INTERNACIONAL
China launches large military drills around Taiwan to issue ‘severe warning’
China’s military launched large-scale drills around Taiwan Tuesday to send a «severe warning» and a message of «forceful containment against Taiwan independence,» Beijing officials said.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it had tracked 19 Chinese navy vessels in the waters surrounding the island in a 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Monday until 6 a.m. Tuesday. The exercises – which involved Chinese navy, air, ground and rocket forces – were unannounced.
«China’s blatant military provocations not only threaten peace in the Taiwan Strait but also undermine security in the entire region, as evidenced by drills near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and the South China Sea,» Taiwan’s Presidential Office wrote on X. «We strongly condemn China’s escalatory behavior.»
Taiwan defense officials added that they had been tracking the movement of China’s Shandong aircraft carrier since Saturday and that its carrier group had entered into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone on Monday. In response, Taiwan dispatched military aircraft and ships and activated land-based missile systems, according to Reuters.
THE US IS NOT READY FOR A NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN WITH CHINA, KEY CONSERVATIVES WARN TRUMP
China’s Shandong aircraft carrier is seen in this screenshot taken from a video titled «Subdue Demons and Vanquish Evils», released by the Eastern Theater Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army on April 1, 2025. (Eastern Theatre Command/Handout via Reuters)
«I want to say these actions amply reflect (China’s) destruction of regional peace and stability,» Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that «the National Security Council briefed me on this, this morning, and they said that the president is emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait, encouraging the peaceful resolution of these cross-strait issues, [and] reiterating our opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.»
China’s Xinhua News Agency said the Eastern Theater Command on Tuesday conducted «multi-subject drills in waters to the north, south and east of Taiwan Island.»
The theater command «organized its vessel and aircraft formations, in coordination with conventional missile troops and long-range rocket launching systems, to conduct drills of air interception, assault on maritime targets, strikes on ground objects, and joint blockade and control,» Xinhua quoted the command as saying.
TAIWAN’S VOLUNTEER MILITARY SHRINKS AMID GROWING CHINESE AGGRESSION
A military jet lands at Hsinchu Air Base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on April 1. (Reuters/Annabelle Chih)
The exercises were «aimed at testing the troops’ capabilities of carrying out integrated operations, seizure of operational control and multi-directional precision strikes, the command said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also said the exercises were directed at Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s strongly pro-independence president.
This image released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense shows China’s Shandong aircraft carrier sailing near Taiwan on Monday, March 31. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense via AP)
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«Lai Ching-te stubbornly insists on a ‘Taiwan independence’ stance, brazenly labeling the mainland as a ‘foreign hostile force,’ and has put forward a so-called «17-point strategy … stirring up anti-China sentiments,» China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement. «We will not tolerate or condone this in any way and must resolutely counter and severely punish these actions.»
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
Iran’s internet blackout hiding strike damage and suppressing dissent, Israeli officials say
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Israeli officials are warning that Iran’s ongoing internet blackout is shaping the battlefield in ways that extend far beyond cyberspace, limiting visibility into the impact of U.S. and Israeli strikes while tightening the regime’s grip on its own population.
Multiple Israeli sources told Fox News that the blackout is not only restricting information from leaving Iran but also preventing citizens from organizing internally, at a time when pressure on the regime is mounting. Attempts by civilians to access the internet through satellite services such as Starlink have been disrupted through jamming, according to Israeli officials, while hundreds of individuals suspected of using such terminals have been detained.
«This is a blackout on truth,» a senior Israeli intelligence official told Fox News. «The regime is hiding reality from its own people. They don’t want the Iranian people to see how badly they’re getting hit.»
ISRAEL HAMMERS IRANIAN INTERNAL SECURITY COMMAND CENTERS TO OPEN DOOR TO UPRISING
Strikes on the Iranian leadership, the IRGC, and Iranian naval vessels and oil infrastructure have roiled the markets. ( Sasan / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
The information vacuum inside Iran is being filled by state-controlled narratives, according to the official.
