INTERNACIONAL
Biden officials go silent when asked about Afghan refugee program after guardsmen shooting
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Former top Biden administration decision makers were silent on whether they stand by the vetting procedures deployed for «Operation Allies Welcome,» the Afghan resettlement program that was utilized by the alleged National Guard attacker to get to the U.S.
The heinous incident that claimed the life of one West Virginia National Guard member and gravely wounded another on Thanksgiving Eve sprung back to the forefront last week when House Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., infuriated Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when he referred to it as an «unfortunate accident.»
The attack renewed questions over whether Democrats still stand by the vetting processes put in place by the previous administration — and whether officials involved in the Afghanistan withdrawal and refugee resettlement would revise those decisions today.
Fox News Digital has reached out to several members of the Biden administration with roles directly or tangentially related to the Afghanistan withdrawal and the resettlement of Afghan refugees.
SENATOR RENEWS PUSH TO MANDATE VETTING FOR AFGHAN EVACUEES AFTER NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING
Inquiries to former President Joe Biden’s office, former Vice President Kamala Harris and a second request to an individual listed as Harris’ literary agent were not returned within a week.
Messages sent to former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley [Ret.], as well as via an official at the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs – where he is listed as a visiting professor – also went unanswered.
Milley, though a general, was not in a command position – as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is an advisory role.
In that regard, he did not make any operational decisions, but instead was in the president’s ear when it came to military advice. Milley later told senators on Capitol Hill that he recommended maintaining a small, 2,500-troop force in Afghanistan.
Fox News Digital also reached out to former Central Command (CENTCOM) commander, Gen. Kenneth «Frank» McKenzie via his new role at the University of South Florida, for comment – which was not returned.
AFGHAN EVACUEE ARRESTED BEFORE DC SHOOTING FEDERALLY CHARGED WITH THREATENING TERROR ATTACK
CENTCOM covers the Middle East and was tasked with overseeing security and evacuation operations out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
Messages sent to addresses listed for National Security Adviser Jacob Sullivan and Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer were not returned. Finer is now a visiting fellow at Columbia University’s School of Public and International Affairs, and Sullivan’s wife – Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., is in her first term in Congress.
Sullivan was a key adviser to Biden during the withdrawal and was later pressed by CNN whether he feels «personally responsible for the failures» therein.
He replied that the «strategic call President Biden made, looking back three years, history has judged well and will continue to judge well. From the point of view that, if we were still in Afghanistan today, Americans would be fighting and dying; Russia would have more leverage over us; we would be less able to respond to the major strategic challenges we face.»
A woman who answered a line listed for former Secretary of State Antony Blinken redirected Fox News Digital to a press liaison. That request was not returned.
Blinken, as leader of the State Department, was the point person for the diplomatic aspect of the withdrawal. He advised Biden on what to do about the Taliban’s «Doha Agreement» that was forged by the previous Trump administration, while the department coordinated overflight rights, temporary housing and other issues regarding the refugee outflow from Kabul.
SENATE REPUBLICANS LAUNCH INVESTIGATION INTO BIDEN IMMIGRATION PROGRAMS AFTER DC NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING
Gen. Kenneth «Frank» McKenzie, commander of the United States Central Command, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and plans for future counterterrorism operations on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Rod Lamkey/Pool via AP)
A woman who answered an extension listed for former Pentagon chief Gen. Lloyd Austin III [Ret.] said she would take a message and that Austin would return the call if he wished.
As Pentagon chief, Austin was the top bureaucrat in the U.S. military structure at the time of the withdrawal.
After the Thanksgiving Eve attack, U.S. Citizenship for Immigration Services administrator Joe Edlow announced a review of the green card system, citing suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s situation.
His predecessor, Biden-appointed Ur Jaddou, did not respond to a request for comment.
AFGHAN EVACUEES WITH CHILD-FONDLING, TERROR ARRESTS SWEPT UP IN DHS CRACKDOWN AFTER BOTCHED VETTING EXPOSED
Fox News Digital also reached out to alleged addresses linked to former Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall, but did not receive responses. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Belfer Center at Harvard, which recently cited that Sherwood-Randall would be rejoining their ranks to lead their «Initiative on Bioconvergence, Biosecurity, and Bioresilience.»
