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WATCH: Walz, Ellison, Omar refuse to answer when pressed on fraud after contentious fraud hearing
Following the highly anticipated House Oversight Committee hearing on fraud Wednesday, Fox News Digital pressed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison about their roles in the scandal but received no response from the embattled officials.
"Why wasn't the fraud caught sooner, governor?" Walz was asked after the hearing. "Almost $10 billion — why wasn't it caught sooner?"
Walz declined to answer as he was escorted down a hallway by staff but stopped briefly to speak with another individual. During a second encounter, Walz again declined to answer the question but acknowledged a security guard as he walked down the hallway.
"Mr. Attorney General, can you tell us why the fraud wasn't caught sooner?" Ellison was asked after his testimony.
Ellison did not respond and continued walking up a staircase.
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who did not testify Wednesday but has faced criticism for her ties to the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal in the state, did not respond after the hearing when Fox News Digital began asking her questions.
Walz and Ellison faced a barrage of tough questions from Republicans during the hearing on the massive fraud scandal in the state, with most focused on one key theme: What did they know, and when did they know it?
Walz and Ellison were asked multiple times for specifics about when they were first made aware of the fraud and faced sharp rebukes from Republican members, including Rep. Virginia Foxx.
"You did not do your job, you did not do your job," Foxx told Walz. "You did not protect taxpayer dollars. You allowed massive fraud. You and Mr. Ellison allowed massive fraud to go on in the state of Minnesota. It is unfortunate, as somebody said, that you can't be held personally responsible at this stage in the game."
An exchange between GOP Rep. Jim Jordan and Walz sparked immediate pushback from conservatives on social media.
One of the most contentious exchanges came during questioning from GOP Rep. Nancy Mace when she pressed Walz for specific numbers on how many children are in his state, the massive increase in autism care spending and why that occurred, without getting specific figures from Walz.
"OK, so your excuse before — that you didn't know what the 2017 autism numbers were — because you were not governor, and today you can't answer the numbers about 2024 as governor, and you still said you prepared for this hearing today. It's unbelievable."
GOP Rep. Clay Higgins confronted Ellison in another heated moment, asking him to say he was "leading" the fight to root out corruption. Without receiving the specific answer he was looking for, Higgins called for Ellison's resignation.
"I'm not talking about Medicaid fraud, don't hide behind that," Higgins said, interrupting Ellison. "You have the authority to prosecute anything criminally that the governor asks you to, and this thing is big. I'm giving you an opportunity, sir, are you leading the criminal investigative effort into this massive fraud across the board…or not?" Higgins pressed.
"You are not leading. I'm going to say, Mr. Chairman, that the attorney general of the state of Minnesota should resign," Higgins said.
At the close of the hearing, things became tense again when GOP Rep. Nick Langworthy suggested that Walz, who is still serving as governor despite dropping out of his reelection bid due to the fraud scandal, should be impeached for "malfeasance," citing Minnesota's Constitution.
Teamsters boss praises Mullin DHS nomination despite past heated hearings
Nearly two and a half years after they nearly came to blows in a viral Senate hearing, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien offered praise for Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Thursday after President Donald Trump nominated him to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
"If anyone is willing to stand their butt up to protect America, it’s Markwayne Mullin," O’Brien said in a statement.
The endorsement marked a striking turn for the two men, who clashed publicly in November 2023 during a heated Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing that appeared to be on the brink of a physical altercation.
During the exchange, Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter, referenced a social media post in which O’Brien had said he could take the senator "any time" or "any place."
BEHIND THE SCENES: TRUMP AND WHITE HOUSE RALLY BEHIND NOEM AS ‘RADICALS’ DEMAND OUSTER
"Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults, and we can finish it here," Mullin said at the hearing.
Mullin then stood up and appeared ready to approach O’Brien before then-Committee Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., intervened.
"Stop it, hold it, no, no, sit down," Sanders said. "You're a United States senator. Sit down."
