INTERNACIONAL
Tulsi Gabbard denies wrongdoing over delayed whistleblower complaint referral to Congress members: ‘Baseless’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard denied any wrongdoing on Saturday as Democrats question why a whistleblower complaint filed against her last May took nearly a year before it was referred to Congress.
«[Virginia Democrat] Senator Mark Warner and his friends in the Propaganda Media have repeatedly lied to the American people that I or the ODNI ‘hid’ a whistleblower complaint in a safe for eight months,» Gabbard wrote in a lengthy X post on Saturday. «This is a blatant lie.»
She continued, «I am not now, nor have I ever been, in possession or control of the Whistleblower’s complaint, so I obviously could not have ‘hidden’ it in a safe. Biden-era IC Inspector General Tamara Johnson was in possession of and responsible for securing the complaint for months.»
The highly classified complaint by a U.S. intelligence official alleging wrongdoing on the part of Gabbard was filed eight months ago with the intelligence community’s watchdog office and was first reported on by the Wall Street Journal.
EXCLUSIVE: GABBARD OUTLINES ELECTION SECURITY ASSESSMENT, PRESENCE AT FULTON COUNTY SEARCH
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard denied any wrongdoing on Saturday as Democrats question why a whistleblower complaint filed against her last May took nearly a year before it was referred to Congress. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The complaint has been locked in a safe since its filing, according to the Journal, with one U.S. official telling the newspaper that the disclosure of its contents could cause «grave damage to national security.»
The whistleblower’s lawyer has accused Gabbard’s office of slow-walking the complaint, which her office has denied, calling it «baseless and politically motivated.»
Meanwhile, Democrats are also questioning why it took her office so long to hand the complaint over to Congress.
TRUMP CONFIRMS WHAT TULSI GABBARD WAS DOING AT GEORGIA ELECTION CENTER
«The law is clear,» Warner, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Thursday, according to NPR, adding that the complaint was required to be sent to Congress within 21 days of its filing. «I think it was an effort to try to bury this whistleblower complaint.»
Neither the contents of the complaint nor the allegations against Gabbard have been revealed.
Gabbard wrote on Saturday that the first time she saw the complaint was «when I had to review it to provide guidance on how it should be securely shared with Congress.»
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., speaking at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, has questioned why a whistleblower complaint against Tulsi Gabbard took eight months to reach Congress. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
TRUMP CLAIMS DNI TULSI GABBARD WAS AT GEORGIA ELECTION HUB SEARCH BECAUSE AG PAM BONDI WANTED HER THERE
«As Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Warner knows very well that whistleblower complaints that contain highly classified and compartmented intelligence—even if they contain baseless allegations like this one—must be secured in a safe, which the Biden-era Inspector General Tamara Johnson did and her successor, Inspector General Chris Fox, continued to do,» she continued. «After IC Inspector General Fox hand-delivered the complaint to the Gang of 8, the complaint was returned to a safe where it remains, consistent with any information of such sensitivity.»
She claimed that either «Warner knows these facts and is intentionally lying to the American people, or he doesn’t have a clue how these things work and is therefore not qualified to be in the U.S. Senate.»
Gabbard further wrote that «When a complaint is not found to be credible, there is no timeline under the law for the provision of security guidance. The ‘21 day’ requirement that Senator Warner alleges I did not comply with, only applies when a complaint is determined by the Inspector General to be both urgent AND apparently credible. That was NOT the case here.»
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard shakes hands with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
An inspector general representative said that it had determined some of the allegations in the complaint against Gabbard weren’t credible, while it hasn’t made a determination on others, according to the Journal.
Gabbard said she was made aware that she needed to provide security guidance on the complaint by IC Inspector General Chris Fox on Dec. 4, «which he detailed in his letter to Congress.»
Afterward, she said she «took immediate action to provide the security guidance to the Intelligence Community Inspector General, who then shared the complaint and referenced intelligence with relevant members of Congress last week.»
In closing her post, Gabbard once again accused Warner of spreading «lies and baseless accusations over the months for political gain,» which she said «undermines our national security and is a disservice to the American people and the Intelligence Community.»
Warner’s office told Fox News Digital Gabbard’s post was an «inaccurate attack that’s entirely on brand for someone who has already and repeatedly proven she’s unqualified to serve as DNI.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Republicans on the House and Senate intelligence committees have backed up Gabbard, with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., writing on X on Thursday: «I have reviewed this ‘whistleblower’ complaint and the inspector general handling of it. I agree with both inspectors general who have evaluated the matter: the complaint is not credible and the inspectors general and the DNI took the necessary steps to ensure the material has handled and transmitted appropriately in accordance with law.»
