INTERNACIONAL
Trump envoy to Turkey doubles down after backlash, pushes ‘peace through strength’ policy
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EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack is pushing back after backlash over remarks seen as equating Israel with Hezbollah, insisting his comments reflect «realism» and not a change in U.S. policy.
Barrack appeared to equate America’s closest ally in the Middle East with a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, suggested Turkey should soon regain access to the F-35 program despite its purchase of Russia’s S-400 system, and argued that only «powerful leadership regimes» have succeeded in the region.
In exclusive written answers to Fox News Digital’s questions, Barrack rejected accusations that he was softening the administration’s stance toward Hezbollah or Iran, and argued that President Donald Trump’s «peace through strength» approach requires a more pragmatic reading of the Middle East.
WALTZ HAILS ‘NIGHT-AND-DAY’ MIDDLE EAST SHIFT AS TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN RESHAPES REGION
U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack is pushing back after backlash over remarks seen as equating Israel with Hezbollah. (Hussein Malla/AP)
Fox News Digital: During your remarks at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum Friday, you described the Israel–Hezbollah ceasefire as a «time out» and said that «everybody has been equally untrustworthy.» How do you reconcile that characterization with the U.S. designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization?
Does your statement that the goal is «not killing Hezbollah» reflect any shift from the previous «maximum pressure» approach toward a strategy of containment or political inclusion?
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack: Let me be very clear about my remarks at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 17.
When I described the Israel–Hezbollah ceasefire as a ‘time out’ and said that ‘everybody has been equally untrustworthy,’ I was simply stating the obvious reality on the ground. This is realism, not criticism of any side.
The November 2024 ceasefire and the recent April 2026 ceasefire have repeatedly proven fragile because all parties — Israel, Hezbollah and their backers — have tested the limits in the past. Historical patterns of violations, rearmament and proxy escalation confirm that mutual mistrust is the core challenge.
That mutual mistrust is exactly why this administration brokered the ceasefire in the first place: to stop the senseless killing, create breathing room and build a monitored, enforceable path forward that strengthens Lebanese sovereignty and Israeli security.
This characterization in no way softens our ironclad position: Hezbollah is a designated terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of Americans and countless acts of destabilization.
We have never trusted them. We acknowledge that within Lebanon itself, the Hezbollah political party is differentiated from Hezbollah the terrorist group, which holds parliamentary seats within the Lebanese government. Political trust in that regard will have to be earned.
U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack speaks during a session at Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, April 17, 2026. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)
My point was straightforward: durable peace requires confronting that mistrust head-on, not pretending it does not exist. This approach fully supports President Trump’s policy of maximum pressure on Iran and its proxies while delivering real results: positioning us to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist capabilities through a combination of enforcement, Lebanese state authority and the renewal of an economy that can provide a new era of hope to Lebanese communities in both the north and south.
On the goal not being ‘killing Hezbollah,’ I stand by every word. After decades in the region, you cannot eliminate an embedded militia solely by kinetic means when a sovereign state like Iran continues to arm and fund it. Pure ‘mowing the lawn’ has never worked. To the contrary, it often fuels recruitment and prolongs conflict.
Our objective has always been to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure to the point where diplomacy and a sovereign Lebanese government can take over under Lebanon’s confessional system, reflecting Christian, Sunni and Shiite interests. This is not a shift toward containment or political inclusion of a terrorist group. It is the same ‘maximum pressure plus smart diplomacy’ playbook this administration has used successfully against ISIS and other threats.
We continue to back Israel’s right to defend itself decisively, as Secretary Rubio explicitly affirmed in the current ceasefire terms, while also pushing for an end to the idiocy of endless war. Stopping the bleeding first, then enforcing the win. That is exactly what President Trump and Secretary Rubio achieved with this ceasefire.
No policy changes whatsoever. Just clear, effective execution.
TRUMP’S GAMBLE IN NORMALIZING RELATIONS WITH SYRIA IN THE FACE OF IRAN: ‘HIGH-RISK, HIGH-REWARD’
Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, meets Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Baabda, east of Beirut, on July 7, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency Press Office/AP)
Fox News Digital: You described the dispute over Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program as «insane» and suggested the Russian S-400 issue could be resolved within months.
