INTERNACIONAL
Battle over Space Command HQ location heats up as lawmakers press new Air Force secretary
Years after the first Trump administration moved to designate Alabama as the home of a permanent Space Command headquarters (HQ), the political tug-of-war for the base continues.
Colorado Republicans are urging the president to rethink the decision while Alabama lawmakers insist it will and should move forward.
After his May 13 confirmation, new Air Force Secretary Troy Meink can now expect a lot of calls from Capitol Hill pulling him in different directions over the HQ.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said he had already discussed the matter with him.
«I look forward to his recommendation that he concur with the last two secretaries of the Air Force and recommend to Huntsville,» he said. «And I fully expect, based on our conversation, that’s going to be what happens.»
The Space Force’s home for the time being — Colorado Springs, Colorado — makes sense from the money that has already been invested in setting up shop there, according to Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., whose district encompasses the current HQ.
«It would mean $2 billion in savings to leave it where it is,» Crank told Fox News Digital, pointing to savings from not having to build a new HQ building.
CHINA ACCUSES US OF ‘TURNING SPACE INTO A WARZONE’ WITH TRUMP’S GOLDEN DOME MISSILE DEFENSE PROJECT
President Donald Trump announced plans to move headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama, in his first term — but former President Joe Biden undid those plans when he came into office.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said he had already discussed the matter with the new Air Force secretary. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Space Command has operated out of Peterson Space Force base in Colorado Springs since its 2019 inception. The command is responsible for military operations in space and will play a major role in the Golden Dome project.
Crank argues that geographically, Colorado makes more sense — it is also home to Northern Command, and the two will need to coordinate over Trump’s new Golden Dome missile defense project.
«They’ve got to be seamless in their efforts to communicate,» said Crank. «We don’t want any delay in getting Golden Dome up and running.»
He argued that Space Command HQ, nestled into Cheyenne Mountain, is already «one of the most secure facilities» in the country. Being in the middle of the U.S., he added, makes it harder for enemies to attack.
«From the standpoint of survivability, having that as an asset right there as well is, is really important.»
Rogers brushed off the complaints from his Colorado counterparts and argued Alabama had won fair and square.
«They’re just doing their job, you know, they don’t want to see it leave,» said Rogers. But, «they lost two nationwide competitions. It’s not me saying it should be in Huntsville.»
Then-President Joe Biden, pictured greeting Air Force Thunderbirds pilots at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, moved to keep the base in Colorado. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
HEGSETH ORDERS SWEEPING ARMY OVERHAUL AND CONSOLIDATION AIMED AT COUNTERING CHINA AND GOLDEN DOME CAPABILITIES
He argued that right now, the command is spread out across four to five different buildings, some of which are outside the base perimeter.
«None of them were built for classified operations,» he said. «They just kind of make it work.»
Rogers pointed to a recent Defense Department inspector general (IG) report examining Biden’s 2023 decision not to move the headquarters. That report found that then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall recommended that SPACECOM go to Redstone Arsenal, near Huntsville, Alabama, because the move would save $462 million.
However, then SPACECOM Commander, Gen. James Dickinson, wanted to keep the permanent HQ in Colorado due to Air Force findings that the Alabama option would not be operational for three to four years. Dickinson and SPACECOM officers also worried that more than half of the highly trained civilian staff in Colorado would quit rather than move to Alabama for the job.
«USSPACECOM leadership anticipated that the loss of civilian personnel might occur much sooner than (the Air Force) predicated and that USSPACECOM would be unable to secure the manpower investments needed to mitigate the impact of that loss on the command’s readiness,» the report states.
Space Command headquarters. (Space Command/Petty Officer 1st Class John Wagner)
However, Rogers argued, Colorado has had manpower issues as well.
«The reason why Secretary Kendall didn’t concur with them and recommended that it still be moved was that over 300 of the current jobs in Colorado Springs couldn’t be filled,» he said. «They had to contract them out.»