GOP SENATORS TANGLE WITH NOEM DURING HEATED HEARING ON HER HANDLING OF DEPORTATION SURGE
The confrontation continued verbally for several minutes, with Mullin calling O’Brien a "thug" and O’Brien labeling the senator "disrespectful," before Sanders banged his gavel and moved the hearing forward.
The two men had also sparred months earlier over O’Brien’s salary compared to that of union members, forcing Sanders to step in during that hearing as well.
O’Brien’s statement Thursday signaled a sharp contrast from the combative exchanges that once defined their relationship.
WATCH: The Teamsters president started it: Sen. Markwayne Mullin
GOP SENATOR BLOCKS TRUMP DHS NOMINEES UNTIL NOEM TESTIFIES BEFORE SENATE
The statement came as Mullin was nominated to lead DHS following what Trump described as a turbulent tenure under current Secretary Kristi Noem, who will be reassigned as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a new security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere.
The clash between the two men in November 2023 followed months of escalating tensions, including a public challenge earlier that year when Mullin accepted O’Brien’s social media dare of "any place, any time" and proposed a charitable mixed martial arts fight in Tulsa. But tensions appeared to cool in 2024 after Trump helped broker a truce between the two men.
Mullin later recounted on "Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla" that Trump reached out early to O’Brien as Teamsters members increasingly leaned Republican.
Mullin said O’Brien told him many of his members were backing Trump and that the union boss felt compelled to reflect on where "my brothers" stood politically.
Fox News's Andrew Mark Miller and Houston Keene contributed to this report.
Trump rallies defense titans to surge weapons output as Iran War rages
President Donald Trump is meeting Friday with top U.S. defense industry executives as his administration looks to accelerate weapons production while military operations against Iran continue.
The White House emphasized the session was scheduled weeks ago and was not convened in response to immediate battlefield shortages. Officials described the meeting as part of a broader effort to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and speed production of American-made weapons.
"The US military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and weapons stockpiles to continue demolishing the Iranian regime and finish Operation Epic Fury, no matter how long it lasts," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News.
"Nevertheless, President Trump has always been intensely focused on strengthening our military, which is why this meeting with defense contractors was scheduled weeks ago. The President will continue to call on these US companies to more speedily build American-made weapons, which are the absolute best in the world."
Companies attending are Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX Corporation, Boeing, Honeywell and L3Harris Technologies.
OPERATION EPIC FURY DESTROYS IRAN'S NAVY AND CUTS MISSILE ATTACKS BY 90% IN ONGOING CAMPAIGN
The meeting comes as U.S. forces remain engaged in Operation Epic Fury, a campaign targeting Iranian military assets following coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes. Administration officials have maintained that U.S. readiness remains strong, even as the pace of missile defense operations has drawn scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
During the 2025 12-day Iran conflict, U.S. forces fired more than 150 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors — roughly a quarter of the global inventory — to shield Israel and U.S. assets from Iranian missile attacks, according to defense assessments. Patriot PAC-3 MSE missiles are currently produced at a rate of roughly 600 to 650 annually, with replenishment timelines measured in months or years rather than weeks.
PHYSICIST LAWMAKER WARNS IRAN COULD BUILD ‘HIROSHIMA-STYLE’ WEAPON, SAYS US LACKS URANIUM PLAN
U.S. and Israeli officials previously estimated that Iran had a large ballistic missile arsenal — roughly 2,000 to 3,000 missiles of various types at the outset of the conflict. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said Thursday Iran's missile attacks have decreased 90% since the start of the conflict.
Defense planners have described missile defense inventories as part of a broader strategic balancing act. The same high-end systems used to protect U.S. bases and partners in the Middle East are also supplied to Ukraine and positioned in the Indo-Pacific, creating what some analysts characterize as a "zero-sum" competition for inventory across theaters.
Lawmakers emerging from recent classified briefings have raised questions about sustainability if operations expand.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., warned the campaign could become a "math problem," balancing incoming missile volumes against finite interceptor supplies and production capacity.
Other members, including Republicans briefed on the operation, have said officials assured Congress U.S. forces remain in strong shape.