What specific safeguards regarding possession and operability are under consideration to satisfy Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act and address concerns that the Russian S-400 system could compromise sensitive F-35 technology? How do you respond to members of Congress who have threatened to oppose F-16 upgrades or any future F-35 transfer to Turkey until your comments regarding Hezbollah and Israel are clarified?
(For example, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who responded directly to Barrack’s April 2026 remarks by saying Turkey would not receive either F-35s or F-16s. Scott wrote that Turkey «funds Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, hates Israel, and loves Russia and Iran,» adding: «Good luck buying F-35s, F-16s, and other American-made defense platforms.)
Barrack: Calling the prolonged impasse «insane» is blunt common sense. It highlights exactly why the administration is right to pursue a resolution: NATO unity against Russia and China is a core U.S. national security interest.
Turkey remains a vital ally, hosting critical U.S. assets, contributing to NATO missions and countering shared threats. Sanctions and exclusion from the F-35 program, triggered by the S-400 purchase, have strained ties unnecessarily while Russia benefits from the wedge.
The S-400 issue can and should be resolved within months through surgical diplomacy from Secretary Rubio, grounded in the strong personal relationship between President Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Let me be explicit: any resolution will fully satisfy Section 1245 of the NDAA. That means verifiable cessation of possession and operability of the Russian S-400 system, with formal certifications from the secretaries of Defense and State confirming there is no risk of compromise to sensitive F-35 technology.
There will be no shortcuts on American security standards. What I am signaling is that real breakthroughs are imminent: restoring Turkey’s role in the F-35 ecosystem, strengthening NATO interoperability, boosting U.S. industry and denying Russia leverage.
This is classic Trump deal-making: enforce the law, protect our technology and rebuild alliances that advance American strength.
In every one of these statements, I am speaking directly in support of this administration’s foreign policy. We believe in peace through strength, candid assessment of realities and delivering results that protect U.S. interests without dragging America into endless conflicts.
These comments reflect that approach: maximum leverage against terrorists, pragmatic engagement with key partners like Turkey and a clear-eyed path to greater stability in a volatile region.»
Another point of contention was Barrack’s repeated argument that strong centralized rule, rather than Western-style democracy, has been the most successful model in the Middle East. Reiterating comments he had made previously, Barrack said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 17: «The only thing that’s worked, the only thing, are these powerful leadership regimes: either benevolent monarchies, the kind of monarchical republic.
IRAN’S COLLAPSE OR SURVIVAL HINGES ON ONE CHOICE INSIDE THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARD
Turkey was removed from the American F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russia’s S-400 air defense system, which U.S. officials warned could allow Moscow to gather intelligence on the stealth fighter.
Under Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act, Turkey cannot rejoin the program unless the president certifies to Congress that Ankara no longer possesses or operates the S-400 and that the system poses no risk to the F-35.
Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa met with U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack at the People’s Palace in Damascus on Jan. 18, 2026. (Syrian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu)
Fox News Digital: You said that «powerful leadership regimes» are the only structures that have worked in the Middle East.
Does that statement reflect a broader shift away from longstanding U.S. support for democratic governance and human rights in the region?
Barrack: When I said that ‘powerful leadership regimes,’ whether benevolent monarchies or the kind of monarchical republics seen elsewhere in the region, are the only structures that have actually worked in the Middle East, I was speaking from decades of hard-earned observation, not ideology.
Look at the track record. Countries that tried to adopt Western-style democracy quickly after the Arab Spring largely failed, often descending into chaos, civil war or new forms of authoritarianism.
Meanwhile, stable, results-oriented leadership in places like the Gulf monarchies has delivered security, economic growth, modernization and real improvements in people’s lives.
Israel, which one can rightly point to as a vibrant democracy in the region, stands as a notable outlier that has thrived under extremely strong, bold leadership capable of delivering security and prosperity under extraordinary challenges, even as some critics describe it as a «flawed democracy.»
