INTERNACIONAL
What to expect in the upcoming NATO summit: Trump, spending, Ukraine, Iran
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The NATO summit will be held at The Hague in the Netherlands from June 24-25 and a range of defensive issues are expected to be addressed, including expanding national spending commitments, aid to Ukraine, emerging threats from Iran and relations with the U.S. under President Donald Trump.
This will be the president’s first transatlantic summit since returning to the White House in January, and all eyes are on Trump, who has not shied away from explosive moments with U.S. allies, including at previous NATO summits.
Following Saturday’s attack by the U.S. against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Islamic Republic of Iran is expected to become one of the leading issues.
Here’s what’s on the agenda:
SPENDING
UKRAINE
IRAN, RUSSIA, CHINA
PUTIN RAISES THE STAKES ON ‘GHOST FLEET’ SECURITY, AS NATO LAUNCHES WAR GAMES IN THE BALTIC SEA
President Donald Trump speaks to the press following a White House meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Pool via AP)
In a statement released one week ahead of the summit, NATO said the «Heads of State and Government are expected to agree [to] a new defense investment plan» after months of speculation the alliance could increase its spending commitments from 2% of a nation’s GDP to 5%.
The notion was first pushed by Trump after he won the election, and despite the sticker shock of what that could mean for not only the eight nations not yet hitting the 2% commitment, but also the U.S. which currently spends 3.38%, many European leaders got on board.
Fox News Digital has not been able to confirm if NATO will increase its commitment to 5%, and some sources with knowledge of the discussions have suggested that figure could be closer to 3.5% over a period of up to 10 years. On Friday, it was announced that Spain was given an opt-out of paying 5%, instead, it will pay 2.1%, according to a report in the Associated Press.
«The real focus will be the new defense spending target,» Peter Rough, senior fellow and director for the Center on Europe and Eurasia with the Hudson Institute, told Fox News Digital. «5% of gross domestic product as a top-line number – however, only 3.5% must be devoted to hard defense.
HEGSETH, MILITARY BRASS DESCRIBE ‘INCREDIBLE AND OVERWHELMING SUCCESS’ OF US STRIKES ON IRA
Ukrainian marines train in urban warfare techniques in bilateral military exercises between the United States and Ukraine, and include troops from a variety of NATO and non-NATO countries on Sept. 16, 2014, near Yavorov, Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed Kyiv’s interest in joining NATO has been a leading reason for his invasion. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
«And 1.5% can count toward adjacent categories, like cybersecurity or infrastructure for military mobility,» he explained ahead of his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding the NATO summit.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has been an ardent supporter of increasing defense spending, particularly as Europe continues to face its greatest threat since World War II.
Earlier this month, ahead of a NATO ministerial meeting that served as a walk-up to the NATO summit, Rutte said leaders «will strengthen our deterrence and defense by agreeing ambitious new capability targets.»
He has detailed missile defense, long-range strike capabilities and deterrence as chief priorities, which comes not only as Russia continues its aggressive war in Ukraine, but as threats levied by a nuclearly ambitious Iran also escalate.
UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE TALKS YIELD NO CEASEFIRE, ZELENSKYY WARNS PUTIN SHOULD NOT BE ‘REWARDED’
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 13, 2025. (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The issue of defending Ukraine is once again expected to be a top agenda item and has been a driving force in motivating the NATO alliance to drastically increase spending, which nations under the alliance first did following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
However, given Trump’s consistent push for increased NATO defensive spending, his threats to withdraw troops from Europe and his insistence that Kyiv not be allowed to join the 32-member alliance, Ukraine’s defense may not play as big of a front-and-center role this year.
«There won’t be nearly as much focus on Ukraine as during the past few summits,» argued Rough. «The White House is laser-focused on the defense investment pledge, and none of the other allies want to rock the boat.»
While nations like France, the UK and Germany have taken more direct leadership positions and ardently pledged their continued support for Ukraine, they have also toed the line when it comes to managing transatlantic relationships with Washington under Trump.
«I’d expect a short, concise summit declaration with some mention of Ukraine but none of the ornate language that characterized past communiqués,» Rough added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend portions of the summit’s activities, like the opening dinner, though he is not yet confirmed to attend any official NATO meetings.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, bottom center, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, bottom second right, and other world leaders attend a defensive summit at Lancaster House in London on Sunday, March 2, 2025. (Neil Hall/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images )
Reporting suggested Trump could take issue with having Zelenskyy at a NATO event amid seemingly stalled ceasefire negotiations with Russia – which have begun to take a backseat amid the strife between Israel and Iran.
