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Gold Star father says prior Afghanistan review smelled ‘like a cover-up’ as new look examines millions of docs
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Gold Star father Darin Hoover says a new Pentagon review of the deadly Abbey Gate bombing finally feels different after years of what he described as «crickets» from the Biden administration — but he is still asking whether critical information was deliberately kept from military families and the public.
Hoover, whose son, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin «Taylor» Hoover, was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing during the Afghanistan withdrawal, told Fox News Digital that for years families got little more than a «canned» response.
«For the first three-and-a-half years… we weren’t getting anything from the prior administration. It was crickets,» Hoover said. «The only thing we all got was a canned letter saying how sorry they were. There was not anything individual mentioned about any of the kids.»
Former President Joe Biden checked his watch during the dignified transfer of U.S. service members lost at Abbey Gate, which included 11 Marines, one Army soldier and one Navy sailor.
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Darin Hoover and Kelly Barnett, parents of Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, speak to a House committee, Aug. 29, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Darin Hoover and Kelly Barnett for Fox News Digital)
His frustration comes as the Pentagon’s Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel says it has completed the substantive phase of interviews with senior military and civilian leaders, and is now preparing findings and recommendations for a final report expected «in the coming months.»
The panel reviewed more than nine million documents, according to chairman Sean Parnell. By contrast, a prior Pentagon review examined roughly 3,000 documents.
Parnell said the earlier review was «significantly narrower in scope» and «over-classified at the highest levels, which effectively kept the most critical and relevant information from public scrutiny.»
That contrast is exactly what has Hoover demanding answers.
«The 3,000 pages… doesn’t even make a ripple,» Hoover said. «Now we’ve got over a million pages being reviewed. Why was everything so top-secret that none of us could see it? They owe us the answers.»
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Gold medals are displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda ahead of a ceremony honoring 13 American service members who died in the Abbey Gate suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan on Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Asked directly whether he believes key information was withheld, Hoover did not hesitate.
«Yes, absolutely, information was kept from us,» he said.
«That smells exactly like a cover-up,» he added. «What is it that they saw, or what did they feel needed to be hidden so nobody could know what it was?»
A Pentagon spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to a statement from Parnell when asked for comment.
In that statement, Parnell said the panel was established by War Secretary Pete Hegseth at the direction of President Donald Trump «to conduct the most comprehensive military after action review in modern history.»
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A display shows fallen American military members killed in the Abbey Gate suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan in August 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
He said the panel has interviewed key figures involved in the planning and execution of the withdrawal, including retired Gen. Mark Milley and retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., among other senior officials.
«This will be the most thorough, transparent, and honest accounting the American people have received of what happened in August 2021,» Parnell said. «Our purpose is to identify failures in decision-making, so that we may prevent the United States from ever repeating this tragedy.»
Hoover said accountability should mean real consequences for those in command if the new review finds failures.
«If they did something wrong or failed to act, they should no longer be allowed to lead where life and death is at stake,» he said.
«I would love to see pensions taken away… and if possible, I’d love to see people go to jail,» he added.
TRUMP CALLS FAMILY OF STAFF SGT OLLIS TO CONFIRM MEDAL OF HONOR AWARD
The families of American service members who were killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 listen as the fallen are posthumously presented the Congressional Gold Medal, Sept. 10, 2024. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
He also argued the bombing exposed a broader system failure between civilian and military agencies.
«The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing,» Hoover said. «And it all got stalled somewhere in the middle.»
«And our kids did the best they could with the tools they were given,» he added. «They did a phenomenal job.»
Other official reviews have previously documented breakdowns surrounding the withdrawal. A State Department review found failures in crisis planning and preparation for worst-case scenarios, while Milley later described the evacuation timeline as «too slow and too late.»
Hoover said what makes this moment different is President Trump’s engagement with the families and Hegseth’s promise of a broader accounting.
«He spent 45 minutes with us… gave us his full undivided attention,» Hoover said.
