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Buttigieg says ‘right now I’m not running for anything’ during Iowa stop
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – Pete Buttigieg pushed back against criticism from President Donald Trump on the job he did as transportation secretary in former President Biden’s administration and declined to say if Biden experienced cognitive decline during his final years in the White House, as he took questions from reporters on Tuesday night.
Buttigieg, speaking with reporters after headlining a town hall with veterans in this eastern Iowa city that sparked more speculation that the 2020 Democratic presidential contender is mulling another White House run in 2028, told Fox News that ‘right now I’m not running for anything.»
Buttigieg won the 2020 Iowa presidential caucuses and came in a close second in the New Hampshire presidential primary before Biden surged to claim the party’s nomination and later the White House.
While Iowa’s caucuses for half a century kicked off both major political parties’ presidential nominating calendars, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) demoted the Hawkeye State on their 2024 schedule, and it’s unclear if Iowa will regain its early state status in the 2028 calendar.
LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS INTO TRUMP’S SECOND TERM, DEMOCRATS ALREADY EYEING 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg headlines a veterans town hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on May 13, 2025. Buttigieg’s appearance sparked speculation he may make another presidential run in 2028. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
But Buttigieg’s visit, along with his announcement in March that he would pass on a 2026 run for a Democrat-controlled open Senate seat in battleground Michigan, his adopted home state, are seen as signals of his interest in a potential 2028 national run.
Buttigieg told a Substack author in a live interview hours before the town hall that when it comes to 2028, he would consider «what I bring to the table.»
But asked by Fox News if the trip to Iowa – where he also gathered with staffers from his 2020 campaign and was followed around by a videographer from his political group Win the Era – was the beginning of an assessment period, Buttigieg said «right now, I’m not running for anything and part of what’s exciting and compelling about an opportunity like this is to be campaigning for values and for ideas rather than a specific electoral campaign. So that’s what I’m about.»
Told that audience members who said they voted for him in 2020 and would be interested in backing him again if he runs in 2028, Buttigieg said «of course it means a lot to hear that people who supported me then continue to believe in what I have to say.»
The Cedar Rapids event was hosted by VoteVets, a progressive group that represents veterans and military families in the political process. The group told Fox News that 1,800 people attended the event.
WATCH: TRUMP TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT NEW PLAN TO UPGRADE AGING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM
The trip by Buttigieg came as he’s faced incoming fire in recent days from Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over a surge in flight delays and cancellations at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, which is one of the three major airports that services the New York City metropolitan area.
Duffy blames his predecessor at the Department of Transportation and the Biden administration for what he claims was a failure to upgrade the busy airport’s air traffic control system.
And Trump, last week, also chimed in, claiming that during his tenure as transportation secretary Buttigieg «didn’t have a clue. And this guy is actually a contender for president?» Trump added. «I don’t think he’s going to do too well.»
The president’s jabs came a few days after Buttigieg, pointing to Trump’s underwater approval ratings in national polling, said in a social media post that «Donald Trump is the most unpopular 100-day-mark president in modern American history.»
WATCH: TRUMP TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT NEW PLAN TO UPGRADE AGING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM
The Trump administration argues that Buttigieg oversaw a rocky transition of the Newark airport’s airspace to the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (Tracon) last July.
And Duffy, who earlier this week unveiled a major plan to overhaul the nation’s aging air traffic control system, claims the Biden administration is to blame for the recent problems, including air traffic control equipment outages.
«Maybe when you work from home, or maybe when you work from Michigan as a secretary, maybe you’re not focused on the real issues that are taking place throughout the airspace,» Duffy said, as he took aim at Buttigieg, who lives in Michigan.
Buttigieg, responding, told reporters on Tuesday night that «when you’re the secretary of transportation, you have a tough job and your responsibility is to fix tough problems. You don’t have time to indulge in trying to point fingers or blame other people.»
«What I can tell you is we inherited a shrinking air traffic control workforce. We turned it into a growing air traffic control workforce,» he added. «My successor is, of course, not asking for my advice, but my advice would be to making sure that it grows and actually delivering the technological change that’s needed.»
Then-President Joe Biden speaks at the State Department, during the closing days of his presidency, on Jan. 13, 2025. (AP)
Buttigieg’s Iowa trip also came on the same day that excerpts from a new book offered details on Biden’s supposed mental and physical decline during his last two years in the White House.
Asked whether Biden experienced cognitive decline, Buttigieg would only say that «every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it.»