He addded, «To be frank, it seems like just another effort by the president’s critics in and out of government to undermine policies that they don’t like; it’s definitely not credible allegations of waste, fraud, or abuse.»
Gabbard’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
tulsi gabbard,cia,democrats senate,senate,republicans,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Tensión en Asia: el régimen chino realizó nuevos ejercicios militares en el mar de China Meridional
El Ejército chino realizó ejercicios «aéreas y navales” en el mar de China Meridional entre el 2 y el 6 de febrero, en respuesta a los maniobras conjuntas organizadas el mes pasado por Filipinas y Estados Unidos en la región.
Zhai Shichen, portavoz del Comando del Teatro Sur del Ejército Popular de Liberación (EPL), acusó a Filipinas de aliarse con “países ajenos a la región” para llevar a cabo “patrullas aéreas bilaterales” que, según afirmó, “socavan la paz y la estabilidad regionales”.
El vocero del régimen aseguró que las fuerzas chinas “permanecerán en estado de máxima alerta” y defenderán “con firmeza la soberanía territorial de China y sus derechos e intereses marítimos”, sin ofrecer detalles sobre los medios empleados en las patrullas.
Estas maniobras siguieron a ejercicios similares realizados por China entre el 25 y el 26 de enero, después de que Filipinas y Estados Unidos organizaran una navegación conjunta en el arrecife de Scarborough —conocido en China como Huangyan y en Filipinas como Bajo de Masinloc—, dentro de la zona económica exclusiva que Manila reclama.
Las autoridades filipinas calificaron la operación como la primera actividad marítima cooperativa bilateral entre ambos países en 2026 y la undécima desde finales de 2023. China reclama la soberanía casi total del mar de China Meridional, zona estratégica por la que circula cerca del 30% del comercio marítimo mundial y que cuenta con valiosos caladeros y potenciales reservas de hidrocarburos, frente a las reivindicaciones de Filipinas, Vietnam, Malasia y otros Estados ribereños.
En 2016, la Corte Permanente de Arbitraje de La Haya falló a favor de Filipinas en una disputa territorial, decisión que Beijing rechazó y decidió no reconocer. Desde que el presidente filipino Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asumió el cargo en 2022, Manila reforzó su cooperación en defensa con el país norteamericano, lo que coincidió con un aumento de las fricciones con el régimen de Xi Jinping en la región.
Estados Unidos ya había mostrado su apoyo en diciembre cuando condenó las acciones de la Guardia Costera china contra embarcaciones pesqueras filipinas en aguas disputadas del mar de China Meridional, incidente que dejó tres pescadores heridos tras el uso de cañones de agua y maniobras de bloqueo.
“Condenamos el uso de los cañones de agua por parte de China cerca del Sabina Shoal. Estas acciones agresivas ponen en peligro la vida de los pescadores filipinos, que buscan obtener su sustento”, señaló el Departamento de Estado en un comunicado.
El enfrentamiento se produjo cuando una veintena de embarcaciones pesqueras filipinas faenaban en las inmediaciones del mar. Según el portavoz del Servicio de Guardacostas de Filipinas, Jay Tarriela, los pescadores estaban “faenando dentro de la legalidad” cuando fueron atacados por dos buques de la Guardia Costera china.
En paralelo, desde Taiwán, el ministro de Defensa Koo Li-hsiung advirtió que la repetición de ejercicios militares chinos cerca de la isla puede insensibilizar a la población, aunque subrayó que la amenaza proveniente de Beijing es “urgente” y “existe de verdad”.
En declaraciones recogidas por la agencia CNA, Koo señaló que China realiza habitualmente “patrullas de aplicación de la ley” en aguas cercanas a las islas periféricas de Taiwán y alrededor de la línea media del Estrecho, buscando “crear la falsa apariencia” de que la zona pertenece a sus aguas internas.
El funcionario también alertó sobre riesgos en ciberseguridad, como “ciberataques e intrusiones” de hackers, y denunció el uso simultáneo de herramientas políticas, económicas, militares y psicológicas por parte de China para llevar a cabo una “guerra cognitiva” contra Taiwán.
“Cuando estas acciones se repiten constantemente, nos preocupa que puedan adormecer las defensas psicológicas de la población; en realidad, esta amenaza enemiga es urgente y existe de verdad”, enfatizó.
