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5 things to know about President Donald Trump’s ‘Iron Dome’ plan for America

Trump signs executive order to build American Iron Dome

Veterans on Duty chairman Jeremy Hunt discusses why he supports the dome’s construction for national security purposes, how the possible missile defense system would work and how the DOD is restoring military readiness.

President Donald Trump has ordered the construction of an advanced, next-generation missile defense shield to protect the United States from aerial attack.

On Monday, the president signed an executive order that tasks Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with drawing up plans to build an “Iron Dome for America” that will protect Americans from the threat of missiles launched by a foreign enemy. In doing so, Trump kept a campaign promise to prioritize missile defense.

“By next term we will build a great Iron Dome over our country,” Trump said during a West Palm Beach event on June 14. “We deserve a dome…it’s a missile defense shield, and it’ll all be made in America.”

TRUMP SAYS THAT IRON DOME CONSTRUCTION WILL BE ‘IMMEDIATE,’ SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER

But what exactly are Trump’s plans for an “Iron Dome”? Here’s what you need to know:

1. Israel’s first defense

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Oct. 1, 2024. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

The Iron Dome missile defense system Trump has called for is similar to one that Israel has developed to intercept thousands of rockets.

Israel’s first line of defense, a missile defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, is labeled the Iron Dome. It was first deployed in 2011, and has since rebuffed and destroyed rockets from Hamas terrorists, Hezbollah forces and Iranian drones and missiles.

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE

The Iron Dome is land-based and built to keep the citizens of Israel safe from barrages of rockets deployed most often by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Israeli officials claim the Iron Dome has been 90% effective in intercepting thousands of rockets fired into Israel.

The U.S. has contributed at least $2.6 billion to the development of Israel’s Iron Dome system since 2011.

2. The threats facing the U.S.

Russia said it tested a hypersonic Zircon cruise missile in the Barents Sea, on May 28, 2022. (Russian Ministry of Defense)

Critically, the Iron Dome is a short-range defense system capable of tackling missiles with ranges between 2.5 miles and about 43 miles. Trump’s executive order identifies attack by long-range ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles as “the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” so his proposed defense system will need to be adapted and redesigned to defend against intercontinental missiles.

Russia currently has an arsenal of 1,250 deployed weapons, according to the New York Times. Pentagon analysts believe China will have a weapons stockpile of similar size within 10 years, if not earlier, and North Korea has continued development of intercontinental ballistic missiles under both Trump and President Joe Biden’s watch.

Most recently, Russia and China have experimented with hypersonic missiles, which are designed to exceed Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. Intercepting missiles at such speeds is a challenge the U.S. has partnered with Japan to confront at an estimated cost of $3 billion, the Associated Press reported.

3. Reagan tried it first

Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States and 33rd Governor of California. (Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

President Ronald Reagan was the first U.S. president to call for a national defense system that would counter the threat of the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons, including warheads attached to ballistic missiles.

On March 30, 1983, Reagan proposed “a vision for the future that offers hope” that he called the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The idea was to develop a space-based missile defense program that would protect the country from large-scale nuclear attack. Reagan proposed to develop technology that would allow the United States to identify and automatically destroy numerous incoming ballistic missiles before they reached their targets.

MCCONNELL VOTED NO ON HEGSETH AS PENTAGON HEAD, FORCING VANCE TO CAST TIEBREAKER

Acknowledging that the technology to realize his vision did not yet exist, Regan urged the scientific community to partner with the defense community and work towards a future where Americans need not fear nuclear attack.

“I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete,” Reagan said.

The president’s critics derided the plan, nicknaming it, “Star Wars,” and questioned why his administration would pursue a costly defense initiative with no guarantee that it would work. The Soviet Union accused Regan of violating a 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that committed both countries to refrain from developing missile defense systems. Arms control measures stalled during Reagan’s term because he refused to give up the project.

After Regan left office, interest in SDI waned and the program was canceled before the U.S. could develop a functional missile defense system. However, research conducted while SDI was active contributed to the Iron Dome’s development. In 2002, the U.S. withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which now allows Trump to pick up where Reagan left off.

4. Hegseth’s to-do list

Pete Hegseth is surrounded by his wife Jennifer Rauchet and his 7 children as he is sworn in as the new US Secretary of Defense by Vice-President JD Vance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 25, 2025. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP)

Under Trump’s order, freshly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth must submit to the president “a reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield.”