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But he said «maybe» when asked whether the Democratic Party would have been better off if Biden had not run for re-election in 2024. «Right now with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that’s the case.»
Biden dropped out of the race last July, one month after a disastrous debate performance with Trump sparked a chorus of calls from fellow Democrats for the then-81-year-old president to end his re-election bid. He was replaced at the top of the ticket by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who ended up losing in November to Trump.
Politics,Donald Trump,Pete Buttigieg,Elections,Iowa,Transportation
INTERNACIONAL
Nuevos datos sobre el explosivo hallado en la frontera colombo-ecuatoriana: era una Mark85 y pudo afectar 580 metros a la redonda
Un explosivo sin detonar en la frontera Colombia-Ecuador fue hallado por campesinos en una finca del departamento del Putumayo, en el sur de Colombia.
El hallazgo se volvió noticia internacional luego de que, durante el Consejo de Ministros llevado a cabo el 16 de marzo, el presidente Gustavo Petro lo expusiera en televisión nacional.
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Pese a eso, según el mismo mandatario, este hecho lo conoció desde el 13 de marzo. Aunque no explicó como se enteró, se conoció que un equipo periodístico de The New York Times fue el primero en alertar formalmente al gobierno colombiano sobre la presencia de la bomba aérea Mark-82, de 500 libras, según el fotógrafo Federico Rios Escobar, quien hace parte de ese quipo.
“The New York Times entrevistó testigos, fotografió la munición y, preocupado por la seguridad de los residentes, alertó al gobierno colombiano el lunes por la noche”, explicó Rios Escobar, en su cuenta oficial de Facebook.
El explosivo, identificado como bomba Mark-82, de 500 libras, fue hallado a comienzos de marzo. De acuerdo con los datos divulgados por The New York Times, su detonación habría generado una onda expansiva peligrosa hasta 580 metros a la redonda, lo que significaba un riesgo grave para la vida de los residentes y para las comunidades próximas al río San Miguel.
Los periodistas de The New York Times, guiados por campesinos de la zona, accedieron a la finca donde vivía la familia Toro, una familia campesina de la zona.
En ese lugar encontraron, junto a los cultivos de coca y banano, el artefacto oxidado, de casi dos metros de longitud y color verde oliva. Como relataron al medio, dieron aviso inmediato a las autoridades tras constatar la proximidad con la menor Daisy Toro y su madre Rosa Toro.
El hallazgo coincidió con operativos aéreos del ejército ecuatoriano reportados el 3 de marzo, según testigos y la niña Daisy Toro, de trece años, quien relató al medio internacional ya citado haber visto dos aviones sobrevolar la finca esa mañana.
Su madre, Rosa Toro, manifestó que el área permanece bajo control de un grupo narcotraficante conocido como Comandos de la Frontera.
Sin embargo, en la publicación del fotorreportero colombiano, varios comentarios señalan una posible oxidación de esta bomba, lo que bajo esa lógica, sugieren que no es actual.
A esto se le suma las declaraciones del general retirado ecuatoriano Wagner Bravo en conversaciones con el medio colombiano Caracol Radio, en dónde explico que a su parecer “parece muy vieja” y que aunque no cree que sea del bloque soviético, por su antigüedad, sí podría ser de los años ochenta.
En horas de la mañana del 18 de marzo, Gustavo Petro, presidente Colombiano, afirmó que la bomba no estaba oxidada y que: “La bomba se embarró con el lodo rojo que aparece en la foto al arrastrarse durante varias decenas de metros. Está a unos pocos metros de Ecuador dónde bombardeo en su territorio una casa. El que la bomba se haya arrastrado significa que se disparó desde un avión a baja altura. El peso de la bomba no permite que haya sido arrastrada por campesinos del lugar atravesando el río Tomo que es fronterizo».
Especialistas consultados por The New York Times reconocieron el arma como una bomba de 500 libras de fabricación estadounidense, utilizada habitualmente en guerras aéreas modernas.
De hecho, Infobae Colombia pudo revisar archivos del Museo de Armamento de la Fuerza Aérea, de Florida, Estados Unidos, en dónde se afirma que este tipo de bombas fueron desarrolladas por el país norte americano a mediados de la década de 1950 y seis años después usadas de forma activa por su ejército.
El artefacto presentaba marcas en sistema métrico y su pintura, deslucida por la intemperie, estaba oxidada. La bomba conservaba el cable de armado y restos del detonador, lo que elevó la preocupación de los técnicos.