Koo aportó estadísticas que muestran un incremento en la actividad militar china: en 2025, aeronaves principales y de apoyo del Ejército Popular de Liberación cruzaron la línea media del estrecho e ingresaron en la Zona de Identificación de Defensa Aérea (ADIZ) taiwanesa en 3.764 ocasiones, frente a 3.066 el año anterior (aumento del 2%). Además, los buques de guerra chinos entraron en esa zona en 2.640 ocasiones, frente a 2.475 en 2024 (aumento del 7%).
(Con información de EFE)
Asia / Pacific
INTERNACIONAL
Calm amid chaos: Noem defies calls to resign, touts border victory as shutdowns, storms and riots swirl
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been a lightning rod for criticism amid anti-ICE riots that have rocked the country, sparked a government shutdown and left many wondering whether the nation’s eighth DHS secretary would keep her job.
Despite the mounting pressure, Noem appeared calm, collected and confident during a trip this week that included a stop in Mississippi to assess winter storm damage recovery efforts, visits to the southern border in Texas and Arizona as well as the northern border in North Dakota and a barbecue dinner hosted and served by Noem to Border Patrol agents in Arizona.
During the first half of the four-day stint, Congress was still dealing with a partial government shutdown largely over how to fund DHS. The House ultimately reached an agreement, funding the agency through Feb. 13, but Noem’s focus remained the same before and after the bill passed, and her schedule was left unchanged.
Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference along the border wall in Nogales, Ariz., Feb. 4. (DHS photo by Mikaela McGee)
During an exclusive interview along the border wall in Nogales, Arizona, Noem told Fox News Digital the national security functions of the agency are too vital to be sidelined by a spending fight.
BORDER CROSSINGS HIT 55-YEAR LOW — AFTER DEMOCRATS SAID REFORM WAS THE ONLY FIX
«Every day [DHS is] finding terrorists and removing them from our country, protecting our cybersecurity systems, our critical infrastructure,» Noem told Fox. «Only 11% of the DHS budget is ICE. The rest of it is FEMA, TSA, that runs our security checkpoints at our airports.
«It is also the Coast Guard, which is absolutely critical to our maritime protection and also partnering with the Department of War,» Noem added. «We have weapons of mass destruction, science and technology, our national labs.
«We have a lot of responsibilities that we absolutely need to fund in order to do them properly. So, I’m hopeful that Congress will recognize that and pass this bill quickly.»
KRISTI NOEM TO TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE COMMITTEE NEXT MONTH
But the debate over government spending wasn’t about the Coast Guard, FEMA or TSA. It was almost entirely based on one of the 23 agencies Noem oversees, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Specifically, it centered around ICE’s actions in Minneapolis, a so-called sanctuary city in which local authorities provide only minimal support to federal officers enforcing immigration laws.
Federal law enforcement agents detain a demonstrator during a raid in south Minneapolis Jan. 13, 2026. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Since the beginning of the year, DHS estimates that Operation Metro Surge has resulted in the apprehension of 4,000 criminal illegal migrants in Minneapolis. The operation was launched mainly due to a fraud scheme that involved members of the Somali community in Minnesota.
The mission then evolved into a heated clash between agitators and federal officers that ultimately left two U.S. citizens dead, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both killed by federal immigration agents.
NOEM VOWS CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AFTER CATCHING ALLEGED DHS ‘PROLIFIC LEAKER’
Noem quickly labeled both Good and Pretti «domestic terrorists» and said their deaths were due to impeding «law enforcement operations,» sparking outrage from Democrats and some Republicans who began to call for her resignation.
Rumors swirled whether Noem would resign or if President Donald Trump would fire her, but the president told reporters shortly after the death of Pretti he had no intention of relieving her from her position as head of DHS.
When Fox News Digital asked Noem what she believed the American people want when it comes to ICE enforcing the law using the same tactics that led to riots, deaths and assaults on both agitators and agents, Noem said, «I think people would want less conflict.»
President Donald Trump has repeatedly backed DHS chief Noem in public comments in January. (Jim Watson/Getty Images)
LEAVITT SAYS TRUMP WILL NOT ‘WAVER’ ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN DESPITE DEMOCRATIC BACKLASH
«[The American people] want to know that we’re enforcing our laws and that we are going after dangerous criminals, and they don’t want them to be released on the streets to perpetuate more crimes,» Noem explained.
At some stops along Noem’s trip, agitators appeared. At a dinner she hosted inside a hotel in Tucson, Arizona, for CBP officers, protesters with drums, megaphones and seemingly pre-made signs gathered at the entrance of the hotel. Every other car traveling by the demonstration honked, though it’s unclear whether they were honking in support or in disagreement with the protesters.