Current and former defense officials have drawn a distinction between offensive strike weapons — which can often be surged from prepositioned stocks — and defensive interceptors such as Patriot and THAAD systems, which require longer production timelines and cannot be rapidly manufactured at scale.
Haunting note on Vegas hotel door hinted at tragedy before cheer mom, daughter found dead
Newly released dispatch records show authorities were alerted to a possible suicide attempt after a note was found on the door of a Las Vegas hotel room — shortly before an 11-year-old girl and her mother were found shot to death inside.
Addilyn "Addi" Smith, 11, and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside a room at the Rio Hotel & Casino on Feb. 15 after hotel personnel conducted a welfare check, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Police were first called to the hotel around 10:45 a.m. local time after the pair failed to show up at a cheerleading competition. Addi’s coach requested a welfare check when she did not arrive, according to 911 call records obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Officers knocked on the door and called into the room for 15 to 20 minutes but received no response. With no immediate signs of danger, police cleared the call.
MOM KILLED SHIELDING KIDS AFTER HUSBAND ERUPTS IN RAGE OVER NFL GAME: POLICE
Over the next several hours, hotel personnel received additional requests for a welfare check. At approximately 2:26 p.m., fire officials advised dispatchers that a note had been found on a door and that there may have been a possible suicide attempt, the Review-Journal reported. Hotel staff entered the room one minute later.
By 2:35 p.m., ambulance officials told dispatchers they had located an adult woman and a child deceased, according to the outlet.
"The mother shot her daughter and then shot herself," LVMPD Homicide Lt. Robert Price said at a previous news conference. He confirmed a note was left behind but declined to discuss its contents. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive, and the investigation remains ongoing.
MOTHER SHOOTS DAUGHTER, THEN HERSELF IN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE AT LAS VEGAS HOTEL, POLICE SAY
The Clark County coroner ruled McGeehan’s cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head and listed the manner of death as suicide. Addi’s cause and manner of death remain pending.
Although police have not formally identified the victims, court documents and family members have identified them as McGeehan and Addi.
Court filings reviewed by Fox News Digital show McGeehan and Addi’s father, Brad Smith, were locked in a contentious custody battle for nearly a decade following their 2015 divorce. Judges imposed detailed exchange protocols governing how and where the parents could hand off their daughter. Records show McGeehan temporarily lost custody of Addi in 2017 but was granted joint custody in 2020.
CALIFORNIA MAN KILLS WIFE, TEEN DAUGHTER IN MURDER-SUICIDE: AUTHORITIES
McGeehan had also recently been receiving "mean" text messages from other parents on her daughter’s Utah Xtreme Cheer team, the New York Post reported.
Connie McGeehan, Tawnia’s mother, told the outlet her daughter had been having issues with "one or two" other mothers on the team and that tensions escalated about a month before the tragedy.
"In the last comp they had, another girl got dropped and some of the moms were saying it was because of Addi," Connie McGeehan told The Post. "They were texting [Tawnia] mean stuff and blaming Addi."
The Post cited a source close to the team who said there had been a recent "confrontation" between McGeehan and another mother in a waiting room. Utah Xtreme Cheer owner Kory Uyetake acknowledged to the outlet that there had been "comments back and forth" between McGeehan and some other parents but said everything appeared normal when the team traveled to Las Vegas.
One of the other cheer moms who spoke with Fox News Digital confirmed tensions among some parents but said the focus now is on the children grieving. She said her daughter has struggled with the loss but plans to launch a mental health awareness and suicide prevention program at her school next year in honor of her friend.
Valerie Krystine Muniz, who identified herself on social media as Addi’s aunt and the sister of her father, urged the public to stop speculating as the family grieves.
"We already see so much speculation going around so please help in just spreading love and prayers while my brother tries to pick up the pieces of what has happened," Muniz wrote.
"I have never known a man to love and fight for his daughter like he has done all of Addi’s life," she added. "The system failed him and her."
Muniz did not elaborate.
James Watts, who represented McGeehan, confirmed to PEOPLE that he is aware of the note but has not seen it.
