INTERNACIONAL
Vance fires up Marines on military branch’s 250th birthday: ‘Kick the enemy’s a– and come home safe’
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Vice President JD Vance took the stage at the Marine Corps’ 250th Birthday Ball in Washington, D.C., on Saurday, greeting a crowd of Marines in dress blues with a booming, «How we doing, Marines?»
He grinned as the ballroom erupted in cheers. «It’s so great to be here to celebrate 250 years of the United States Marine Corps,» he said, drawing loud applause.
«That, my friends, is what the Marine Corps does — it keeps us honest.»
The address marked the start of Veterans Day weekend and underscored the White House’s emphasis on military strength and service.
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Vice President JD Vance arrives to speak at the Marine Ball at the Washington Hilton, Saturday, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
The vice president — himself a proud Marine veteran — earned a standing ovation when he reminded the crowd that he was «the very first vice president of the United States to have been a United States Marine.»
Vance reflected on joining the Marines as a 19-year-old recruit on the yellow footprints of Parris Island, South Carolina.
«The Marine Corps has kept me honest,» he said. «It gave me great training, it gave me a sense of purpose, and it gave me lifelong friends.»
He credited those lessons with shaping his life long after service. «The Marine Corps has done more for me than I can possibly repay,» he said. «But the thing that I promise, so long as I have the honor of being your vice president, is that I will continue to honor the United States Marine Corps.»
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Vice President JD Vance speaks during the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary celebration, Oct. 18, at Camp Pendleton, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
In a moment that drew lots of laughs, Vance told the story of meeting a 99-year-old Iwo Jima veteran earlier in the evening. The Marine had teased him about his beard, and Vance said, «I’m the Vice President of the United States, and this guy is busting my b–ls for having a beard.»
He laughed and added, «That, my friends, is what the Marine Corps does — it keeps us honest.»
Throughout his remarks, Vance paid tribute to Marines of every generation, «from the young to the old, from the lance corporals born in 2006 to the veterans of Iwo Jima.»
He told the audience he was «proud» of each Marine and vowed, «We’re going to keep on winning America’s wars for the next 250 years.»
Vance also promised in a moment of resolve that America’s leaders would never again send troops into harm’s way without clarity of mission and support for those in the field.
‘FIRST TO FIGHT’: MARINE VP JD VANCE MARKS CORPS’ 250TH AS HEGSETH SAYS UNITY, NOT ‘DIVERSITY,’ IS STRENGTH
Vice President JD Vance gestures as helicopters fly over Marines during a 250th anniversary celebration, Oct. 18, at Camp Pendleton, Calif. ( Mario Tama/Getty Images)
«When we send you off to fight our nation’s battles, we will do it with full confidence,» he said. «We will give you the knowledge and the tools you need to win, and we will make it clear that your job is to kick the enemy’s a– and come home safely.»
Vance celebrated the Corps’ relevance in the age of advanced technology. «Let’s be honest,» he said, «the battlefield has changed in an incredible and profound way… but I happen to believe that the most important war-fighting technology is not artificial intelligence or anything on a computer. The most important war-fighting technology is a well-trained and well-armed United States Marine.»
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As the crowd rose for a final toast, Vance took a moment of reflection. «The Marine Corps has done a lot for me,» he said. «It’s done more for me than I can possibly repay.»
Then, raising his glass, he closed: «I will fight every single day to make sure that the next 250 years are just as damn proud as the first 250. Happy Birthday, Marines.»
The ballroom answered with thunderous applause and a sea of raised glasses.
marines,us marines,jd vance
INTERNACIONAL
Pánico en Líbano: Israel llama a evacuar los suburbios de Beirut porque «terminarán como Gaza»
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The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday released a video it said shows the moment an Israeli F-35I «Adir» stealth fighter jet shot down an Iranian air force Yak-130 over Tehran, marking the first time the advanced aircraft has downed a manned fighter in combat.
«Completed. Target down. The target is down,» the pilot can be heard saying in the footage set to «Star Wars» theme music.
Israel’s military said Wednesday that the shoot down over the Iranian capital was a key milestone for its F-35 fleet.
Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, commander of the Israeli air force, commended the pilots who carried out the mission as part of Operation Roaring Lion.