Turkey, operating as a presidential republic with regular multiparty elections, also demonstrates how strong, centralized leadership under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has delivered stability, economic dynamism and assertive regional influence, though critics have described it as a hybrid regime with strong authoritarian tendencies.
This is not a change in U.S. policy away from supporting democratic governance and human rights. It is a realistic assessment of what produces stability so that human rights and prosperity can take root.
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Warren Stephens, Tom Barrack, and Tilman Fertitta sit for their confirmation hearings. (Getty Images)
President Trump’s approach has always been peace through strength: deal with the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. We support effective governance that prevents chaos, counters terrorism and creates conditions for long-term progress.
That includes backing strong, accountable leaders who deliver for their people, whether in monarchies that have modernized successfully or in evolving systems that prioritize security and opportunity over imported models that have repeatedly collapsed.
lebanon, turkey, middle east foreign policy, war with iran, terrorism, national security, israel
INTERNACIONAL
Dem ripped for ‘disgusting’ absence on bill to punish violent criminals after girl strangled in grisly killing
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FIRST ON FOX: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is being ripped by critics accusing him of making a «disgusting» decision to be absent during a vote on a Texas bill to automatically deny bail to illegal immigrants charged with violent felonies after a local preteen was strangled to death.
As a member of the Texas House of Representatives in 2025, Talarico was absent during the final voting on a bill dubbed by state lawmakers «Jocelyn’s Law,» in honor of slain Houston preteen Jocelyn Nungaray. The measure, which would have added a Texas constitutional amendment to deny bail to illegal immigrants charged with violent felonies, ended up failing due to lack of bipartisan support.
Before being absent for the final vote, Talarico voted against killing two amendments to the bill that would have exempted immigrants present in the country on humanitarian parole, an order of supervision, a pending green card application, trafficking or Violence Against Women Act victim protections, visa extension applications, deferred action or Temporary Protected Status.
He is now taking flak over his absence as he runs for U.S. Senate in one of the states most impacted by illegal immigrant crime. Nungaray, 12, was sexually assaulted and killed, allegedly by two Venezuelan illegal immigrants, in a Houston neighborhood in June 2024.
Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, slammed Talarico for what he said amounts to helping to kill the bill, saying, «It is disgusting that James Talarico is letting his anti-American agenda show by siding with a violent illegal over a Texas family.»
DA TO SEEK DEATH PENALTY AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ACCUSED IN NUNGARAY MURDER CASE
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico (left) is taking heat for voting against «Jocelyn’s Law,» a bill named in honor of slain Houston preteen Jocelyn Nungaray (right) to amend the Texas constitution to deny bail to illegal immigrants charged with violent felonies. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images; The American Border Story)
Kraft told Fox News Digital that Talarico’s alleged opposition to the bill has «once again … proven his priority is criminals, not the safety of Texans.»
JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, pushed back on this, telling Fox News Digital that «James is a law and order Democrat who supports prosecuting violent felons, and has a proven track record voting for tighter bail laws for violent offenders and voting repeatedly to increase funding for Texas police.»
Ennis added that «while [incumbent Sen.] John Cornyn, [challenger Texas Attorney General] Ken Paxton, and the billionaires who prop them up lie about James’ record, he will continue standing up against both political parties to fix this broken, corrupt political system.»
Texas bore much of the brunt of the border crisis during the Biden administration.
Prosecutors say Nungaray was abducted, sexually assaulted and strangled. Her body was later found in a creek drainage area. Two men, Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, both Venezuelan nationals illegally present in the U.S., have been charged with capital murder in the case.
JAMES TALARICO IS NEWEST TEXAS DEMOCRAT MEDIA DARLING, BUT DREAMS OF STATE ‘GOING BLUE’ HAVE LONG BEEN DASHED
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico speaks at a campaign rally in Houston on March 2, 2026. (Danielle Villasana/Getty Images)
Before Nungaray’s killing, the men were encountered by U.S. Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas, in early 2024. However, they were released on their own recognizance under the Biden administration into the U.S. The murder happened just months after their illegal entry.
According to data gathered by the House Homeland Security Committee toward the end of the Biden administration, there were more than 10.8 million border encounters and roughly two million known gotaways under former President Joe Biden.