Los expertos detallaron que la bomba tenía una potencia equivalente a 192 libras de explosivo TNT. Su fragmentación sería letal hasta 230 metros, y la onda de choque podría afectar gravemente fuera del radio de 580 metros. Agricultores de la zona expresaron temor a que existan otros explosivos similares cercanos a los cultivos.
El artefacto fue descrito con aletas de metal destinadas a estabilizarlo en el aire, componentes que en este caso se hallaban muy dañados tras el impacto. Los técnicos advirtieron que sólo una brigada militar especializada está capacitada para retirar el dispositivo de forma segura, dado que contenía explosivo activo en su interior.
Tras la alerta emitida por The New York Times, el presidente de Colombia Gustavo Petro declaró en televisión nacional: “La bomba está activa. Es peligrosa”, y sugirió que el artefacto habría sido arrojado desde territorio ecuatoriano.
Petro también subrayó la necesidad de investigar a fondo, y encomendó al ejército colombiano la neutralización del explosivo.
El presidente de Ecuador Daniel Noboa respondió públicamente el día siguiente, rechazando cualquier responsabilidad. “Estamos actuando en nuestro territorio, no en el suyo”, sostuvo Noboa, desmintiendo las afirmaciones previas de Petro y descartando incursiones de sus fuerzas sobre suelo colombiano.
Persisten interrogantes sobre el verdadero origen de la bomba Mark-82. Las inscripciones métricas en el artefacto no coinciden con las fabricadas exclusivamente en Estados Unidos; el modelo es producido también en otros países, según la investigación publicada por The New York Times.
El analista militar ecuatoriano César Gabriel Cedeño, consultado por el periódico, advirtió sobre los graves riesgos que representa dejar una munición de este tipo en la zona.
El 18 de marzo del 2026, el fotógrafo Federico Rios Escobar, en diálogo con Caracol Radio aclaró y relató, precisamente, estos nuevos datos sobre la bomba encontrada en la frontera colombo-ecuatoriana.
Mientras los testimonios recogidos por el equipo periodístico al que pertenece Rios Escobar apuntan al 3 de marzo como momento exacto en que fue lanzada la bomba, la versión del presidente Gustavo Petro difiere: según lo publicado por el mandatario en redes sociales, los hechos habrían ocurrido el 6 de marzo. Consultado por esta discrepancia, Rios Escobar señaló que “lo que diga el presidente es lo que dice el presidente”.
El reportaje no incluye información sobre posibles víctimas fatales asociadas a este hallazgo, una diferencia importante frente a las cifras dispares difundidas por autoridades nacionales: el presidente Petro mencionó 27 muertos, mientras que el ministro de Defensa indicó que serían 14 en la zona de Nariño, aunque estos datos corresponden a eventos anteriores, entre enero y febrero, y no al caso investigado por el equipo del The New York Times. “En nuestro artículo no mencionamos eso porque de ese tema nosotros desconocemos completamente”, añadió Rios.
Según explicó Rios Escobar a Caracol Radio, la bomba es de tipo MK 82, un modelo fabricado por múltiples países: “Las bombas tienen un número de serie… Con ese número de serie se podría esclarecer si es una bomba reciente, si es una bomba antigua, si fue lanzada el 3 de marzo o en otro momento”.
Debido a que el equipo periodístico no manipuló el artefacto, no pudo acceder al número de serie, pero considera que su estado y el impacto reciente en el terreno refuerzan la versión local de una caída reciente: “Yo vi el cráter fresco, vi la cola fresca, veo la gente que está muy nerviosa y yo creo que no estarían tan nerviosos con una bomba que lleve ahí bastante tiempo”.
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Israel killed Iran’s Minister of Intelligence Esmaeil Khatib in a precision strike overnight, a senior Israeli official told Fox News Wednesday.
The official said the strike was enabled by a joint U.S.-Israeli intelligence effort and described Khatib as a central player in plots targeting American officials.
«This man had American blood on his hands. His network specifically targeted current and former U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump,» the official added.
Khatib had previously survived a sweeping strike on Iran’s senior leadership at the «Defense Council» compound in Tehran during the opening phase of Operation Epic Fury, where more than 40 Iranian leaders were killed in roughly 40 seconds, according to the official.
TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ
Iran’s Minister of Intelligence Esmaeil Khatib (center) sits with President Masoud Pezeshkian (center right) before a speech to members of parliament in Tehran on Aug. 17, 2024. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
He was reportedly the only person to survive the initial attack.
«Today, he met the fate of his combatant comrades,» the official told Fox News.