"I do not know what the content is," Watts told the outlet. "It is the family's hope at some point, when it's no longer required by law enforcement, that it will be returned to [McGeehan's] mother, [who] would like to know what was being said at the time."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Watts for additional information.
Authorities have not released further details about a possible motive. When contacted, Metro Police said they do not have any new updates.
Major city doubles its visitor tax to become one of highest amid overtourism concerns
As popular vacation destinations continue their crackdown on overtourism, one major city has recently raised its traveler tax — making it one of the highest in Europe.
The city of Barcelona, Spain, has nearly doubled its hotel guest tax, from $5-$9 to $10-$17 per person, per night — while holiday rentals rose from 12.5 euros per night, up from $7.24 to a maximum of $14.49, Reuters reported.
The change follows overcrowding concerns from local residents due to the high number of visitors and a shortage of affordable housing for native Spaniards.
AMERICANS MUST PAY HIGHER FEE FOR A TICKET TO THE WORLD’S MOST VISITED MUSEUM
Barcelona citizens held a large protest last summer, even spraying tourists with water guns, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
Demonstrators marched with signs saying, "One more tourist, one less resident," and "Tourist Go Home." The demonstrators are demanding a reworking of their local economy.
Andreu Martínez of Spain humorously said at the time that the use of squirt guns was to annoy the tourists a bit.
"Barcelona has been handed to the tourists," said Martínez. "This is a fight to give Barcelona back to its residents."
He said his rent had risen over 30%, with apartments in his neighborhood continually being rented out for short-term vacation use instead.
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The regional parliament of Catalonia said it is planning to ban all short-term rental accommodation by 2028.
Short-term rentals in Barcelona have been stagnant for years, remaining at around 10,000 since 2014, according to figures from Barcelona’s City Hall.
Barcelona city data indicates around 850,000 homes exist in Barcelona, making the 10,000 or so short-term rentals a fraction of total housing.
Italian nurse Irene Verrazzo, who traveled to the city, told Reuters that Barcelona was already very expensive. She said she would probably not visit again.
"I don’t think this added expense is fair," she told Reuters. "They already make money from tourists spending in shops, visiting their monuments, etc."
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Barcelona hotel owners have expressed concern the tax rise could deter too many tourists from visiting.
Manel Casals, Barcelona's hoteliers' group general director, told Reuters that proposals to monitor the taxes' impact and raise them gradually instead were ignored.
"One day, they will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs," said Casals.
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Last year, 96.8 million people visited Spain — with nearly 94 million visiting in 2024, according to government data.
Reuters contributed reporting.
53 Dems vote against declaring Iran a state sponsor of terror
Dozens of Democrats have voted against a nonbinding resolution in the House that reaffirms Iran as the "largest state sponsor of terrorism."
The resolution, put forward by Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., passed by a 372-53 vote on Thursday, with all those voting no being Democrats. Two Democrats also voted present.
Among those who voted against the measure were all the members of the "Squad," such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
The resolution said the Islamic Republic of Iran "remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and provides substantial financial and military support to groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis."
HOUSE VOTES TO LET TRUMP'S OPERATION EPIC FURY CONTINUE IN IRAN
It added that Iran "poses a direct and persistent threat to the United States and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American citizens," citing the Pentagon as saying that "Iranian-backed proxy militias are responsible for the deaths of at least 603 U.S. service members in Iraq -- roughly one in every six American combat fatalities."
It also said, "according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafeal Grossi, Iran has amassed a large stockpile of enriched uranium and continues to block access to undeclared sites in Iran affiliated with their ‘big, ambitious nuclear weapons program.’"
READ THE RESOLUTION – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:
The resolution concludes by saying, "That the House of Representatives declares it is the policy of the United States... that Iran continues to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism."
HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE TO CONTINUE DHS SHUTDOWN DESPITE IRAN THREAT, NOEM'S OUSTER
California Democratic Rep. Lateefah Simon, who voted no, claimed the resolution "contains inaccuracies and is designed to justify the President's actions in Iran."
"Republicans in Congress are not only surrendering their constitutional duties – they are also playing politics with a resolution reaffirming Iran as a leading state sponsor of terrorism," Simon wrote on Facebook. "That is already U.S. policy."