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He added that after years of silence, simply being included now matters. Hoover noted that the trial of the ISIS-K-linked figure accused of giving the final approval for the bomber to detonate is set to begin Monday in Alexandria, and some of the Abbey Gate families plan to attend.
«We’re coming up on Memorial Day,» Hoover said. «Please, please, please remember them. Honor them. Don’t forget how we got here, why we got here and live a life worthy of the sacrifices that have been made.»
afghanistan, pete hegseth, pentagon, military families, bombings, politics, joe biden
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LGBTQ ‘lavender graduations’ set to take place at major Christian colleges, including one with a drag show
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Steve Doocy reports on a surprising faith revival in Houston, interviewing young people at America’s largest church who are turning to religion for truth and community. Bryce Crawford, a Gen Z Christian influencer, shares his personal story of finding peace from depression and anxiety through Jesus. He emphasizes that young people are seeking eternal fulfillment, which he believes only Jesus Christ can provide, encouraging a return to faith.
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Some of the country’s most prominent Catholic colleges and universities are holding separate LGBTQ-affirming graduation ceremonies this spring, including one that also plans to include a drag performance.
At least 20 colleges or universities associated with the Catholic Church have held, or plan to hold, these «lavender graduation» ceremonies and celebrations, which are done separate from the main commencement ceremony and are intended to «honor and celebrate the achievements of our LGBTQ+ graduates,» according to a Fox News Digital review of university websites and social media posts.
The term «lavender» has been used to describe LGBTQ+ affiliations amongst the gay community for decades, but the phrase has also carried a loaded meaning in Catholic circles, where critics have used it in phrases like «lavender mafia» to refer to alleged homosexual networks within Church institutions.
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A clergy member holds up a pro-LGBTQ+ sign that reads: «God loves you as you are!» (Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images)
The schools that have held, or plan to hold these graduation events, include Georgetown, Gonzaga, the University of San Francisco, Boston College, College of the Holy Cross, Fordham, Fairfield University, Marquette, Xavier, Seattle University, Saint Louis University, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara University, St. John’s, Albertus Magnus College, St. Mary’s College of California, Regis University, Siena Heights University, St. Thomas University and Our Lady of the Lake University.
The ceremonies sparked criticism from Catholic watchdog the Cardinal Newman Society, an education advocacy group focused on ensuring Catholic schools uphold traditional church teachings. The society, which first highlighted several of the «lavender» ceremonies taking place this year, argues that the events promote an ideology at odds with the church’s teaching.
One of the schools holding a separate LGBTQ+ graduation, Seattle University, indicates on its website that their «Lavender Celebration» will even include «a special performance» from «Sativa the Drag Queen,» who, later this month, is headlining an event called «DICK’S DELUXE DRAG EXTRAVAGANZA.»
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A University of Southern California grad wears a pro-LGBT patch on his graduation gown. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
At the University of San Francisco, the school’s website indicates it plans to hold a «Queer Prom» directly after their «Lavender Commencement.»
Other schools plan to give special honors, host various keynote speakers and provide students with unique cords or stoles they can wear with their cap and gown. Some events included food, drinks and other activities as well.
«Although intended as a compassionate gesture to students, the ceremonies reinforce harmful ideologies about sexuality and gender that contradict Catholic teaching,» the Cardinal Newman Society said in a news release about the graduation ceremonies.
A person holding a pride flag. (AP)
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«They potentially lead students into sinful activity and undermine a Catholic college’s claim to teach the truths of the Catholic faith,» the Catholic education group continued. «The Church is clear in its teaching that sexual attraction to persons of the same sex is not itself a sin, but such attractions are ‘objectively disordered.’»
