INTERNACIONAL
Hegseth hints major defense spending increase, reveals new details on Trump’s anti-narcoterrorism operations
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth offered new details Saturday about how he personally authorized the Trump administration’s first strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel off Venezuela on Sept. 2, telling Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson that he watched the strike live in the Pentagon after giving the green light.
Earlier in his keynote remarks, Hegseth declared that President Donald Trump is the true heir to Ronald Reagan’s «peace through strength» doctrine, accusing past bipartisan leaders of drifting into endless wars.
After his speech, Hegseth sat down with Tomlinson for a Q&A that revealed new details about the Sept. 2 operation, which he said was the first in a series of more than 20 U.S. strikes targeting cartel-linked narco-terrorist networks across the Caribbean.
He also sharply rejected reporting that he had instructed U.S. forces to kill all individuals on the boat.
AS TRUMP’S STANDOFF WITH MADURO DEEPENS, EXPERTS WARN THE NEXT MOVE MAY FORCE A SHOWDOWN
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gives a speech at the Reagan National Defense Forum on December 6, 2025, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Hegseth spoke about creating «peace through strength,» and emphasized the need to have a prepared military that would deter aggression from adversaries. (Photo by Caylo Seals/Getty Images)
«Does anybody here from the Washington Post? I don’t know where you get your sources, but they suck,» Hegseth said when asked if he had ever issued such an order. «Of course not… you don’t walk in and say, ‘Kill them.’ It’s just patently ridiculous.»
Hegseth also said it took «a couple of weeks, almost a month» to build the intelligence required for the first strike. He said the Pentagon had to reorient assets that had been focused «10,000 miles around the other side of the world for a very long time.»
He kept strike authority at his level only for the initial operation due to its «strategic implications.»
CAPITOL HILL REVOLT THREATENS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA PLAYBOOK AMID CARIBBEAN STRIKE OVERSIGHT
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers the keynote address at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Saturday, in Simi Valley, Calif. (Fox News / Pool)
«The briefing that I received before that strike was extensive, exhaustive,» he said. «Military side, on the civilian side, lawyers, intel analysts, red-teaming… all the details you need to strike a designated terrorist organization.»
Hegseth said the target was part of an organization President Trump had formally designated as a terrorist group.
«My job was to say execute or don’t execute,» he said.
He approved the strike.
HEGSETH TO HIGHLIGHT REBUILDING THE ‘ARSENAL OF FREEDOM’ IN SPEECH AT REAGAN NATIONAL DEFENSE FORUM
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers the keynote address at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Saturday, in Simi Valley, Calif. (Fox News / Pool)
According to Hegseth, he viewed the mission feed «for probably five minutes or so» before moving to other tasks once the strike shifted to tactical execution.
Hours later, Hegseth said he was informed by commanders that a second strike was necessary.
«There had to be a re-attack, because there were a couple of folks that could still be in the fight,» he said, citing access to radios, a possible link-up point with another boat and remaining drugs on board.
«I fully support that strike,» he said. «I would have made the same call myself.»
He added that re-attacks are common in combat zones and fell «well within the authorities of Admiral Bradley,» who now oversees strike decisions. Hegseth said he no longer retains approval authority for subsequent missions.
Addressing questions about survivor protocols, Hegseth pointed to a later incident involving a semi-submersible drug vessel.
«In that particular case, the first strike didn’t take it out, and a couple of guys jumped off and swam,» he said. After the vessel was struck again and sank, U.S. forces retrieved the survivors.
«We gave them back to their host countries,» he said, adding that the situation «didn’t change our protocol» but reflected different circumstances.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS BACK TRUMP’S VENEZUELA MOVES FOR NOW AS ESCALATION UNCERTAINTY LOOMS
Hegseth argued that the operations have already had a deterrent effect. «We’re putting them at the bottom of the Caribbean… it will make the American people safer.»
Tomlinson pressed Hegseth on President Trump’s public statement that he did not oppose releasing the unredacted video of the first strike.
«We’re reviewing it right now,» Hegseth said, citing concerns over «sources, methods,» and ongoing operations.
Fox News Channel’s Shannon Bream (r.) interviews Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought (l.) at the Reagan National Defense Forum Saturday, in Simi Valley, Calif.
Hegseth said defense spending is one of the issues that «keeps [him] up,» adding that he was recently in Oval Office meetings about the FY26 and FY27 budgets.
Asked directly whether defense spending as a share of GDP will rise, he replied: «I think that number is going up,» while declining to get ahead of President Trump.
«We need a revived defense industrial base,» he said. «We need those capabilities. We need them yesterday.»
Tomlinson also asked whether Hegseth regretted using Signal ahead of combat operations in Yemen, referencing a recently closed inspector general review.