The plans must include defense against “ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks from peer, near-peer, and rogue adversaries.”

Hegseth is also instructed to accelerate the deployment of a satellite-based sensor system developed by the Missile Defense Agency that is currently in its prototype phase. Called the Hypersonic Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, the system uses “birth-to-death” tracking to follow missile threats from launch through interception, according to the Defense Department.

Additionally, Trump’s order instructs the development and deployment of several space-based missile interception technologies, including systems that could disable a missile prior to launch, as well as a “secure supply chain” to ensure that the ordered missile defense infrastructure is made in America.

Hegseth must also submit a plan to pay for these dense systems before the president puts together his fiscal year 2026 budget.

5. Cooperating with U.S. allies

Trump’s order calls to “increase bilateral and multilateral cooperation on missile defense technology development, capabilities, and operations,” as well as to “increase and accelerate the provision of the United States missile defense capabilities to allies and partners.”

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Hegseth is also directed to conduct a review of the U.S. military’s missile defense posture in theaters across the globe and identify areas for cooperation with allies.

Fox News Digital’s Gabriele Regalbuto contributed to this report.

Chris Pandolfo is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

January 29, 2025
Martina Navratilova endorses Olympic president hopeful who suggests ban on trans athletes from women’s sports

Former women’s tennis star Martina Navratilova expressed her desire to see former British Olympic champion Sebastian Coe become the next president of the International Olympics Committee (IOC).

The key issue that drives Navratilova’s endorsement is banning trans athletes from women’s competition — an issue the the former tennis star has been a prominent advocate of.

“IOC’s shift may alter DSD (Differences of Sexual Development) trans rules – here is hoping Seb Coe is the next president!” Navratilova wrote in a post on X while re-sharing an article that lays out Coe’s stances.

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The former Czech tennis player Martina Navratilova receives the golden racket during the Italian tennis internationals at the Foro Italico. Rome (Italy), May 21st, 2023. (Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

Coe published his manifesto for his vision as International Olympics Committee (IOC) president, as he campaigns for the position going into 2025, and it stressed the importance of protecting female athletes.

Unlike current IOC president Thomas Bach, Coe staunchly opposes trans inclusion in the women’s category, and said he would explore a complete ban on trans athletes in a previous interview with Sky News.

“We will have a very clear policy that will be un-ambiguous,” Coe said. “We’ve been very clear in World Athletics that transgender athletes will not be competing in the female category at the elite level.”

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Lord Sebastian Coe speaks during a Memorial Service for Kevan Gosper AO in the Olympic Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 17, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. Mr Gosper was an Olympian, former AOC President and IOC Vice President, who passed away on 19 July 2024 after a short illness. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images for the AOC)

Coe declined to state whether he would advocate for mandatory sex-eligibility tests for Olympians.

Coe is the current head of World Athletics — the governing body for international track & field competition. In 2023, the governing body tightened its regulations on trans athletes to exclude transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in the female category. That regulation also lowered the maximum testosterone level for eligible female competitors.

Coe said that if his becomes IOC president, the new Olympic policy on trans inclusion will “probably” reflect the one he has established in World Athletics.

While criticizing the IOC’s current policies on the issue, Coe referenced an incident at the recent Paris Olympics. The recent summer games were overshadowed by controversy when Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan won gold medals in women’s boxing.

Both athletes had previously been disqualified from international competitions for failing gender-eligibility tests. However, the IOC and current President Thomas Bach supported the inclusion of both athletes, insisting they were qualified to compete as women under the current rules.

Coe previously said the situation involving Khelif and Lin made him feel “uncomfortable,” in a November interview with the BBC. Neither athlete has been confirmed to be transgender.

NCAA PREZ SUGGESTS ONUS ON FEMALE ATHLETES TO USE OTHER FACILITIES IF UNCOMFORTABLE SHARING WITH TRANS PLAYERS

Algeria’s Imane Khelif (in red) punches Italy’s Angela Carini in the women’s 66kg preliminaries round of 16 boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 1, 2024. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The United Nations released study findings saying that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of the podium because they have been beaten out by transgender athletes.

The study, titled “Violence against women and girls in sports,” said that more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.