A Quinnipiac University survey taken from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 showed 58% of those questioned say Noem shouldn’t have her job.
DHS SECRETARY NOEM STANDS BY BODY CAMERA REQUIREMENT FOR FEDERAL AGENTS FOLLOWING TRUMP COMMENTS
Fox News Digital spoke with a GOP insider who pointed to Noem’s inexperience on the national stage, saying her time as governor of South Dakota didn’t prepare her for one of the most challenging roles in the presidential cabinet.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem meets with CBP officials at Eagle Pass, Texas, Feb. 3, 2026. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
Despite the critics, Noem’s record on securing the border has proven successful, according to figures provided by the department and the Trump administration. Trump’s goal to deter illegal migrants from crossing the border, which was Noem’s mandate, has been a priority for the White House.
More illegal migrants crossed the southern border in one average month under former President Biden’s watch than have crossed under Noem’s entire watch, according to DHS.
NOEM DEPLOYS TO BOTH BORDERS, SAYS ICE WON’T BE DETERRED BY SANCTUARY OFFICIALS WHO ‘WANT TO CREATE CONFLICT’
«We have over 3 million people that have deported, and that includes probably about 700,000 that we have detained and removed,» Noem told Fox News Digital Wednesday. «Beyond that, over 2.3 million have self-deported.
«You know, you send the message around the world that America is now going to be enforcing its laws and making sure that if you’re in this country illegally, that you should go home, and we’ve been incentivizing that through a $2,600 payment and a flight,» Noem added. «Millions of people have taken us up on that.»
Trump defended Noem for a second time during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday when discussing whether he would relinquish her command at DHS.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (not pictured) displays a footage of photos showing illegal border crossings a year ago as she meets with CBP officials at Eagle Pass, Texas, Feb. 3, 2026. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
HOUSE DEMOCRATS HOLD ‘SHADOW HEARINGS’ AS THEY BUILD CASE TO IMPEACH KRISTI NOEM
«Why would I do that? We have the strongest border in the history of our country,» Trump said. «We have the best crime numbers we’ve ever had going back to the year 1900. That’s 125 years. We have the lowest crime numbers.»
Trump also appointed Tom Homan, the former ICE director during Trump’s first term and the executive associate director of Enforcement and Removal Operations under President Barack Obama, to serve as border czar, a role previously held by Kamala Harris.
Some reports painted a picture of an unspoken rivalry between Homan and Noem after Trump’s decision to put Homan in command of the situation in Minneapolis.
NOEM SLAMS DEMS, BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FOR LACKING ‘COMPASSION’ AMID ANTI-ICE TENSIONS
But Noem told Fox News Digital she credited Homan for working to get local leaders in Minneapolis to come to the table and negotiate order in what has been a chaotic scene in the Twin Cities.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a roundtable in the State Dining Room of the White House Oct. 8, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
«What people need to remember is that Democrat policies were destroying our country,» Noem said. «And President Trump came in and said, ‘I’m going to protect the American people. It’s not going to happen anymore.’
«Since [the Biden administration], thousands of people’s lives have been saved just here, just right here on the border, because those migrants are not victimized anymore.»
Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston
immigration,illegal immigrants,migrant crime,minneapolis st paul,minnesota,homeland security,kristi noem
INTERNACIONAL
Cuba empieza a cerrar hoteles y reubicar turistas ante la crisis por la falta de combustible
El gobierno de Cuba ha empezado a cerrar algunos hoteles de la isla y a trasladar a los turistas a otras instalaciones como parte del paquete de medidas adoptado ante el asedio petrolero de Estados Unidos, confirmaron este sábado fuentes del sector.
El viceprimer ministro Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga aseguró el viernes en la televisión estatal que «se ha diseñado un plan en el turismo para reducir los consumos energéticos, compactar las instalaciones turísticas, y aprovechar la temporada alta que está transcurriendo en estos momentos en nuestro país».
El también titular del Comercio Exterior y la Inversión Extranjera no especificó detalles sobre esta compactación de la infraestructura turística, pero las fuentes -que prefirieron el anonimato- adelantaron a la agencia EFE que desde el viernes se están cerrando hoteles y reubicando a los turistas internacionales en otros centros.
Esto afecta principalmente a algunas instalaciones turísticas ubicadas en el balneario de Varadero (oeste) y de los cayos del norte de la isla.