An Israeli Air Force F-35I «Adir» shoots down an Iranian Yak-130 fighter jet in a historic aerial engagement. (@IDF/X)
«The historic shoot down over the Tehran skies is a testament to the strength of the Israeli Air Force and to your personal determination,» Bar said. «The war continues – return home safely. Get some rest. The next mission is already waiting for you.»
The F-35I is Israel’s customized version of the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation stealth fighter that anchors the country’s air fleet.
Israel became the first country to select the aircraft through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process in 2010 and received its first jet in June 2016.
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An Iranian Yak-130 is struck midair by an Israeli F-35I «Adir» during a high-stakes confrontation. (@IDF/X)
The Israeli air force gave the aircraft the Hebrew name «Adir,» meaning «Mighty One.»
The Yak-130, by contrast, is a Russian-made, two-seat combat training aircraft designed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau and manufactured by United Aircraft Corporation.
It first flew in 1996 and remains in active production.
Iran received its first Yak-130 aircraft in September 2023, according to Press TV, Iran’s state-run English-language broadcaster, as part of a broader effort to modernize its air force.
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A Russian-made Yak-130 subsonic two-seat advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft maneuvers during a flying display on the third day of the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, England, on July 11, 2012. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
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In November 2023, Brig. Gen. Mahdi Farahi, Iran’s deputy defense minister, told Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency, that plans had been finalized for Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters and additional Yak-130 trainers to join the country’s armed forces.
Iran previously acquired MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia in the 1990s.
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INTERNACIONAL
Tom Emmer calls for Tim Walz, Keith Ellison to ‘serve jail time’ if fraud coverup allegations are true
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EXCLUSIVE: The highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress is calling for a deeper investigation into allegations that leaders in his state government knowingly ignored evidence of welfare fraud, and he called for those leaders to even face incarceration if proven true.
«People are sick and tired of elected officials having a double standard, being treated differently than they are. They’re held accountable for things that they should be held accountable for, when their elected officials are not,» House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital.
«If these two guys are dirty, they should be held accountable, and they should serve jail time.»
He was referring to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison, two of several witnesses at a high-profile hearing on fraud conducted by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is criticizing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration over the fraud scandal plaguing the state. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
Both Walz and Ellison insisted that they were serious about prosecuting fraud in the state’s social programs and that they took action to stop it once it was brought to their attention.
But Emmer cited a report by the House Oversight Committee that accused them both of knowing about the fraud earlier than previously thought and delaying public accountability for fear of political retribution from progressives in the state — particularly the Somali community in Minneapolis, who Republicans have accused of taking advantage of the state’s welfare system.
«They might have been able to qualify it enough that it wasn’t black and white, but if they lied to the committee this morning about knowing about the fraud and when they knew about the fraud and the FBI investigation, that is a criminal act of its own,» Emmer told Fox News Digital.
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«So I do believe, depending on this report and what else the majority staff is doing, they very well may want to call them back in and depose them under oath.»
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison speaks during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill. (Tom Brenner/AP Photo)
He added at another point, «You have maybe 80 to 100,000 Somalis in Minnesota. Tim Walz won with 52%. They made a difference. Keith Ellison won by less than 1%. I think it was 20,000 votes. Makes a difference. So if those are connected, yeah, I mean, this is campaign fraud.»
«I’ve taken accountability for this. I’m not going to run again. I need to spend the time fixing this,» Walz said during the hearing. «This does undermine trust in government. Do I wish there were things that could have happened earlier? Yes. But in this job, ‘wish’ didn’t do it. I’m looking into where I see it.»
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At another point, Walz attributed the rise in fraud statistics to an increase in prosecutions, telling Republicans, «When you catch people and prosecute them, it shows up as a fraud increase.»
He also dismissed accusations that he kept whistle-blowers quiet over fear of being seen as Islamophobic, «I can’t speak to it because it’s not anything I would say.»
Ellison, meanwhile, said he was happy to work across bipartisan lines to prosecute fraud.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
«I am here to work to improve this system, and there are improvements that can be made,» he said. «If we can get out of fixing the blame and get to fixing the problem, that would be an enormous thing for me.»
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But Emmer, who maintained that further investigation was needed, suggested he doubted their intentions.
«It’s power. They want power. In order for them to get power, they need to be elected. In order for them to get elected, they have to cheat in different ways. And that is exactly what they did,» Emmer said. «If the Somali community is being used by these public officials to get themselves into office…it sure does look suspect, it needs to be investigated.»
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