"I have been clear about my opposition to the brutal and devastating actions of the Iranian regime against those protesting for freedom," Simon continued. "This resolution does nothing to advance their freedom and instead, puts Congress on record as giving the Administration further pretext for a war that should not have been started in the first place."
Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., who voted in favor of the resolution, said in a statement that, "This week’s bipartisan classified briefing with Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, John Ratcliffe, and General Dan Caine underscored the significance of the threat we face from an Iran intent on developing nuclear weapons behind a curtain of impenetrable ballistic weapons."
"Standing with our allies and confronting state-sponsored terrorism is essential to protecting Americans and advancing stability around the world," she added. "This resolution sends a strong message that we will not ignore or excuse the regime’s extremist actions."
Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington state who also voted in favor of the resolution, said, "I agree with the principal assertion of this resolution that Iran is a bad actor.
"Iran's malign and destabilizing actions in the region and treatment of its own citizens should be denounced. I have never contested this. What I do contest is that going to war is the reasonable response to this assertion," he continued. "I support this resolution. I do not support the president’s war of choice with Iran."
Here are the full names of the Democratic House lawmakers listed alphabetically by last name:
Capitol Hill Dems hail Trump's DHS ouster of Noem after heated Senate hearing
Capitol Hill exploded with reactions on Thursday as news spread that President Donald Trump had ousted Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem.
"That she’s gone, you know — hallelujah," Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
"That he’s the replacement, oh my God. I don’t know what else to say," McGovern said, referring to Trump’s next pick for the role, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.
Trump’s decision, which drew cautious praise from Republicans and widespread jubilation from Democrats, came on the heels of news that Noem had spent over $220 million developing an ad campaign — news that broke during a bruising Senate committee hearing.
TRUMP'S NEW DHS PICK IS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION HAWK WHO'S ‘ALL ABOUT THE MISSION’: EXPERT
During questioning from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., Noem said President Donald Trump had personally signed off on the expenditure.
"The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?" Kennedy asked.
"Yes, he did," Noem said.
The exchange reportedly enraged Trump, who contested Noem’s claim.
More broadly, Noem’s removal comes as DHS has captured national focus as a key tool in Trump’s immigration crackdown. In particular, criticism of the agency burst into view after immigration enforcement shot and killed two civilians in January, after Minnesota agitators got into confrontations with federal agents.
In response to the shootings, Noem said her agents had acted in self-defense and protected themselves from credible threats.
KRISTI NOEM FIRED FROM HOMELAND SECURITY POST AMID RECENT TURMOIL
Noem won’t be leaving the administration entirely. Instead of heading up DHS, she will now become Trump’s special envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a new coalition of countries in Latin America.
To Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the buildup of criticisms made Noem’s removal just a matter of time.
"Well, I think basically the president had no choice," Raskin said, citing revelations over the agency’s handling.
Others, like Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, believed she should never have had the job to begin with.
"The thing about Kristi Noem is that she was never qualified for that role. Nothing in her service in Congress or her background as a governor that was far away from the Southern Border ever suggested she was qualified for the role, and during her service, I think she proved that she wasn’t," Castro said.
Noem served as governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025.
At least one Democrat believes that’s more than she deserves.
"Moving her to another location does not bring about the justice that we seek. She should be removed — not moved. This is a reckless president, and he has to be stopped. Not only should Ms. Noem be impeached, but the President of the United States should be impeached as well," Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, said.
When asked about Mullin as Noem’s replacement, Democrats said they hoped he would consider operational reforms to ICE that Democrats have demanded as a condition for funding the department in 2026.
NOEM PREPS TO BATTLE HOUSE DEMS AFTER BIPARTISAN BASHING IN SENATE OVER DOGS, ICE
"My hope is that Sen. Mullin understands that the vast majority of Americans support reforms to the lawlessness we’ve seen from ICE," Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., said.
Republicans, for their part, applauded his selection.