Several of the same Catholic universities hosting LGBTQ-focused «lavender» graduation events also advertise separate cultural or identity-based commencement celebrations for non-White students, according to university event pages.
faith values, roman catholic, college, celebrations, controversies education
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“El acuerdo con el Mercosur ya genera beneficios”: la Unión Europea anticipa nuevas inversiones en Argentina
El embajador de la Unión Europea en la Argentina, Erik Høeg, aseguró que el acuerdo comercial entre el Mercosur y el bloque europeo ya comenzó a generar beneficios concretos y adelantó que esperan una nueva ola de inversiones en el país a partir de la entrada en vigor del tratado.
“Sí, tardamos 25 años, pero mereció la pena insistir”, enfatizó el diplomático danés durante un discurso centrado en la relación estratégica entre ambos bloques donde sostuvo que el tratado “abre mercados, impulsa inversiones y está beneficiando ya desde esta semana a nuestros consumidores y a nuestras empresas”.
El acuerdo entre la Unión Europea y el Mercosur conecta 31 países y un mercado de alrededor de 700 millones de personas. Según cifras oficiales, representa cerca de un tercio del comercio mundial y contempla una reducción progresiva de aranceles para productos industriales, agroindustriales y servicios.
Entre los sectores argentinos que podrían verse favorecidos aparecen la agroindustria, la minería, la energía y la economía del conocimiento. Del lado europeo, el tratado apunta a facilitar exportaciones industriales y ampliar el acceso a mercados estratégicos de América Latina. El acuerdo llevó más de 25 años de negociación. (Foto archivo: AP/Jorge Sáenz)
El embajador destacó especialmente la rapidez con la que Argentina ratificó el tratado. “Destaco el compromiso de la Argentina -el Gobierno y el Congreso- en ratificar el acuerdo en tiempos récord. Nos permitió arrancar ya el 1° de mayo”, señaló durante la recepción por el Día de Europa realizada en Buenos Aires frente a colegas, políticos y empresarios.
Según afirmó, el tratado “crea un marco de previsibilidad” y genera “un entorno más favorable para futuras inversiones europeas”, que actualmente representan “más del 40% del total en la economía argentina”. Este entorno es el que tanto reclama el sector privado para acelerar su desembarco en sectores estratégicos.
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En esa línea, Høeg remarcó que el vínculo excede lo estrictamente comercial. “El acuerdo Unión Europea-Mercosur es más que comercio: es una alianza estratégica basada en valores compartidos”, sostuvo. Y agregó: “Es una apuesta por el multilateralismo y por reglas claras en un contexto global incierto”.
El tratado también contempla capítulos vinculados a desarrollo sostenible, cooperación tecnológica y normas ambientales. En ese marco, la Unión Europea anunció un paquete de financiamiento por 1.800 millones de euros para proyectos en la región, ligados a minería, transición energética, electromovilidad, digitalización y biodiversidad.
“A través del programa Global Gateway seguimos impulsando inversiones sostenibles y proyectos en sectores prioritarios como minería, energía, transformación digital, electromovilidad, biodiversidad o agricultura”, explicó el embajador.
Representantes diplomáticos, políticos y empresarios participaron del evento por el día de la UE. (Foto: Delegación Unión Europea en la Argentina)
El acuerdo, sin embargo, todavía enfrenta resistencias internas en algunos países europeos, especialmente por el impacto que podría tener sobre sectores agrícolas sensibles. También persisten cuestionamientos ambientales vinculados a los estándares de producción y deforestación.
Pese a eso, desde Bruselas consideran que el escenario internacional aceleró la necesidad de cerrar alianzas estratégicas. En un contexto marcado por la guerra en Ucrania, las tensiones comerciales globales y la disputa geopolítica con China, Europa busca reforzar socios estables y garantizar acceso a recursos críticos y alimentos.
“El mundo atraviesa un momento de profundas tensiones. Por eso es importante un orden internacional basado en reglas”, afirmó el diplomático durante su exposición.
En ese escenario, la Unión Europea apuesta a que el acuerdo con el Mercosur funcione no solo como una herramienta comercial, sino también como una señal política de integración entre regiones que buscan mantener reglas comunes en un contexto internacional cada vez más fragmentado.
Unión Europea, MERCOSUR
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