Entre las principales cadenas hoteleras que operan en Cuba están las españolas Meliá e Iberostar, y la canadiense Blue Diamond, entre otras.
El sector turístico en Cuba, considerado en un tiempo locomotor de la economía, confirmó en 2025 su crisis al cerrar con su peor registro de viajeros internacionales (1,8 millones) desde 2002, sin contar los años de la pandemia de covid-19.
La cifra no llega como sorpresa -en el primer semestre, la tasa de ocupación hotelera registró un descenso anual de siete puntos porcentuales (21,5 %)-, pero sí confirma la caída en picada del turismo en los últimos siete años.
Canadá, con 754.010 personas, y Rusia, con 131.882, fueron los dos principales mercados emisores de visitantes el año pasado, según los datos oficiales, pero con caídas interanuales del 12,4 y del 29%.
El descenso comenzó luego de 2018, cuando la isla alcanzó su récord histórico de turistas: 4,7 millones en un ejercicio. Cuba venía de los años del deshielo con los Estados Unidos del presidente Barack Obama.
Después llegaron las medidas de su sucesor, Donald Trump, durante su primer mandato. A las sanciones se le sumaron la pandemia (que congeló el sector por casi dos años) y la grave crisis económica y energética que sufre el país -y que repercute en los servicios y la experiencia- y el recorte de rutas aéreas.
El turismo es fundamental para los planes de recuperación económica del gobierno cubano, por su aporte al producto interno bruto (PIB) y por la entrada de divisas que representa, que habitualmente figura entre las más importantes, junto con los servicios profesionales y las remesas.
Cuba sufre una grave crisis energética desde mediados de 2024 por las frecuentes averías de sus obsoletas centrales termoeléctricas y la falta de divisas para importar los combustibles necesarios para nutrir la generación distribuida.
La operación militar estadounidense en Caracas del 3 de enero, que llevó a la captura del autócrata Nicolás Maduro, significó para La Habana, además del golpe a un aliado regional clave, el fin de suministro energético vital para la isla.
Luego, el presidente de EE.UU., Donald Trump, aumentó la presión al firmar el 29 de enero una orden ejecutiva que amenaza con aranceles a los países que le vendan petróleo a la isla.
Para enfrentar este escenario, el gobierno de Miguel Díaz-Canel puso en marcha el plan de emergencia ante el desabastecimiento de combustible que abarca también racionar la venta de combustible, priorizar el teletrabajo e implementar clases semipresenciales en las universidades.
Este paquete anticrisis toma como referencia las indicaciones del ex presidente Fidel Castro durante el llamado Período Especial, por la depresión que supuso para la isla la caída del bloque soviético.
Al anunciarlo el jueves, el presidente Díaz-Canel rescató el concepto de opción cero, el plan de supervivencia planteado en los noventa ante el escenario de cero petróleo.
Esta situación implicaba un racionamiento extremo, el uso de tracción animal, carbón vegetal para cocinar y transporte no motorizado y la autosuficiencia alimentaria.
Surgió en San Lorenzo, jugó en Huracán y se retiró joven: hoy trabaja en la Aduana y no extraña el fútbol
Acuerdo con EE.UU.: el Gobierno quiere una aprobación rápida pero admite que el Congreso recién lo tratará desde marzo
Malestar entre los aliados porque el Gobierno no incluye a Diputados en las negociaciones de la reforma laboral
Tensión en Asia: el régimen chino realizó nuevos ejercicios militares en el mar de China Meridional
Astor, Piazzolla Eterno: los secretos la obra que brilla en el Colón y el desafío de reinventar el tango sin pedir permiso
La venta de autos usados cayó un 10% en enero y duplicó la baja de los 0km
Flor de la V contó las dificultades que vivió junto a Pablo Goycochea cuando se conoció su romance: “Había una persecución”
Milei dejó trascender que Lavagna quería un índice de inflación más alto porque «jugaba para Massa»
Jorge Macri: «Hay una percepción de que hay cosas que aumentan más que la inflación»
¿La revancha de Don Chatarrín?: acuerdo Trump-Milei puede favorecer a Rocca ante el avance asiático
CHIMENTOS3 días agoFlor de la V contó las dificultades que vivió junto a Pablo Goycochea cuando se conoció su romance: “Había una persecución”
- ECONOMIA2 días ago
¿La revancha de Don Chatarrín?: acuerdo Trump-Milei puede favorecer a Rocca ante el avance asiático
- CHIMENTOS2 días ago
Desconcertada y sin la China Suárez: así reaccionó Magnolia tras el maltrato de un guardaespaldas