Trump has not held back at previous NATO summits when it came to the conflict over Russia, including in 2018 when he openly clashed with then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel when he accused Berlin of being «totally controlled by Russia» and claimed it was a «bad thing for NATO.»
NEW REPORT WARNS NATO’S DATA VULNERABILITIES COULD COST LIVES WITHOUT US FIX
With the U.S. launching Operation Midnight Hammer against three of Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan on Saturday, Iran is set to be one of the main topics for discussions by the NATO members as tensions with the regime in Tehran rise.
Map of Iran nuclear facilities attacked by the US (Fox News)
Additionally, Russia continues to pose the greatest threat to Europe, not only as its war ambitions continue in Ukraine, but as intelligence agencies increasingly warn that «Russia’s postwar focus will be on NATO.»
Rough, in his testimony to the Senate, pointed to findings by Germany’s Federal Intelligence Agency that said earlier this month that «We see that NATO’s collective defense promise is to be tested…We are very sure, and we have intelligence evidence to back this up, that Ukraine is only one step on Russia’s path towards the West.»
Danish intelligence issued similar warnings earlier this year and said that should it find the right opportunity, Russia could launch hostile operations against a neighboring nation within six months of regrouping after a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Rutte highlighted the severity of the direct threat Russia poses and said earlier this month during a trip to the UK that if nations do not take seriously the need to invest in the 5% defense spending push, then «you better learn to speak Russian.»
The alliances Moscow has cemented during its war in Ukraine have also brought to the forefront a very real threat to the West as China, North Korea and Iran have all played a major role in fueling Russia’s war machine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, left, meet for a welcome ceremony in the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Wednesday, June 19. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
FOR PUTIN, ‘US IS THE MAIN ENEMY,’ ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS
China, while it claims neutrality in the war, has staunchly supplied Russia with electronic components critical to modern warfare. Iran has supplied drones and technical know-how, while North Korea has not only provided munitions and military equipment, but boots on the ground for the war.
While China and Russia have repeatedly committed their partnership as united against the West, North Korea has become increasingly emboldened and been provided technical know-how for missile development in exchange for its support, which poses a significant threat to not only partners in the East, but Western interests.
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Rough warned that «Russian President Vladimir Putin remains implacably opposed to the U.S.-European partnership, which he seeks to undermine at every opportunity.»
Additionally, Rough, citing U.S. military officials in Europe, said it would be a mistake to remove U.S. troops from Europe amid these increasingly united threats against the West.
Troop agreements, collective defense and U.S. involvement in deterring Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are all expected to be a major point of discussion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
US carries out 8th strike on alleged drug vessel, this time in Eastern Pacific, Hegseth says
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The U.S. military carried out another strike on a suspected drug vessel, this time in the Eastern Pacific, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday.
The strike Tuesday against a boat allegedly carrying drugs is the eighth conducted by the Trump administration. The previous seven happened in the Caribbean.
«Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific. The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route, and carrying narcotics,» Hegseth said.
«There were two narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. Both terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike,» he added.
3 KILLED IN US STRIKE ON COLOMBIAN ELN VESSEL SMUGGLING NARCOTICS, HEGSETH SAYS
The suspect drug smuggling vessel is shown at left, moments before it was destroyed in a U.S. strike on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (X.com/SecWar)
Earlier this week, Hegseth announced that three alleged narco-terrorists were killed in a U.S. strike on a drug smuggling vessel affiliated with Colombia’s National Liberation Army.
That «lethal kinetic strike» happened Friday in international waters at the direction of President Donald Trump, Hegseth wrote in a post on X.
«The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route, and was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics,» Hegseth wrote. «There were three male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike—which was conducted in international waters.»
«All three terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike,» he added.
The suspect drug smuggling vessel is shown at left, moments before it was destroyed in a U.S. strike on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (X.com/SecWar)
Colombia’s Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) is a designated terrorist organization. Hegseth likened the Colombian rebel group to the al Qaeda terror group founded by Usama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
TRUMP GOES ALL-OUT AGAINST COLOMBIA’S PETRO AFTER CLAIMS DRUG STRIKE KILLED FISHERMAN: WHAT WE KNOW
The death toll from the Trump administration’s military campaign against suspected drug-smuggling vessels is at least 34. The operations began last month and are part of Trump’s broader effort to dismantle transnational cartels by force.