"Certainly, it was the president’s prerogative who serves in his cabinet. Markwayne Mullin has been a great senator for the state of Oklahoma. He’ll make a great homeland security secretary," Rep. Russel Fry, R-S.C., said.
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS.
Iranian vessel suffers engine failure, offloads crew days after US submarine sank other ship
An Iranian ship offloaded more than 200 members of its crew to Sri Lanka on Friday after suffering an engine failure at sea, just days after a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in an Indian Ocean torpedo attack.
The IRIS Bushehr, described in previous Iranian media reports as a navy logistics ship, is being brought first to the port of Colombo, according to Sri Lanka navy spokesman Cmdr. Buddhika Sampath. Sailors are being taken to a naval base in Welisara following medical exams and immigration procedures.
"We have to understand that this is not an ordinary situation," Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Thursday. "It’s a request by a ship belonging to one party to enter into our port. We have to consider that according to the international treaties and conventions."
Dissanayake added that authorities decided to take control of the IRIS Bushehr following discussions with Iranian officials and the ship’s captain, after one of its engines failed. He said some crew members would remain on board to help the Sri Lankan navy later navigate the vessel to Trincomalee on the island’s northeast coast, about 165 miles from Colombo.
NEW SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW FIRES, NAVAL BASE DAMAGE ACROSS IRAN AFTER US-ISRAELI STRIKES
The moves come after the U.S. sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s coast on Wednesday.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said it was "the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II."
The Indian navy said Thursday that it had initiated search and rescue operations after receiving a distress signal from the Dena, deploying two aircraft along with a sailing training vessel. By the time the response was launched, the Sri Lankan navy had already started its own rescue efforts, it said.
The Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 sailors and recovered 87 bodies after the attack, according to The Associated Press.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Thursday that the U.S. will "bitterly regret" striking and sinking that ship.
"The U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores," Araqchi wrote on X. "Frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning."
"Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set," he added.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday that the Iranian vessel was "effectively neutralized" in a Navy "fast attack" using a single Mark 48 torpedo.
He added that the U.S. Navy achieved "immediate effect, sending the warship to the bottom of the sea."
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace, Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Country star Brantley Gilbert's kids homeschooled on Georgia farm to avoid learning what 'certain people want'
Country star Brantley Gilbert has built a life for himself on his South Georgia farm and does everything in his power not to leave it.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Gilbert — who recently became an investor and equity partner of Real American Beer to create a non-alcoholic beer called RAB ZERO – explained that living remotely on a farm allows him to disconnect from the online world. He also explained that checking social media takes "so much" from his kids.
The country star revealed that his three are homeschooled and learn "what kids need to know and not so much what, you know, certain people in this world feel like they'd like them to know."
"I’m kind of — when I come off the road, like, these shows and being out here on the road is my 'wild and crazy' now," Gilbert began, noting that he is 14 years sober.
"I get back home, I don’t really leave the farm. I’m not — and this is probably not a great thing to say for what I do for a living, but man, I don’t live on social media. I actually barely ever look at it," he continued. "Just as a husband and a father of three, you know, between that and the music business, I don’t really have enough time and enough effort to put into something that could take so much away from them."
TURNING POINT USA'S SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW PAYS TRIBUTE TO CHARLIE KIRK
Brantley shared that now that his tour is over, he really only leaves his farm to go to church or go to ball games.
"And outside of that, man, I don’t really leave the farm much," he said.
An average day on Gilbert's farm could have its own TV show, according to the country music star.
RILEY GREEN CHOOSES ALABAMA FARM OVER NASHVILLE FAME DESPITE HAVING 'EVERY REASON' TO MAKE THE MOVE
Gilbert explained that his father and brother both work on his farm while his wife Amber runs a hybrid homeschooling group. The couple's kids, Barrett and Braylen, are enrolled at the school and only attend three days a week.
Amber shared some information about the academy on Instagram in 2023, explaining that she never considered homeschooling her kids until 2020.
They wanted structure, socialization, and a Christian education for their kids, while also having concerns about public school exposure and strict attendance policies that wouldn’t accommodate touring. After learning about hybrid homeschooling from friends at Turning Point USA, she visited Learn Upstate Hybrid Academy in Anderson, SC, and found it to be a refreshing solution she highly recommends.