Fox News Digital also attempted to reach Harris’ national security adviser, Phil Gordon, via his new role at a global advisory firm, but did not receive a response.
Efforts to reach Biden confidants Ronald Klain and Jeffrey Zients were unsuccessful.
FBI PROBES POSSIBLE TIES OF NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTER TO TABLIGHI JAMAAT, A ‘CATALYST’ FOR JIHAD
Gens. Mark Milley and Lloyd Austin III, left, join Alejandro Mayorkas, right, behind Joe Biden, center-front. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Tracey Jacobson, now the chargé d’affaires for the U.S. in Dhaka, Bangladesh, led the administration’s Afghanistan coordination task force charged with processing and relocating Afghan allies. She did not respond to an inquiry.
During the Afghan withdrawal, Jacobson was named by the Biden administration to lead an Afghanistan coordination task force as part of its «whole-of-government effort to process, transport and relocate Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and other Afghan allies,» according to Biden.
2021 AFGHAN REMARKS HAUNT GOP LAWMAKER’S SENATE BID AFTER DC GUARD SHOOTING
Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus was asked by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign in 2022 or risk being the first Biden administration official fired, according to The New York Times.
DHS officials ultimately cut his access to the agency’s social media accounts, according to the paper, and a report from Heritage Foundation fellow Simon Hankinson cited that he ultimately left the job soon after.
His role would have also placed him in the midst of the orchestration of Operation Allies Welcome and Operation Allies Refuge. He was also unable to be reached for comment.
Another Mayorkas deputy, then-FEMA Director Robert Fenton Jr., was reportedly tasked with setting up Operation Allies Welcome centers to help evacuees «integrate successfully and safely into new communities.»
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Fenton remains the Region 9 administrator for the agency, tasked with an area covering the west coast and South Pacific protectorates. An inquiry to Fenton was not returned.
Mayorkas himself could not be reached directly for comment. Efforts to reach him via a law firm he was or is connected to, as well as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he is a visiting scholar, were either unsuccessful or not returned.
homeland security,afghanistan,immigration,joe biden,crime world
INTERNACIONAL
Finlandia sospecha que un barco extranjero provocó una nueva rotura de cable submarino en el mar Báltico
La Policía finlandesa investiga a un buque como sospechoso de la rotura de un cable submarino de telecomunicaciones que conecta Finlandia y Estonia a través del mar Báltico, en lo que podría ser un nuevo episodio de sabotaje de infraestructuras críticas en la zona.
En colaboración con otras autoridades, la policía inició la investigación después de que la teleoperadora finlandesa Elisa notificara este miércoles que había detectado una avería en uno de sus cables submarinos dentro de la zona económica exclusiva de Estonia.
La Guardia de Fronteras identificó al buque sospechoso de provocar la avería y más tarde envió a la zona una lancha patrullera y un helicóptero, que lo retuvieron tras constatar que navegaba con una de sus anclas sumergidas en el mar.
Según un comunicado de la Policía, la guardia fronteriza ordenó al buque que izara el ancla y se trasladara a un fondeadero en aguas territoriales finlandesas.
«Las autoridades finlandesas han tomado el control del barco como parte de una operación conjunta», informó la policía, negándose a nombrar el barco o su nacionalidad, o dar más detalles sobre el barco y su tripulación.
Discussed with @PetteriOrpo the damage to the communications cable between Estonia and Finland.
We remain in close contact. Our authorities are working together, and Finland is investigating a vessel linked to the incident.
Thank you to everyone who is dedicated to this work…
— Kristen Michal (@KristenMichalPM) December 31, 2025
La Fiscalía General ya presentó una acusación formal contra el buque, al que considera sospechoso de un delito grave de sabotaje y otro de interferencia agravada en las comunicaciones.
Además de la Policía y la Guardia de Fronteras, también participan en las labores de investigación las Fuerzas Armadas finlandesas, la agencia de Aduanas, la Agencia de Transporte y Comunicaciones (Traficom) y el operador de la red eléctrica finlandesa, Fingrid.