Last Thursday, the U.S. military carried out a strike on what Trump later called a «very large drug-carrying submarine» in the Caribbean, killing two suspected narco-terrorists and capturing two others alive.
The U.S. killed six alleged drug traffickers on a boat in international waters near Venezuela, President Donald Trump announced Oct. 14, 2025. (realDonaldTrump/Truth Social)
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A separate strike on Tuesday killed six suspected smugglers aboard a vessel off the coast of Venezuela.
south america,drugs,military,world
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Former special counsel Jack Smith is standing by his 2023 decision to subpoena several Republican lawmakers’ phone records, calling the move «entirely proper» and consistent with Justice Department policy.
Smith said through his lawyers in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital that the subpoenaed data, known as toll records, belonging to eight senators and one House member were carefully targeted to support his investigation into President Donald Trump’s alleged subversion of the 2020 election.
«As described by various Senators, the toll data collection was narrowly tailored and limited to the four days from January 4, 2021 to January 7, 2021, with a focus on telephonic activity during the period immediately surrounding the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol,» Smith’s lawyers wrote Tuesday to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
JACK SMITH INVESTIGATORS NEED TO ‘PAY BIG’ FOR JAN. 6 PHONE RECORDS PROBE, WARNS SEN. GRAHAM
Former special counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on an unsealed indictment, including four felony counts against President Donald Trump, Aug. 1, 2023, in Washington. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Toll records do not reveal the contents of phone calls but instead reveal when calls were made and to whom.
Smith’s lawyers said that although Grassley, who brought the subpoenas to light, has not reached out to Smith, they felt compelled to write to the chairman to address claims from Republicans that Smith improperly spied on lawmakers.
Grassley responded to the letter, saying he would continue an unbiased probe into Arctic Frost, the name of the FBI investigation that led to Smith’s election-related prosecution of Trump.
«I’m conducting an objective assessment of the facts&law like he says he wants So far we exposed an anti-Trump FBI agent started the investigation/broke FBI rules &only REPUBLICANS were targeted SMELLS LIKE POLITICS,» Grassley wrote on X.
The targeted senators included Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
In addition to the eight senators, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Tuesday that he recently discovered Smith also attempted to subpoena his toll records but that his phone company, AT&T, did not hand them over.
DEM REP DEFENDS DOJ OBTAINING GOP SENATOR CALL RECORDS IN 2023: ‘YOU WEREN’T SURVEILLED’
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
The Republicans have broadly claimed they were inappropriately spied on, and compared Arctic Frost to the Watergate scandal.
Smith’s lawyers emphasized the normalcy of seeking out phone records and said that public officials are not immune from investigation.
Smith brought four criminal charges against Trump alleging he illegally attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, but he dismissed the charges after Trump won the 2024 election, citing a DOJ policy that discourages prosecuting sitting presidents.
Former special counsel Robert K. Hur testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on March 12, 2024, in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Former special counsel Robert Hur sought toll records during his investigation into former President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. The DOJ subpoenaed phone records of former Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, who is serving prison time after he was convicted in 2024 of corruption charges.
The first Trump administration subpoenaed phone records of Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and dozens of congressional staffers from both parties as part of a leak investigation.
Former DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz warned in a report about the leak probe that lawmakers’ records should only be subpoenaed in narrow circumstances because it «risks chilling Congress’s ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch.»
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Smith’s lawyers also disputed FBI Director Kash Patel’s accusations that he attempted to hide the subpoenas «in a lockbox in a vault,» noting that the former special counsel mentioned subpoenaing senators’ records in a footnote of his final special counsel report.
«Moreover, the precise records at issue were produced in discovery to President Trump’s personal lawyers, some of whom now serve in senior positions within the Department of Justice,» Smith’s lawyers said.
Read Smith’s letter below. App users click here.
justice department,fbi,senate,chuck grassley,politics,lindsey graham,donald trump,ted cruz
Incluso M. Night Shyamalan —conocido por hacer películas más oscuras como Sexto sentido y Señales”— a veces busca la luz. “Acabo de terminar tres películas realmente oscuras, Viejos, Llaman a la puerta y Trampa, que son historias muy intensas donde los personajes son súper, súper oscuros y complicados, y quería hacer algo diferente”, dijo el director.