Against this backdrop, Talarico has been criticized as soft on crime and pro-defund the police, the latter of which he has denied as a «flat-out lie.»
During his time in the Texas House, he has also voted against the Damon Allen Act, a bill that restricted bail for certain offenders named in honor of Texas state trooper Damon Allen, who was killed by a career criminal out on bail. In 2021, he also voted against a proposed constitutional amendment that would deny bail for anyone accused of violent sexual offenses or trafficking.
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Franklin Jose Peña Ramos and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel have been charged in the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas, on Monday, June 17. (Harris County Jail)
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On the immigration issue, Talarico has taken heat for saying in 2019 that «undocumented Americans» are «also my constituents.»
In a graphic put out by United We Dream, an activist group that supports abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Talarico encouraged people not to open their doors to federal immigration agents. He instructed people not to sign any documentation without an attorney and to «fight back.»
Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
midterm elections, immigration, migrant crime, illegal immigrants, texas, democratic party, politics
El viceministro de Sustancias Controladas de Bolivia, Ernesto Justiniano, y el director de la Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico, William Cabrera, se reunieron este martes con agentes de la Administración para el Control de Drogas de Estados Unidos (DEA, por sus siglas en inglés) en Washington para fortalecer la cooperación en la lucha contra el tráfico de drogas.
Según informó el viceministro al canal Unitel, el tema central del encuentro fue “Sebastián Marset y la institución criminal que estaba detrás de él”.
De igual forma, señaló que en el país hay otras operaciones de organizaciones criminales brasileñas como el Primer Comando Capital (PCC) y el Comando Vermelho sobre las que se está trabajando. En ese marco, el viceministro señaló que se coordinarán acciones con Estados Unidos y otros países, como Perú y Brasil, para el intercambio de información y el fortalecimiento de la lucha contra el crimen organizado.
El presunto narcotraficante uruguayo Sebastián Marset, uno de los criminales más buscados de la región y por quien Estados Unidos ofrecía una recompensa de dos millones de dólares, fue capturado en Bolivia la madrugada del 13 de marzo.
En un operativo policial realizado en la zona residencial de Las Palmas, en el centro de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Marset fue detenido y trasladado al aeropuerto de Viru Viru, donde fue entregado a las autoridades de la DEA para su traslado a Estados Unidos, donde enfrenta cargos por lavado de dinero.
Tras la captura, las fuerzas policiales bolivianas realizaron múltiples operativos y allanamientos para desarticular la red criminal que lideraba el uruguayo. Según información oficial, se secuestraron al menos 16 avionetas y vehículos blindados, y se intervinieron aeródromos y viviendas en las que operaba su organización.
Sin embargo, estas acciones fueron cuestionadas por la presunta sustracción de objetos de valor —como dinero en efectivo y joyas—, por reportes tardíos sobre la existencia de cajas fuertes y por contradicciones sobre la cantidad de personas aprehendidas.
El ministro de Gobierno, Marco Antonio Oviedo, informó el 5 de mayo ante la Asamblea Legislativa que se había detenido a 55 personas, y tres días más tarde, el viceministro de Régimen del Interior, Hernán Paredes, señaló que eran 20.
Luego de la captura también se vivió una ola de violencia en Santa Cruz, donde se produjeron al menos seis asesinatos, algunos de los cuales estarían relacionados con la disputa por el control del territorio y la organización que lideraba Marset.
Entre las personas abatidas se encontraban personas con antecedentes criminales y algunos directamente vinculados con el uruguayo, como José Pedro R.V., quien presuntamente era piloto de la red, quien fue asesinado a tiros cuando se preparaba para participar en una competencia automovilística a pocos kilómetros de Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
Según la criminóloga y exdirectora del Observatorio de Seguridad Ciudadana, Gabriela Reyes, los asesinatos ocurridos en las últimas semanas son una “consecuencia de no desarticular la organización” del narco uruguayo y de no haber detenido a otros líderes de su red.
“Esto hace que haya una pugna por quién va a encabezar las actividades que Marset llevaba a cabo desde su liderazgo”, afirmó en entrevista con Infobae.