Crank argued that the cost findings in the IG report were flawed because it assumed Colorado would have to build a new HQ building, which he says it would not.
«We don’t need to build a new headquarters building,» he said. «There is one there. If you say you need to build a new headquarters building, then I think it tips it in the favor of Alabama from a cost perspective by about $400 million.»
«But if you don’t do that, and we don’t need it, already have a headquarters building there, it saves the taxpayers $2 billion,» he said.
The IG report said it «could not determine» why Kendall never made a formal announcement decision for the SPACECOM transition after the September 2022 completion of an environmental impact assessment of the planned headquarters site in Alabama.
Without a formal announcement, SPACECOM was able to declare full operational capability in Colorado, the report said.
Rogers said the IG report proved the Biden administration’s move was political, and predicted in April that Trump would formally name Alabama as the home of the Space Force within the month.
However, Crank, along with GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert, Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd, wrote to Trump and warned him that the move would affect readiness.
«Moving the command would disrupt these established capabilities and partnerships, further diminishing our preparedness to face evolving threats,» they wrote in a letter dated April 8.
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However, Rogers seems confident the move will go forward.
«There’s absolutely no national security implications for moving it,» he said.
«It needs to be in a permanent headquarters, and it needs to be inside the fence. All that’s going to happen in Huntsville.»
Air Force,Air And Space,Colorado,Alabama
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The Trump administration is releasing roughly $6.8 billion in previously frozen federal funds for K-12 programs, the Department of Education announced Friday. The announcement was made as Secretary Linda McMahon attended the National Governors Association (NGA) Summer Meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) «has completed its review of Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III-A and Title IV-A ESEA funds and Title II WIOA funds and has directed the Department to release all formula funds. The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week,» department spokesperson Madi Biedermann told Fox News Digital.
More than 20 Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration earlier this month, describing the Department of Education’s federal funding freeze as unconstitutional and «debilitating» to states just weeks ahead of a new school year.
The bipartisan group of governors, including the NGA’s outgoing chair, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado, and its vice chair, Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, thanked McMahon for unlocking the funding during the NGA’s education session Friday.
DEMOCRAT AGS SUE TRUMP FOR ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’ FREEZE ON $6.8B IN K-12 SPENDING
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testifies at a House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing on the Department of Education on Capitol Hill May 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
«How can we better communicate to make sure that this chaos and uncertainty doesn’t occur again around funding and that people know things earlier?» Polis asked McMahon on the Colorado Springs stage.
«No guarantees from me that we will eliminate all the communications gaps that do happen, but I can say that part of it is just the transition aspect,» McMahon explained.
The education secretary said the other aspect of the federal funding freeze was that the OMB budget office «took some time to really review the title funding to look at all the programs, etc., before they were released. They were well satisfied. So, now, those funds are going to be going out.»
TRUMP ADMIN SEEKING TO PULL FUNDING FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SLAPPED WITH JUDGE’S PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the National Governors Association’s outgoing chair, discusses American education with Education Secretary Linda McMahon at the NGA Summer meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo., Friday, July 25, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
McMahon assured the governors that now that they have reviewed title funding and gone through the process, «we wouldn’t find ourselves in the same situation.»
Several of the governors who attended Polis and McMahon’s education discussion and had the opportunity to ask questions thanked the education leader for returning the federal title funds to the states.
Polis kicked off the NGA’s summer session in Colorado Springs Friday with his signature policy agenda, «Let’s Get Ready! Educating All Americans for Success.»
EDUCATION SECRETARY LINDA MCMAHON TOUTS COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY’S $200M SETTLEMENT ‘TEMPLATE’
Education Secretary Linda McMahon delivers remarks at the National Governors Association summer meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo., Friday, July 25. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
McMahon said she was appreciative of the governors’ questions and comments, and she committed to visiting as many states and speaking with as many governors as possible to grasp the full scope of the country’s diverse educational needs.