«Iranians only know what they see on TV channels controlled by the Islamic regime, which falsely shows the U.S. and Israel being destroyed,» the Israeli official said.
But the impact goes beyond perception. The blackout is also affecting behavior on the ground.
«And it’s not just about what people see, it’s about what they can do,» the official said. «Cutting the internet stops people from communicating, from sharing what’s really happening, and from organizing.»
The restrictions come as the Iranian regime faces both external military pressure and lingering internal unrest following a brutal crackdown earlier in 2026. In January, security forces opened fire on nationwide protests, with reports suggesting the toll could be more than 30,000 killed in a matter of days.
Against that backdrop, Israeli officials say the blackout reflects the regime’s fear of renewed unrest.
«The Iranian people are one of the things the regime fears most,» the official said. «That’s why this blackout was such a priority.»
IRAN REGIME HIDES IN BUNKERS AS CIVILIANS LEFT EXPOSED WITHOUT ADEQUATE BOMB SHELTERS OR SIRENS
Iran internet blackout continues with heavy filtering despite partial restoration, costing over $780 million according to analyst Simon Migliano. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
The result, according to Israeli officials, is a war that is unfolding largely out of public view.
«This is one of the least visible wars in modern history because very little footage is coming out,» the official said. «When this blackout is lifted, the full extent of the damage to the regime will become clear. Right now, we’re only seeing a small glimpse of just how badly they’re being decimated.»
Israeli sources also linked the blackout directly to high-value military targets.
The U.S. and Israel, the official claims, «have taken out 25 senior commanders from the MOIS,» referring to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.
«The majority (were) eliminated in the opening strike when they gathered for a meeting,» the official said, adding that those targeted were involved in managing the blackout.
The official identified Esmail Khatib as among those killed, describing him as «the minister of Intelligence who was the guy who signed off on the blackout.»
IRAN MOVES HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN CRYPTO DURING NATIONWIDE INTERNET BLACKOUT, REPORT REVEALS
Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran Jan. 9, 2026. (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. analysts say the information domain is becoming a central front in the conflict.
John Spencer, executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, wrote on X that «Iran has repeatedly shut down internet access to control its population. That capability can be reversed.»
Spencer argued that external actors could shift the balance by targeting regime communications while enabling civilian connectivity.
«Disrupt regime command networks while enabling connectivity for the population through external systems. Information becomes a weapon,» he wrote. «Control of narrative, coordination, and awareness shifts away from the regime.»
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Iranian security forces allegedly killed detainees and burned bodies during protests, with clashes continuing in Kermanshah, Rasht and Mashhad despite government claims. (NCRI)
He also pointed to underlying instability inside Iran, noting that the country’s population is «over 85 million, young, urban, and repeatedly discontent,» with protest activity suggesting that a significant portion opposes the regime.
«Until now, civilians have largely been told to shelter,» Spencer wrote. «That could change.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the Iranian mission to the United Nations, which responded, «no comment.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
war with iran, world protests, iran
INTERNACIONAL
Legal powerhouse accused of bailing on panel exposing their ‘monopoly’ over law school accreditation
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FIRST ON FOX: The American Bar Association’s expected panelist from its council on law school accreditation ended up no-showing at a conservative Federalist Society event about the ABA’s «monopoly» on law school accreditation.
The Trump administration has accused the ABA of acting as a politicized gatekeeper, executive agencies have restricted their members from attending ABA events, and its diversity-related law school accreditation standards have been regarded as unlawful. Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi later escalated that effort by telling the ABA it would no longer receive special access to the judicial vetting process, which followed concerns its rating process for federal judicial nominees was biased as well. .
At the Thursday event, which was held across the street from where the ABA was holding its spring antitrust conference, America First Legal President Gene Hamilton suggested the ABA no-showed because the group’s position on the matter is «indefensible.»