WATCH: COUNTRY STAR BRANTLEY GILBERT REVEALS HIS KIDS ARE HOMESCHOOLED ON GEORGIA FARM
"She actually started a school three years ago. It’s like a homeschool school – teaching kids what kids need to know and not so much what, you know, certain people in this world feel like they’d like them to know. It’s a really important thing, so I try to help out there where I can. I believe she’s doing something extremely important there," Gilbert said.
"So, they call Mondays and Fridays 'work days' and those are their two favorite days of the week," Gilbert said of his two oldest kids. "You know, my brother and my dad come pick them up, and they wake up, and they’re out the door a million miles an hour, and they actually have them working. And they get to play, but they have to work first."
Gilbert said this tradition was instilled into him by his grandfather and now his father has done a "pretty good job" of passing it on to his kids.
Aside from country music and family, Gilbert decided to partner with Real American Beer to create a non-alcoholic beer called RAB ZERO. Gilbert told Fox News Digital that he was always a fan of Hulk Hogan (the founder of Real American Beer) and when the opportunity presented itself for the country star to become an investor, he couldn't pass it up.
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"Growing up, I thought Hulk Hogan was the second coming. And I’ll never forget, having Hulk Hogan text my phone and texting back and forth with him. Dude, I don’t know that I’ve ever been starstruck until that moment," Gilbert said.
WATCH: BRANTLEY GILBERT SAYS HIS HULK HOGAN FANDOM PROMPTED HIM TO BE AN INVESTOR IN REAL AMERICAN BEER AND CREATE A NON-ALCOHOLIC BEER CALLED RAB ZERO
Gilbert told Fox News Digital that cutting out alcohol was absolutely essential for him to become a father.
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"I don’t know that I could have been a dad. I definitely couldn’t have been the kind of dad that I want to be and try to be on a daily basis. I’m sure there would have been an adjustment in life and I would have prioritized that, but man, I’ll be completely honest, had I not got that out of my life, I don’t think I would have been a dad. I wouldn’t have been a husband," he explained.
WATCH: BRANTLEY GILBERT SHARES DAY-TO-DAY ON HIS FARM
Gilbert continued, "That’s the greatest, scariest, most important job I’ve ever had is being a dad. My wife coming back in the picture making that possible. I’ll forever be thankful. I don’t think I ever see any of that if I had not made that lifestyle choice."
Brantley and Amber met in their hometown in Georgia and dated in high school. The pair were off and on during their teen years and then broke up for about five years. They reconnected, tied the knot in 2015 and have three kids: son Barrett, daughter Braylen and son Abram.
Brantley Gilbert, Multi-Platinum Country Rock Powerhouse, Becomes Investor and Equity Partner of Real American Beer and Launches RAB ZERO - Non-Alcoholic Beer That Still Hits. RAB ZERO delivers full-flavor American beer energy without the alcohol, with $1 per case supporting U.S. service members and their families through a new USO partnership.
Here come the big bombs as US escalates strikes on Iran's huge military arsenal
"Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to sustain this campaign as long as we need to," Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said at U.S. Central Command headquarters on Thursday.
From a tactical perspective, the scale of the airstrikes unleashed in Operation Epic Fury indicates that the U.S. almost waited too long. Starting the campaign to take out Iran’s ballistic missiles and drones required strikes on almost 2,000 aimpoints in just the first few days. That’s one munition per aimpoint, and there could be thousands more to go.
It was now or never. Iran planned to stockpile missiles and drones and build a handful of nuclear weapons that no military force could reach. "Iranian negotiators said to us directly, with no shame, that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% and they’re aware that that could make 11 nuclear bombs," U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Tuesday.
The terrifying scale of Iran’s target set went unnoticed by most of the world until last Saturday.
Imagine how difficult this job would have been in a few years — especially with Russia and China helping Iran restock.