En lo inmediato, y más allá de los acuerdos de cooperación con la DEA y otras instancias, el Gobierno de Bolivia anunció la conformación de un grupo de élite con sede en Santa Cruz, enfocado en combatir el sicariato y la delincuencia organizada. Este grupo está compuesto por policías especializados en lucha contra el narcotráfico y el terrorismo.
Crime,Drug Trafficking / Narcotics,North America
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Vance-led task force cuts off $1.4B from home health, hospice providers suspected of fraud
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EXCLUSIVE: Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force has withheld $1.4 billion in federal funding from home health and hospice providers nationwide, following a wave of suspensions enacted by an anti-fraud task force targeting operations in California, Minnesota and several other states.
Approximately 90% of the suspended providers have not reached out to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency tasked with combating fraud, waste and abuse, since payments have been suspended.
Trump administration officials told Fox News Digital that they believe lack of communication between alleged fraudulent providers and CMS indicates that the providers were not legitimate enterprises.
The suspended group includes long-term providers who have been pocketing federal funds for years while failing to communicate with CMS, a senior Trump administration source told Fox News Digital.
«The Vice President’s task force continues to stop the flow of taxpayer funds before they fall into the hands of fraudsters and deliver savings to the American people,» a spokesperson for Vice President JD Vance told Fox News Digital. «This is great momentum in the fight for the President’s War on Fraud.»
LOS ANGELES COUNTY FACES SCRUTINY AFTER ALLEGED WIDESPREAD HOSPICE FRAUD EXPOSED
Vice President JD Vance hosted the first meeting of The Task Force To Eliminate Fraud on March 27. The task force has suspended hundreds of hospices suspected of fraud in Los Angeles alone. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump has made the eradication of systemic fraud a cornerstone of his administration’s domestic policy. On Monday, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz blasted California officials over the state’s hospice crisis, charging that the fraud is «stealing your lives» and pointing to a sophisticated web of international graft.
«We’ve got Russian government involvement, we believe, in Los Angeles. We’ve got the Chinese government involved in a big fraud ring in New York,» Oz told guest host Kayleigh McEnany on «Jesse Watters Primetime.» «And, of course, the Cuban connection… pointed out to me by former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. We’ve got twice as many durable medical equipment suppliers—selling wheelchairs and canes—as there are McDonald’s in South Florida. The owners often flee back to Cuba with the money the moment we move in on them.»
Last month, Fox News Digital uncovered the suspension of 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies suspected of fraud in Los Angeles alone, with the total theft estimated at more than $600 million.
Days later, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) referred 562,000 suspected fraudulent loans — totaling over $22.2 billion — to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for collection. These loans largely originated from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MINNESOTA’S ‘FEEDING OUR FUTURE’ FRAUD AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S LATEST CRACKDOWN
The SBA noted these files were flagged for suspected fraud during the Biden administration but were never sent to the Treasury Department for recovery.
«The task force has made clear that the Biden Administration’s policy of giving direct cash payments to fraudsters is over,» a senior White House official told Fox News Digital.
In April, the head of a California hospice advocacy group warned congressional lawmakers that industry fraud is flourishing across the state. Sheila Clark, president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA), questioned how these «ghost» providers managed to evade regulators for so long.
«You’d be amazed at how many hospices… you can walk up to the door in California and there is nobody there. You can see five months’ worth of mail stacked up,» Clark told the House Ways and Means Committee during an April 22 hearing. «And yet, they passed a survey. How did that happen?»
«How do you put a hospice in a burrito stand? How do you put a hospice in a retail store?» she quipped. «That all had to be vetted through licensure, certification and accreditation.»
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently announced the arrest of five individuals linked to an alleged multi-million-dollar hospice scheme that reportedly raked in $267 million through fraudulent billing to Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program.
The Trump administration has intensified its focus on the abuse of taxpayer funds following last year’s arrests connected to the «Feeding Our Future» scheme in Minnesota—a massive «sham meal» operation that allegedly defrauded the government of hundreds of millions of dollars.
jd vance, politics, health care executive
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