Asimismo, las autoridades finlandesas están colaborando con las de otros países, sobre todo con Estonia, para intercambiar información.
«Las autoridades finlandesas han investigado a un barco sospechoso de causar daños en un cable en el Golfo de Finlandia», indicó el presidente de Finlandia, Alexander Stubb en un mensaje en su cuenta de X.
«Finlandia está preparada para desafíos de seguridad de varios tipos, y respondemos ante ellos del modo necesario», agregó el jefe de Estado finlandés, que citó en su mensaje a la Policía, la Guardia Fronteriza y otras autoridades vinculadas a la investigación del caso, a las que el presidente agradeció su labor.
«Seguimos la situación en cooperación con el Gobierno», señaló Stubb, al tiempo que el primer ministro finlandés, Petteri Orpo, escribió en X que mantuvo una conversación con su homólogo estonio, Kristen Michal. «Nuestras autoridades están trabajando con buena cooperación», indicó Orpo.
Finnish authorities have inspected a vessel suspected of causing cable damage in the Gulf of Finland.
Thank you for efficient work and communication @rajavartijat, @SuomenPoliisi, @Puolustusvoimat, @TraficomFinland, @SuomenTulli, @Tukesinfo and @fingrid_oyj. We are monitoring…
— Alexander Stubb (@alexstubb) December 31, 2025
Ocho países de la OTAN bordean el mar Báltico, que también limita con Rusia. Estos países han estado en alerta máxima tras una serie de cortes en los cables eléctricos, las conexiones de telecomunicaciones y los gasoductos que recorren el lecho marino relativamente poco profundo desde que Rusia invadió Ucrania en 2022.
Finlandia ha sido víctima en los últimos años de varios incidentes en los que resultaron dañadas en extrañas circunstancias infraestructuas submarinas críticas, entre ellas el gasoducto Balticconnector y varios cables de telecomunicaciones y de alta tensión.
La mayoría de estas averías se produjeron después del inicio de la invasión rusa de Ucrania, por lo que las autoridades finlandesas sospechan que se trata de sabotajes orquestados por el Kremlin.
En diciembre de 2024, Finlandia abordó el petrolero Eagle S, vinculado a Rusia, que, según los investigadores, dañó un cable eléctrico y varias conexiones de telecomunicaciones en el mar Báltico al arrastrar su ancla.
En octubre, un tribunal finlandés desestimó la causa penal contra el capitán del Eagle S y otros tripulantes, dictaminando que la fiscalía no logró demostrar la intencionalidad y que cualquier presunta negligencia debía ser investigada por el estado de abanderamiento del buque o los países de origen de la tripulación.
INTERNACIONAL
Trump says ‘Triumphal Arch’ monument construction to begin within 2 months in DC: report
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President Donald Trump revealed Wednesday how soon an Arc de Triomphe-style monument will be constructed in the nation’s capital to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
Trump on Wednesday said the construction of the monument, nicknamed the «Arc de Trump,» will begin «sometime in the next two months,» according to a report from Politico.
«It hasn’t started yet. It starts sometime in the next two months. It’ll be great. Everyone loves it,» Trump reportedly told the outlet during a phone call from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. «They love the ballroom too. But they love the Triumphal Arch.»
The newest monument, which resembles Paris’ historic Arc de Triomphe, will be bankrolled privately, with funds left over from the new White House ballroom project, Fox News Digital previously reported.
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President Donald Trump holds a model of an arch during a ballroom fundraising dinner in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 15, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The exact location of the new landmark has not yet been confirmed, though the report notes it may be situated near the Lincoln Monument.
Details about the amount of time it will take to build, the cost of construction, the funding amount and who is heading the project have not yet been released by the White House.
Trump signed Public Law 116-217 in December 2020 authorizing the Women’s Suffrage National Monument to be built on federal land in Washington, D.C., leading to the subsequent signing of the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Location Act during former President Joe Biden’s final week in office.