Polis and Stitt said in a joint statement released by NGA that they are «thankful these bipartisan discussions with Secretary McMahon and other key officials during the NGA Summer Meeting led to the distribution of these education funds.»
«This action ensures schools across the nation can maintain essential programs for English language learners, teacher training, and student enrichment as the new academic year begins,» the NGA leaders said, emphasizing that «governors from both parties stand united in prioritizing our children’s education, and we’re proud our advocacy helped secure this vital support for states and districts.»
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her remarks, McMahon affirmed her commitment to collaborating with governors as the Trump administration seeks to dismantle the Department of Education.
«It’s just incredibly important that if we are going to return education to the states, we have to talk to the governors,» McMahon said.
«Clearly, education is a nonpartisan issue,» McMahon added. «If we’re going to return education to the states, that just means giving them back the part that is now provided by the federal government, and they’re anxious for it.»
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Trump signed an executive order earlier this year to dismantle the Department of Education, fulfilling one of his key campaign promises during the 2024 presidential election.
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
Europeans meet with Iranian officials face-to-face for first time since Israel, US bombings as sanctions loom
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European diplomats met with Iranians on Friday face-to-face for the first time since Israel and the U.S. bombed the country last month.
The «serious, frank and detailed» meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, lasted for around four hours and the officials all agreed to meet again for continued negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
Sanctions that were lifted on Iran in 2015 after it agreed to restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear program could be reimposed if Iran doesn’t comply with requirements.
One of Europe’s E3 nations – Britain, France and Germany, who held the talks with Iran – could bring back sanctions under the «snapback» mechanism, which allows one of the European countries to bring back U.N. sanctions if Iran violates the conditions.
IRAN SEEKS CHINA, RUSSIA HELP TO STALL UN SANCTIONS AHEAD OF NUCLEAR TALKS WITH EUROPEANS
Cars, which are believed to carry European diplomats, enter the Iranian consulate ahead of a meeting with Iranian counterparts for talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
European leaders have also said that sanctions will start being reinstated by the end of August if there is no progress on reining in Iran’s nuclear program.
«A possible delay in triggering snapback has been floated to the Iranians on the condition that there is credible diplomatic engagement by Iran, that they resume full cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), and that they address concerns about their highly-enriched uranium stockpile,» a European diplomat said on condition of anonymity before the talks on Friday.
The diplomat added that the snapback mechanism «remains on the table.»
Iranian worshippers shout anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans as one of them holds a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israeli attacks on Iran, after Tehran’s Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
IRAN VOWS RETALIATION IF UN SECURITY COUNCIL ISSUES SNAPBACK SANCTIONS ON ANNIVERSARY OF NUCLEAR DEAL
Iran said that the U.S. needs to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal – after President Trump pulled America out of it in 2018 – saying Iran has «absolutely no trust in the United States.»
The U.S. bombed Iran’s nuclear sites on June 22, a little over a week after Israel had bombed the country over national security concerns about its nuclear program.
A military truck carries a missile past a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during an annual military parade. (ATTA KENARE/AFP/GettyImages))
Iran responded by attacking Israel and a U.S. Army base in Qatar.
Isreal and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on June 24.
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The IAEA issued a concerning report in May that said that Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium had grown by nearly 50% in three months.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
¿Guerra en el Sudeste asiático? Las claves de los enfrentamientos mortales entre Tailandia y Camboya, enemigos históricos
Una nueva guerra en un mundo poblado de conflictos, con profundas raíces hostiles de hace siglos entre Tailandia y Camboya, se perfila en el sudeste asiático. Para este viernes fue convocado de urgencia el Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas para tratar de evitar un estallido en una zona delicada del mundo, cada vez más inestable por la difusión de guerras locales.