Israel has targeted and killed several senior Iranian leaders since the start of the war, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Gen. Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Basij unit, and Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Israel Defense Forces said Khatib played a central role in directing crackdowns on protesters, including arrests and killings during recent unrest and the nationwide demonstrations sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.
ISRAELI MINISTER OUTLINES IRAN MISSION GOALS, SAYS IRANIAN PEOPLE NOW HAVE CHANCE TO ‘REGAIN THEIR FREEDOM’
People attend a protest against the Iranian regime, in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Islamic republic’s notorious «morality police.» (Markus Schreiber/ AP Photo)
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Khatib in 2022 for his role in leading Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), which U.S. officials said was responsible for cyberattacks against the United States and its allies.
Treasury said the ministry oversaw global cyber operations targeting government and private-sector organizations, including disruptive attacks on critical infrastructure.
United Against Nuclear Iran, a non-partisan advocacy group, said Khatib enlisted in the IRGC at the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980 and studied under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
NEXT US MOVE ON IRAN: SEIZE KHARG ISLAND, SECURE URANIUM OR RISK GROUND WAR ESCALATION
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, (right) and Esmaeil Khatib (left) attend a vote of confidence in the cabinet of President Ebrahim Raisi at the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Tehran, Iran, on Aug. 25, 2021. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
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He joined MOIS in 1985 or 1986 after it was established in 1983.
The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program last week offered up to $10 million for information on senior Iranian security figures tied to the IRGC and its networks, including Khatib.
war with iran,israel,middle east
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Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is on a glide path to the U.S. Senate.
But Stratton, who captured the Democratic Senate nomination in blue-leaning Illinois by winning Tuesday’s primary, has made it clear that if she makes it to Capitol Hill, she won’t be supporting Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democrats’ longtime leader in the chamber.
And Stratton — who if victorious in November would become only the fifth Black woman in the nation’s history to win election to the Senate — is part of a sizable list of Democratic Senate candidates who are highlighting their opposition to Schumer continuing as the leader of their party in the chamber.
PRITZKER SCORES BIG: STRATTON VICTORY IN DEMOCRATIC SENATE PRIMARY TEST OF GOVERNOR’S CLOUT
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton waves during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley/AP Photo)
Stratton topped Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, her two leading rivals among a crowded field of contenders, in a contentious and extremely expensive Democratic Senate primary. Stratton was boosted by the support and deep pockets of her boss, billionaire Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who was unopposed as he landed re-nomination for a third term as governor.
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Schumer, along with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, congratulated Stratton immediately after her victory was called.
«Juliana’s commitment to standing up for working families runs deep — and now, she’s taking that fight to the U.S. Senate. We are proud to congratulate Juliana on her history-making campaign, and we are excited to welcome her as the next U.S. Senator from Illinois in November,» Schumer and Gillibrand wrote in a statement.
Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, longtime Democratic Senate leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York has increasingly faced opposition to his leadership. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But Stratton, during her primary campaign, made her stance on Schumer crystal clear.
«I’m the only person on this stage that has said so,» Stratton said during a recent debate, as she highlighted that she would not back Schumer as Democratic leader.
«I’m the only candidate in this race that has made it clear I’m not going to support Chuck Schumer to lead the Democratic caucus, Senate caucus, because that’s not what people are looking for right now,» Stratton said in a recent NBC News interview. «They want someone who’s going to fight, and we need fighters and not folders.»
And further explaining why she wouldn’t back Schumer, Stratton told progressive Gen Z political commentator Jack Cocchiarella, «What I’m hearing from voters all across the state of Illinois is that they’re fed up. They’re fed up with what’s happening in Washington. They»re fed up with business as usual and the status quo.»
Stratton is far from the only Democratic Senate candidate to argue that the party needs younger and more aggressive leadership in the chamber to fight back against President Donald Trump’s unprecedented second-term agenda.
Democratic Senate candidate from Maine Graham Platner speaks at a town hall at the Leavitt Theater on Oct. 22, 2025 in Ogunquit, Maine. (Sophie Park/Getty Images)
Among them are Graham Platner, the U.S. Marine and Army veteran and oyster farmer from Maine who has the backing of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont as he battles for the Democratic Senate nomination against two-term Gov. Janet Mills, who has Schumer’s tacit support.
Also on the list is Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, one of three frontrunners battling for their party’s U.S. Senate nomination in the Great Lakes battleground.
chuck schumer,democrats senate,senate elections,democrats elections,midterm elections,democratic party,illinois
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