TRUMP PUSHES BACK AFTER MICHELLE OBAMA KNOCKS EAST WING RENOVATION, CALLING OLD ARRANGEMENT ‘A DISASTER’
A model of President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary is seen on the Resolute Desk on Oct. 15, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation (WSNMF) announced Dec. 4 it received final and unanimous approval from the National Capital Planning Commission for a permanent two and a half acre site on the National Mall in Constitution Gardens, according to the foundation’s website.
Foundation leaders noted the women’s suffrage monument went through a «multi-step, rigorous review process,» including gaining approval from the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts.
The foundation also completed a public comment period with the National Park Service as part of the public scoping process, according to its website.
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It is unclear if Trump’s newest proposed monument received similar approval.
The Women’s Suffrage National Monument will be located at the intersection of 19th St. and Constitution Avenue NW, and the next project phase will focus on creative development and design.
The new monument is rumored to be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency)
«The enthusiasm behind this project has been inspiring,» WSNMF President and CEO Anna Laymon wrote in a Dec. 4 statement announcing final approval. «We are so grateful for the dedicated support from so many who made this possible, including President Trump; President Biden; our honorary chairs Mrs. Melania Trump, Dr. Jill Biden, Mrs. Michelle Obama, Mrs. Laura Bush, and Secretary Hillary Clinton; our bipartisan and bicameral Congressional sponsors, Senator Blackburn, Senator Baldwin, Congresswoman Lesko, Congressman Neguse and their dedicated staffs; our incredible Board of Directors; and all our partners and supporters.»
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The most recent major monument built on the National Mall was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, which was completed in 2011.
The granite memorial was inspired by a line from King’s «I Have a Dream» speech, delivered nearby on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the «March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom» in 1963.
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The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
donald trump,washington dc
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Russian President Vladimir Putin used his New Year’s address to deliver a blunt message to the West and to his own troops: Russia is not backing down in Ukraine.
As 2026 arrived in Russia’s far eastern regions, Putin vowed victory in the nearly four-year war, praising Russian soldiers and framing the conflict as a fight for the nation’s survival — even as the United States ramps up diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the bloodshed.
«We believe in you and our victory,» Putin said in remarks broadcast nationwide and released by the Kremlin on Wednesday. Addressing troops directly, he congratulated «all our soldiers and commanders» and pledged continued support for what Moscow calls its «special military operation.»
TRUMP TOUTS ‘TREMENDOUS PROGRESS’ BUT SAYS HE’LL MEET PUTIN AND ZELENSKYY ‘ONLY WHEN’ PEACE DEAL IS FINAL
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his New Year’s address from the Kremlin, vowing victory in the war in Ukraine. (East2West)
Putin cast the war as a struggle for Russia’s homeland, «truth and justice,» signaling determination to press ahead despite mounting losses and international pressure.
In a separate message, ex-President Dmitry Medvedev — Putin’s security council deputy — said of victory in Ukraine: «I sincerely believe that it is near.» Echoing Putin, he spoke of «our great and invincible Russia.»
The defiant tone comes as the war approaches grim milestones. On Jan. 12, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will surpass the 1,418 days the Soviet Union fought Nazi Germany in Europe during World War II. On Feb. 24, the conflict will enter its fourth year. Western estimates place the number of killed and wounded at more than 1 million — a figure the Kremlin disputes.
TRUMP MEETS WITH ZELENSKYY; TALKS COULD UNLOCK FIRST ZELENSKYY-PUTIN CALL IN FIVE YEARS: SOURCE
The mother of a Russian soldier who was killed in a military action in Ukraine, kneels near a planted tree in memory of her son at the Alley of Heroes in Sevastopol, Crimea, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. (AP Photo)
Putin’s rhetoric stood in sharp contrast to renewed diplomatic activity led by Washington.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday, as the White House explores possible paths to end Europe’s largest land war since World War II.
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U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands at a news conference following a meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on December 28, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
After the meeting, Trump said Ukraine and Russia were «closer than ever» to peace, while acknowledging that major obstacles — particularly territorial disputes — remain unresolved. Reuters separately reported that Trump and Zelenskyy discussed potential U.S. troop involvement as part of broader security guarantees, though no decisions were announced.
Reuters contributed to this report.
russia,vladimir putin,ukraine,donald trump,iran,wars,world
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