«I don’t live with any regrets,» Hegseth said. «I know exactly where my compass is on our troops.» He argued that morale has surged under Trump.
«The revival of the spirit inside our military… the desire to join and re-enlist is at historic levels,» he said.
Asked whether he prefers troops equipped with more AI-enabled tools or autonomous systems replacing them, Hegseth said the modern battlefield requires both.
«It has to be both,» he said. «What AI is doing to ten, 100, 1,000-x the speed of sensing… is critical.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Tomlinson ended with a traditional Reagan Forum question: who Hegseth wants to win the Army–Navy game.
«Well, I’m with Navy,» he said, before adding that the Marine Corps «stood strong» during political «nonsense» in recent years.
pete hegseth,defense,military,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Jayapal floats reparations for illegal immigrants impacted by Trump crackdown, demands prosecutions
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Amid President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown, one congressional Democrat is calling for reparations for foreign nationals who are affected.
«We are going to have some form of reparation for the kids and the families that have been traumatized through all of this,» Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said Friday during a congressional hearing, referring to illegal immigrants. «You talked about how there’s no support for people even once they’re released. We need to make sure that we are funding that kind of work to continue to provide relief.»
Jayapal, the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), made the comments during the seventh installment of a hearing series titled «Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Attack on Children.»
The left-wing lawmaker said reparations for illegal immigrants affected by Trump’s crackdown efforts would be just one item in a series of reforms she would push Democrats to pursue if they retake House control in November.
Residents confront federal agents and Border Patrol agents over their presence in their neighborhood on Atlantic Blvd. in the Los Angeles suburb of Bell. California last year passed a law banning authorities from wearing masks. (Getty Images)
HOUSE DEM COMPARES TRUMP’S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN TO ‘TERRORISM,’ VOWS TO ABOLISH ICE
Jayapal, who was born in India and became a U.S. citizen in 2000, also said she wants «offensive action» regarding those who are carrying out Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.
«We need real accountability, because at the end of the day, the people that have been inflicting this harm need to be prosecuted,» Jayapal said. «They need to be brought before us, and they need to be held to account for the trauma that they have created.»
A spokesperson for Jayapal did not respond to a Fox Digital inquiry about who specifically she wants to see prosecuted or who would be eligible for reparations.
Reparations refer to financial compensation for a specific group intended to address reputed economic harms. Many progressive Democrats have long advocated for reparations for the descendants of American slaves.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal is floating reparations for illegal immigrants if Democrats retake control of Congress during November’s midterm elections. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
JAYAPAL DOUBLES DOWN ON ANTI-ICE TERROR CLAIMS AS DHS SHUTDOWN TRIGGERS HISTORIC TRAVEL CHAOS
Throughout the hearing, congressional Democrats repeatedly called attention to the children of deported illegal immigrants, while saying little about the victims of illegal immigrant crime.
The group of Democratic lawmakers did not discuss 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, who was allegedly shot and killed by a Venezuelan national illegally living in the United States in Chicago earlier this month.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents walk down a street during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 26. (L) Sheridan Gorman was killed after being shot in the head by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant while taking a walk with friends at Tobey Prinz Beach, located less than a mile from the Illinois’ campus, around 1 a.m. on Thursday. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Jayapal’s comments came during the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has continued to drag on with no end in sight.
She and nearly all House Democrats have refused to fund the department until the Trump administration agrees to various proposals that could rein in immigration enforcement.
«I have been clear since the start of the appropriations process: I will not vote to give Trump’s ICE or CBP another cent without major reforms,» Jayapal said Friday following her vote against a two-month DHS funding extension.
Though Democrats have been willing to fund the non-immigration parts of DHS, most Republicans have rejected that idea because it would effectively defund law enforcement.
Zeroing out appropriations for ICE and the Border Patrol would continue to force support staff employed by those agencies — have not received a full paycheck during the seven-week funding lapse — to keep working without pay.
homeland security, deportation, democrats, pramila jayapal, illegal immigrants
INTERNACIONAL
Israel aprobó la pena de muerte para terroristas y las organizaciones de Derechos Humanos expresaron su preocupación
El Parlamento israelí aprobó este lunes una reforma legal que establece la pena de muerte por ahorcamiento para los culpables de asesinato terrorista.
Pero organizaciones de derechos humanos advirtieron que la pena capital se aplicará en la práctica a los palestinos y no a los ciudadanos judío-israelíes.
El texto, aprobado con 62 votos a favor y 48 en contra, obliga a los tribunales militares -salvo excepciones sin definir- a imponer la pena capital a palestinos residentes en Cisjordania ocupada. En tanto, los tribunales ordinarios que juzgan a ciudadanos israelíes podrán aplicar en su lugar la cadena perpetua.
Además, estipula más condiciones para imponer esta pena.