Tailandia ordenó evacuar más de cien mil nacionales de la frontera en conflicto, de ochocientos kilómetros, y se han producido los primeros choques por incursiones camboyanas, con un saldo de catorce muertos. Y es solo el comienzo.
En Roma se están juntando más de un millón de jóvenes para celebrar desde el lunes 28 hasta el 3 de agosto el Jubileo Mundial del Año 2025 dedicado a la Juventud bajo la popular consigna de dar “un grito contra la guerra”, que sería conmovido por un abierto conflicto entre Tailandia y Camboya.
En ambos países el poder militar es determinante en el gobierno del país desde hace muchos años. Tailandia, con 71 millones de habitantes distribuidos en 53.000 kilómetros cuadrados de territorio es predominante sobre Camboya, con 17 millones de habitantes repartidos en 181 mil kilómetros cuadrados y un fuerte aparto militar bien entrenado.
En el siglo XX, Francia, la potencia colonial, diseñó en 1907 los confines entre Camboya y el reino de Siam, la actual Tailandia, asignando una buena parte a los camboyanos. Hasta 1953 Francia ocupó Indochina. Las fronteras nunca fueron aceptadas por los dos países y hasta hoy se prolongan los choques armados.
El jueves los ataques principales los lanzó Camboya y Tailandia ordenó la evacuación y respondió con incursiones aéreas. Los sentimientos nacionalistas aumentan los odios mutuos. Pero también la lucha se exalta con la religión, en la lucha por la posesión de los numerosos templos budistas e hinduistas, que se remontan a muchos siglos y están parcialmente en ruinas, aunque son de una gran belleza y valor arquitectónica, además de su importancia religiosa.
Ya en mayo pasado la crisis había escalado, con la muerte de un soldado camboyano y las graves heridas de un militar tailandés tras pisar una mina en el confín de Chong Bok.
El premier thailandés Phumtham Wechayachai acusó a Camboya de colocar nuevas minas en la vasta área en contienda. Los camboyanos rechazaron las protestas, advirtiendo que el gobierno de Phnom Penh, la capital, defenderá la integridad territorial “en cualquier circunstancia y a cualquier costo”
En los dos países el poder militar respalda el “no pasarán”. En 2011 los choques causaron treinta muertos. Todos saben que si los enfrentamientos no son controlados la violencia se derramará en toda la frontera.
Tailandia demuestra el ulterior deterioro de las relaciones bilaterales rebajando “al nivel más bajo” las relaciones diplomáticas. Su gobierno llamó al embajador en la capital de Camboya y echó del país al embajador camboyano.
Hace dos meses que la situación va precipitando, con controles fronterizos intensificados. Tailandia ha cerrado muchos pasos con su potencial enemigo, con represalias camboyanas inmediatas. Camboya anunció que se implanta la extensión del servicio militar obligatorio desde enero de 2026.
Camboya ha prohibido la importación de fruta y verdura. También de combustible, desde Tailandia. Ambos países han reducido la duración de los permisos de residencia mutuos.
Las medidas continuas que atacan la convivencia a través de las frontera, se han intensificado en los últimos meses también en zonas donde hasta ahora no hubo enfrentamientos.
Estados Unidos se ha limitado a hacer llamados a los dos países para negociar una convivencia pacífica, pero no se muestra decidido a una mediación que, por otra parte, no le han pedido ni Tailandia ni Camboya.
La crisis progresiva repercute en la política interna de los contendientes. El gobierno tailandés ha sido acusado por la oposición y sectores de las mismas fuerzas de la mayoría, pidiendo la dimisión de la premier.
Lo mismo ocurre en Camboya, que además se ha apelado en el reciente pasado a la Corte Internacional de Justicia para resolver las controversias sobre las fronteras.
Tailandia no acepta la jurisdicción de la Corte y prefiere resolver las cuestiones “a través de negociaciones directas”, que muchas veces no dan resultado y llevan a enfrentamientos directos, que esta vez tienen una perspectiva muy grave.
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