a devastating portrait" of El-Sayed.
"El-Sayed parrots Sen. Bernie Sanders’ delusion that attaches no importance to generating wealth — and only cares about redistributing it," Epstein wrote. "He expresses sympathy for Mideastern terrorist movements that masquerade as liberation efforts, giving cover to terror attacks on Jewish synagogues in the US ('hurt people hurt people') and going to absurd lengths to avoid offending supporters of Iran’s slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He doesn’t believe the planet’s only Jewish state has a right to exist.
"Hasan Piker, his principal campaign surrogate, blames the U.S. for 9/11 and professes his love for China’s madman dictator Mao Zedong, who slaughtered millions of his own people. Piker praised Hamas after the Oct. 7 massacre and cites every oppressive tyrant from Fidel Castro to Nicolas Maduro as his guiding lights.
"Democrats can’t run from this lunacy in November."
US intel warns Russia could launch limited attack on NATO ally in effort to fragment organization: report
Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack a NATO member country in the next few years in an attempt to fragment the post-World War II organization and test Article 5, new U.S. intelligence has found, according to a report.
While U.S. intelligence had previously assessed that Putin wouldn’t launch an assault on a NATO country while still involved in the war in Ukraine, the Russian president is now looking for a victory as Ukraine makes gains, and the U.S. and Europe have seen increasing signs he is testing the organization, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
That includes a drone that hit a Romanian apartment building in May and cruise missiles that landed in Poland late last month, a NATO country.
RUSSIA PREPARING HYBRID ATTACKS ON NATO'S EASTERN FLANK, INTELLIGENCE WARNS
Article 5 of NATO states that an attack on one country is an attack on all countries.
The assessment said it would likely be a limited attack that could range anywhere from a cyberattack to a small-scale land incursion and would likely be focused on the Baltics or Poland.
The attack could happen any time between this fall and 2029, the assessment said.
"The question mark is how the United States would respond in that case," Heather Conley, senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, told the Journal. "It has always been a goal [of Russia’s] to challenge the credibility of NATO and to separate the United States from its allies."
THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT AMERICAN WEAPONS SYSTEMS NATO IS EAGER TO HAVE
The assessment also comes amid claims the United States’ munitions stockpile has been depleted by arms sent to support Ukraine and due to the war in Iran.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, however, called those claims false.
"We have everything required to strike at the time and place of the president’s choosing," Parnell told the Journal. "Across multiple combatant commands, we have already executed successful operations while maintaining a deep, ready arsenal to defend our people and our interests. Any adversary who confuses media noise with American weakness will discover the truth the hard way."
A land incursion was deemed the least likely because it would trigger Article 5, but it’s unclear what the response would be to something like a cyberattack.
REPORT WARNS RUSSIA USING SHADOW FLEET TO PROBE NATO DRONE DEFENSES
"This has always been NATO’s challenge to respond to a sub-Article 5 attack, and it’s been very true that to this point, NATO allies have preferred not to escalate," Conley told the Journal.
Fox News Digital has reached out to NATO for comment.
Col. Martin O’Donnell, a NATO spokesman, told the Journal, "We are always thinking through and preparing for any number of scenarios. NATO is watching, and we are ready to deter and defend as necessary, which we continue to demonstrate."