La medida se aprobó con los votos del oficialismo
El primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, asistió a la votación en el plenario de la Knéset y votó a favor de la reforma, promovida por el partido del ministro israelí de Seguridad Nacional, el ultranacionalista y supremacista judío Itamar Ben Gvir.
Así lo hicieron la mayoría de parlamentarios del partido de Netanyahu, el Likud, y todos los partidos de su coalición menos el ultraortodoxo Yahadut HaTora (Judaísmo de la Torá). El ultraderechista Israel Beitenu (Nuestro Hogar Israel), en la oposición, votó en cambio a favor. El primer ministro israelí Benjamin Netanyahu en conferencia de prensa con el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump en Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida, el 29 de diciembre del 2025. (AP foto/Alex Brandon)
En general, los partidos de la oposición, incluyendo Yesh Atid (Hay Futuro), Kachol Lavan (Azul y Blanco) y los árabes Hadash y Taal (Movimiento Árabe para la Renovación), votaron en contra.
Tras aprobarse la reforma, cuyo escrito no ha sufrido cambios tras pasar por comisión parlamentaria la semana pasada, Ben Gvir intentó descorchar una botella de champán, pero un empleado legislativo se lo impidió. Pocos minutos después, se detectó un lanzamiento de misiles de Irán hacia la región de Tel Aviv.
“La ley es populista, inmoral, no igualitaria”, condenó durante el debate de este lunes el diputado Matti Sarfatti, de Yesh Atid. Además, la calificó de “claramente inconstitucional”.
Leé también: EE.UU. permitirá que un petrolero ruso llegue a Cuba y rompa el bloqueo
La ejecución de la pena, según la normativa, deberá realizarse en un plazo máximo de 90 días por el Servicio Penitenciario tras la sentencia, mediante ahorcamiento, con regulaciones específicas sobre la detención separada del recluso, el acceso restringido a autoridades y familiares y la supervisión de la ejecución.
El debate en la Knéset se prolongó durante más de 10 horas y estuvo marcado por intervenciones emotivas y críticas.
Fuera de los turnos de palabra, los diputados siguieron la sesión de manera telemática, conforme al estado de emergencia declarado por la guerra, que limita el número de personas reunidas en interiores.
¿“Se aplicará a los colonos asesinos”?
Durante la sesión, la diputada Aida Touma-Suleiman, del partido árabe Hadash, señaló que “en otros países, la pena de muerte es una pena universal aplicable para todos”.
“En este caso, las identidades de la víctima y el asesino son las que determinan la sentencia (…): asesinato o defensa propia. Y es que, ¿acaso se aplicará a los colonos asesinos?”, se preguntó.
Por su parte, Limor Son Har-Melej, diputada del partido ultranacionalista Otzma Yehudit y una de las promotoras de la ley, aseguró que la decisión representa “un momento de justicia histórica” para las familias que perdieron seres queridos en atentados terroristas. Su marido, recordó durante su intervención, falleció en un atentado en 2003.
Leé también: Venezuela: la embajada de EE.UU. en Caracas reabrió sus puertas después de siete años
“No más cárceles para asesinos, que se convierten en hoteles, como ocurría antes de la llegada al cargo del ministro de Seguridad Nacional, Itamar Ben Gvir”, afirmó la diputada ultraderechista. “Desde hoy, sentencia de muerte. Es una herramienta esencial para erradicar al enemigo y lograr una disuasión real”, añadió.
Advertencias desde el exterior
Los ministros de Exteriores de Francia, Alemania, Reino Unido e Italia rechazaron la medida, criticada también por la ONU y el Consejo de Europa. Su debate se produjo tras la aprobación ‘in extremis’ esta madrugada de los presupuestos generales para 2026, con concesiones a partidos ultraortodoxos que forman parte del gobierno de Netanyahu.
Según recogen medios israelíes, funcionarios militares advirtieron repetidamente a los legisladores sobre los problemas que plantea la legislación incluso después de que se suavizara su redacción. Incluso, señalaron que la medida podría violar el derecho internacional y generar órdenes de arresto contra comandantes israelíes en el extranjero.
Además, numerosos rabinos, expertos legales, representantes del sindicato de médicos, abogados y activistas por los derechos humanos israelíes expresaron su rechazo a la propuesta durante los debates en la comisión parlamentaria, llevados a cabo hasta cuatro veces por semana desde que fuera aprobada en primera lectura el pasado septiembre.
Hasta ahora, Israel solo permitía la pena de muerte en casos extraordinarios, principalmente por crímenes de guerra o genocidio. Solo la ha aplicado una vez con la ejecución en 1962 de Adolf Eichmann, uno de los principales arquitectos del Holocausto.
(Con información de EFE)
Israel
INTERNACIONAL
DHS slams California ‘sanctuary’ county after mom allegedly murdered by 2 Honduran nationals
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) slammed a California county for not honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests for two illegal aliens accused of murdering a 24-year-old mother earlier this month.