"This operation needed to happen because Iran, in about a year or a year and a half, would cross the line of immunity, meaning they would have so many short-range missiles, so many drones that no one could do anything about it because they could hold the whole world hostage," Rubio said on Capitol Hill on Monday. "Look at the damage they’re doing now. And this is a weakened Iran … imagine a year from now," he added.
With Iran’s command and control degraded and air defenses flattened, the southern air ingress approaches to the country are wide open. "And now, with complete control of the skies, we will be using 500-pound, 1,000-pound and 2,000-pound GPS--and laser-guided precision gravity bombs, of which we have a nearly unlimited stockpile," Hegseth said at the Pentagon on Wednesday.
Here come the big bombs to take on hundreds of targets. Those targets include factories, weapons storage sites and every IRGC facility U.S. forces can find. And it’s all happening while a 2,000-mile arc of aerial defense continues.
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The U.S. is not running out of bombs for Operation Epic Fury. Here are seven systems seeing heavy action:
Joint Direct Attack Munition: JDAMs use GPS satellite guidance to hit precise coordinates. The combat-proven JDAM family of munitions is actually a kit. You take a Mk 82 500-pound free-fall gravity bomb, a Mk 83 1,000-pound bomb body or a Mk 84 2,000-pound bomb body, then attach a precision seeker and a tail kit with steering fins just before missions. Military munitions specialists — sometimes called AMMO troops — build the bombs before loading them onto the aircraft. In the Navy, for example, you can spot ordnance loaders on an aircraft carrier deck by their red jerseys. In 2003, U.S. fighter and bomber crews dropped 5,086 of the 2,000-pound GBU-31 JDAMs in Operation Iraqi Freedom. So yes, planners knew to stock up. A new wing kit doubled the range for the JDAM Extended Range variant. JDAMs can attack "off-axis," meaning behind or to the side of the fighter or bomber.
GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb: Combining precision with powerful explosives, the Small Diameter Bomb weighs 250 pounds and has a remarkable 40-nautical-mile range when launched, along with the ability to strike moving vehicles. The bomb body is advanced, with a more powerful but compact explosive that limits collateral damage. Aircrews can change coordinates in flight for this GPS-guided munition. F-22 Raptors can drop SDBs while flying supersonic.
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Patriot and THAAD: U.S. forces are leading the defense against missile and drone threats. Patriot remains the gold standard for terminal-phase intercepts, and Hegseth noted inventories were in good shape. THAAD — Terminal High Altitude Area Defense — is also widely used.
Air-to-air missiles: For drones, there are many options, starting with fighter aircraft armed with AMRAAMs (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles) and AIM-9 Sidewinders. Drones can be tricky to detect on radar, but recent experience in Ukraine means the U.S. has fresh identifying characteristics to work with. Once in range, the slow, hot, whirring pusher engine of Iran’s Shahed drones is not difficult to target. However, Hegseth noted counter-UAS systems have been pushed forward. You knew American technology was the foundation of Ukraine’s superb air defenses, right?
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VAMPIRE and Coyote: The VAMPIRE counter-drone system’s name says it all: Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment. That means it can go on almost any truck and fire different missiles. The Navy rushed it to Ukraine in 2023, and since then, "VAMPIRE users have successfully shot down hundreds of enemy drones," according to manufacturer L3Harris. Other examples include Coyote, a small drone that can launch from a sonobuoy to destroy hostile drones or loiter to disable them with electronic jamming in its "non-kinetic" variant. Both have been tested against drone swarms.
To be sure, some Standard Missile-3 Block 1A and Block 2B variants have been heavily taxed. U.S. Navy Aegis destroyers launch SM-3s for exo-atmospheric, midcourse hit-to-kill shots against Iranian ballistic missiles.
On Feb. 4, the Pentagon anticipated the need and announced Tomahawk production would be boosted to 1,000 per year, AMRAAMs to at least 1,900, and SM-6 missiles to more than 500 annually, with SM-3 production accelerating to two to four times its classified annual rate. For obvious reasons, full munitions inventories are not public information.
"Your joint force is steady, frosty, calm and focused," Caine said.
And they have the weapons to carry out their missions.