«I don’t know all the backstory. I mean, I’m just a moderator, but I think that there’s a certain amount – if I was a betting man – my suspicion is that the ABA’s status quo and their position and their involvement in the process is indefensible from the perspective of somebody who tries to present themselves as being an unbiased, uninterested party that is just simply involved in accrediting law schools,» said Hamilton.
DOJ BLASTS ‘PARTISAN’ DC BAR COMPLAINT AGAINST SENIOR TRUMP OFFICIAL
America First Legal President Gene Hamilton speaks at a Federalist Society event in Washington, D.C. on the American Bar Association’s «monopoly» over law school accreditation. (Fox News Digital)
«When they’re confronted with hard facts and evidence and data and actual experiences from real people, multiple people, not just one person, but multiple people, it doesn’t make for a great environment if you’re trying to maintain an image that does not match reality.»
The panelists at Thursday’s event pointed to what they described as concrete, firsthand clashes with the ABA and the legal institutions tied to it. First Assistant Attorney General of Texas, Brent Webster, for example, argued that the politicization of the legal establishment became real for him when the State Bar of Texas sought to strip him and Attorney General Ken Paxton of their law licenses over litigation Texas had filed after the 2020 election.
Webster said that fight, which ended with the Texas Supreme Court vindicating him, helped expose to Texas officials how deeply bar institutions had been «radicalized» and contributed to the state’s decision to loosen the ABA’s hold over law-school approval.
First Assistant Attorney General of Texas, Brent Webster, (right) speaks alongside America First Legal President Gene Hamilton (left) at Federalist Society event in Washington, D.C. on the American Bar Association’s «monopoly» over law school accreditation. (Fox News Digital)
Meanwhile, David Dewhirst, Solicitor General for the State of Florida, made a parallel argument through the experience of St. Thomas University’s law school in Miami, which he said was left in prolonged uncertainty by the ABA over whether its Catholic identity could coexist with the ABA’s nondiscrimination standards, especially on sexual orientation and gender identity.
TRUMP LAWYER IN JACK SMITH CASE DRAWS CONSERVATIVE BACKING AFTER DOJ PRAISE RATTLES ‘ELITE’ LEGAL CONFERENCE
Together, those stories were presented as real-world examples of the broader complaint underscored at the Thursday event – that the ABA is no longer acting as a neutral professional body, but as an ideological gatekeeper with the power to shape who gets trained, licensed and recognized in the legal profession.
Florida Solicitor General David Dewhirst speaks at Federalist Society event in Washington, D.C. on the American Bar Association’s «monopoly» over law school accreditation. (Fox News Digital)
A representative from the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar said former Colorado Supreme Court Justice and Chair-elect of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Bar Admissions, Melissa Hart, was not even aware she had been listed as a panelist. They added that the invitation, sent to them on March 13, according to the Federalist Society, was «last-minute» and no one was available to attend, despite the Federalist society telling Fox News that their open invite to the ABA had been confirmed about a week after it was sent.
«From the perspective of the ABA, when they’re under significant pressure right now from both the federal administration, the states and a lot of people waking up to their shenanigans – it makes it a tough time to be in an environment that is a little bit more direct and blunt and to the point,» Hamilton added about the ABA’s absence at the event.
American Bar Association (ABA) (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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At the event, Hamilton unveiled a new report from America First Legal, which showed ABA’s Standing Committee on Amicus Curiae Briefs, over the last decade, has produced 80% of left-leaning liberal arguments, 20% neutral and zero that are conservatively aligned. In all six cases, the ABA has filed amicus briefs involving Trump, the ABA went against the president or his allies.
«The ABA requires that amicus briefs be authorized by its board of governors and must be consistent with existing ABA policy or involve matters of ‘special significance to lawyers or the legal profession,’» a press release from AFL argued. «Briefs on birthright citizenship, transgender healthcare for minors and the Texas heartbeat law fall well outside that mandate,» AFL said in a press release announcing the new research.
law, federal courts, justice department, florida, texas, politics, donald trump
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