Franquin Inestroza-Martinez, a Honduran national, and Gerzon Jose Chirinos-Munguia, also of Honduras, were arrested in Santa Clara County for allegedly killing Kembery Chirinos-Flores with a shotgun in early January.
Chirinos-Munguia is the father of Chirinos-Flores’ 5-year-old son, and was previously arrested in 2018 for battery and false imprisonment, and subsequently in 2019 for domestic battery and threatening crime with the intent of terrorizing, DHS said.
DHS criticized Santa Clara County for not honoring ICE detainers tied to two suspects accused of killing a 24-year-old mother Kembery Chirinos-Flores. (Courtesy of DHS)
He was released back into California without ICE being notified in both 2018 and 2019, according to DHS.
ANGEL MOM, GOP BLAME SPANBERGER AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WITH 30 ARRESTS CHARGED IN KILLING
«A man lost his life, and a child is now without a mother. These illegal aliens should have never been able to commit these horrific killings and must NEVER be released from jail into American communities,» DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Inestroza-Martinez, the alleged accomplice of the boy’s father, also had an outstanding arrest warrant from New Jersey for the homicide of a 55-year-old in March 2025, according to DHS.
DHS said he was deported from the U.S. in 2013, then again in 2018. He illegally re-entered the country at an unknown date and time before allegedly murdering both the man in New Jersey and Chirinos-Flores.
Franquin Inestroza-Martinez, left, and Gerzon Jose Chirinos-Munguia were arrested for murder. DHS says it was not their first crime committed in the U.S. (Courtesy of DHS)
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF FATAL HIT AND RUN THAT KILLED NORTH CAROLINA MOTORCYCLIST
DHS pointed to the California Value Act (CVA), a «sanctuary» law which prohibits local police from asking suspects about immigration status and limits cooperation between federal immigration agents and local authorities.
«Instead of cooperating with ICE, Santa Clara sanctuary politicians REFUSED to honor ICE’s arrest detainer and will not notify ICE when these murderers are released from jail,» Bis added. «This insanity of refusing to turn cold-blooded killers over to ICE must end.»
The CVA was signed into law in 2017 in response to the immigration efforts of President Donald Trump during his first term.
The Trump administration sued California over the California Value Act during his first term as president. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
DHS CALLS RAPE OF AUTISTIC TEEN ‘MOST HEINOUS WE’VE SEEN’ AS ICE DETAINER TESTS CALIFORNIA SANCTUARY LAWS
The Trump administration sued California over the law throughout 2017-18, though the suit was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The suit failed again during appeal and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2020.
CBS News reported that the child was not harmed in the incident and has since been placed in the custody of child protective services.
Migrants are processed by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the US-Mexico border in San Diego in 2024. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
«Kembery was in the prime of her life. She was working two jobs, and she was the loving mother of a 5-year-old son,» Santa Clara Department of Public Safety Chief Dan Pistor said at a press briefing following the arrests.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital reached out to the Board President of Santa Clara County but did not receive a response.
The Santa Clara County Board president did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston
illegal immigrants, migrant crime, homeland security, california, sanctuary cities
El presidente Milei se reunió con el senador estadounidense Rand Paul y el embajador Peter Lamelas en Casa Rosada
Van der Vaart elogia a Kees Smit: ‘Puede ser el nuevo Frenkie de Jong, vamos a disfrutar viéndole jugar’
Jayapal floats reparations for illegal immigrants impacted by Trump crackdown, demands prosecutions
Jubilaciones: Victoria Tolosa Paz presentó un proyecto para duplicar el bono y que se actualice por inflación
Subieron las acciones argentinas impulsadas por el petróleo: YPF tocó un máximo en 15 años
Quién fue el último eliminado de Gran Hermano Generación Dorada: el festejo de su rival en el mano a mano
Máximo Kirchner salió al cruce de Milei y Macri tras el fallo por YPF a favor de la Argentina
La secretaria del piloto denunció que el amigo de Adorni la hostiga y la justicia dispuso medidas
El Gobierno cambia su propuesta de reforma: endurece penas para delitos comunes, pero no para los casos de corrupción
¡DERIVA ECONÓMICA Y SOBERBIA POLÍTICA! El abismo entre el «relato oficial» y la realidad de una clase media que no aguanta más
POLITICA2 días agoMáximo Kirchner salió al cruce de Milei y Macri tras el fallo por YPF a favor de la Argentina
- POLITICA2 días ago
La secretaria del piloto denunció que el amigo de Adorni la hostiga y la justicia dispuso medidas
- POLITICA2 días ago
El Gobierno cambia su propuesta de reforma: endurece penas para delitos comunes, pero no para los casos de corrupción