Encontró una oportunidad interesante para colaborar en una nueva novela de romance sobrenatural llamada Remain junto a Nicholas Sparks. Sí, ese Nicholas Sparks: el rey de los dramas románticos como Diario de una pasión y Un paseo para recordar.
Los libros coescritos son una tendencia candente en el mundo editorial en este momento. Reese Witherspoon y Harlan Coben tienen una nueva novela. James Patterson se ha asociado con Bill Clinton y Dolly Parton en libros. Sin embargo, esta colaboración es diferente en que Shyamalan escribió el guion y Sparks aceptó escribir una novela basada en esa historia. Una película de Remain —protagonizada por Jake Gyllenhaal y Phoebe Dynevor— ya terminó su producción y se estrenará el próximo año.
“No creo que nadie haya hecho lo que acabamos de hacer, que fue tomar la misma historia e ir simultáneamente a hacer nuestras cosas por separado”, dijo Sparks. “No es de manera lineal. Son dos personas haciendo dos formas de arte diferentes a partir de la misma historia. Confié en él al 100% para hacer la mejor versión cinematográfica posible de esa historia y él confió en mí”.
Ambos se cruzaron hace años cuando le preguntaron a Shyamalan si querría adaptar la novela de Sparks El diario de una pasión en una película. El trabajo terminó en manos de Nick Cassavetes, pero Shyamalan dijo que la obra de Sparks “siempre representó algo mágico para mí”. Significaba algo para él que le confiaran una historia tan querida.
En una entrevista conjunta, Nicholas Sparks y M. Night Shyamalan hablan sobre trabajar juntos, películas de terror y ensalada de pollo. Las respuestas han sido editadas por claridad y brevedad.
—Al principio, ustedes dos trabajando juntos parece una pareja poco probable, pero los géneros sobrenatural y romántico tienen mucho en común.
SPARKS: No somos los primeros en incursionar en esto. La película más grande de 1990 fue Ghost. Shakespeare solía poner fantasmas en sus obras.
SHYAMALAN: Creo que el amor es un concepto sobrenatural. Es una mitología en la que todos creemos, pero sigue siendo una mitología, una mitología sobrenatural de que existe “el indicado”. El “destinado” que conoces en la cafetería y sabes que estaba destinado a ser, y luego todas las cosas que suceden porque se conocieron.
—Night, dices que te acercaste a Gyllenhaal a principios de año para este papel. Cuando lo hiciste, ¿le dijiste que también habría una novela escrita por Sparks?
SHYAMALAN: Debo haberlo hecho. Pero fue un momento tan inusual porque había terminado de escribir el guion, presioné guardar, corrí para subirme al auto e ir a Nueva York para el cumpleaños de mi hija. En el auto suena el teléfono, y es Jake. Y yo, “¿Qué pasa, amigo?” No habíamos hablado en cinco años, o más. Y él dice, “Me encantaría estar en una de tus películas”. Y yo respondí, “Eso es tan raro. ¿Dónde estás?” Y él, “Estoy en Nueva York”. Le dije, “Bueno, yo voy a Nueva York. ¿Quieres tomar un té?”
Tuve la corazonada de que el universo estaba haciendo algo. Así que llamé a mi asistente. Le dije, “Imprime el guion”. Así que solo estábamos tomando té y poniéndonos al día. Y él me contaba lo enamorado que está y lo feliz que está y enamorado. Y le dije, “¿Sabes qué? Toma”. Se quedó en shock. Me llamó dos días después y dijo, “Estoy dentro. Me encanta”. Fue una especie de cosa extraña y hermosa.
—¿El libro sigue el guion al pie de la letra o viceversa?
SPARKS: Como cualquier adaptación, no. Lo primero que dije cuando leí su guion fue, “Oye, esto es genial. Por supuesto, no se parecerá en nada a mi novela. Es completamente diferente”. Night dijo básicamente lo mismo.
SHYAMALAN: Creo que para el público será muy interesante. Podrán señalar las diferencias y preguntar, “¿Por qué Nicholas hizo eso con el personaje y la historia de fondo? ¿Por qué Night hizo esto?” Nuestro diálogo no es el mismo.
—Night, estamos en temporada de Halloween. ¿Hay alguna película —además de las tuyas— que recomiendes ver?
SHYAMALAN: El exorcista, por supuesto, siempre está ahí. Está Juego de inocentes. La casa embrujada, la película de 1963 de Robert Wise. Y la película japonesa Cure.
Fuente: AP
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