“The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males,” the report said.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

January 29, 2025
Israeli President Herzog highlights antisemitism in UN speech as new report shows shocking trend

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As the world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp on Monday, the world’s oldest hatred is again on the rise.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed the United Nations in honor of the solemn anniversary on Monday, saying the “moral beacon” of the U.N. had “been eroded time and again.”

Speaking to a packed General Assembly Hall, he asked, “How is it possible that international institutions, established as an anti-Nazi alliance, allow murderous antisemitic views to flourish unhindered, in the shadow of the greatest massacre of Jews since World War II? How is it possible that those institutions that were established in the wake of the greatest genocide in history – the Holocaust – distort the definition of ‘genocide’ in favor of one and only goal: attacking the State of Israel and the Jewish people; while embracing the despicable phenomenon of ‘reversing the Holocaust.’”

GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM LEAVES JEWISH COMMUNITY ISOLATED, RABBI SAYS WORLD AT ‘A TIPPING POINT’

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during the Holocaust memorial ceremony at the United Nations in New York on Jan. 27, 2025. (Lev Radin/Sipa USA/Sipa via AP Images)

Herzog added that “antisemitism, barbarism, cruelty, and racism” thrive at the U.N. because “too many of the nations represented here – do not confront them, do not unanimously condemn them, and do not fight against them.”

A recent report released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found in its latest Global 100 survey that 46% of the world’s 2.2 billion adults “harbor deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes,” a number “more than double” what the ADL recorded through the survey in 2014.

The ADL survey reflects the percentage of adults queried who “answered ‘definitely true’ or ‘probably true’ to six or more of the 11 negative stereotypes about Jews that were tested.” Responses ranged from 5% in Sweden and 8% in Norway, Canada, and the Netherlands, to 97% in Kuwait, the West Bank and Gaza.

Seventy-six percent of respondents in the Middle East and Africa, 51% in Asia, and 49% in Eastern Europe were found to agree with most antisemitic tropes surveyed. Though the respondents living in the Americas (24%), Western Europe (17%) and Oceania (20%) expressed less agreement with antisemitic statements, countries in these regions have seen tremendous incidents of violent antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023.

AUSCHWITZ 80 YEARS SINCE LIBERATION: RYSZARD HOROWITZ’S STORY OF SURVIVAL AND MAKING THE AMERICAN DREAM

Antisemitic hate on display at an anti-Israel protest in London. (Campaign Against Antisemitism on X)

In response to growing problems in the U.S., some in the American Jewish community have begun looking for safety outside the country. Israel’s Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, according to media reporting, said 3,340 Americans had immigrated to Israel as of September 2024. This represents a more than 30% increase from the 2,479 Americans who immigrated to Israel in 2023.

Nuri Katz, founder of Apex Capital Partners, has helped clients procure citizenship through investment for 32 years. Over the last five years, Katz told Fox News Digital that his Jewish client base expanded due to record levels of antisemitism inside the U.S. “American Jews are scared of being stuck and not being able to leave, just like many of their forefathers were stuck in Europe after the beginning of World War II,” he explained.

Katz said a popular choice among his Jewish clients is citizenship through investment in small Caribbean countries like St. Kitts and Antigua.

Though a long-awaited ceasefire and partial hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas is underway, the state of antisemitism around the world could be difficult to rein in.

A Jewish man was shot in the shoulder in Chicago in an antisemitic hate crime. (Fox 32 Chicago)

Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of Orthodox Union, told Fox News Digital, “It will certainly take time for the world to get the distortions of the past year and a half out of their mind.” He emphasized that “the Jewish people, the Israeli government, the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, have been waiting for the day when they can stop the fight, when they can start just building everybody’s future in a positive way, and being able to go back to working on providing the world with solutions to problems. And we’re very, very eager to get back to that.”

In the meantime, “elevated security costs are everywhere in the Jewish community,” Hauer said, explaining that some refer to the expense as “the antisemitism tax.” As a congregational rabbi in the 1990s, Hauer said, “Security in the synagogue meant the last person out should turn the button on the lock.” Today, he said, “Security committees are the most active committees in most synagogues.”

JEWISH HIGH SCHOOLERS FIGHT HATE WITH COMMUNITY SUPPORT, FACE NARROWING PROSPECTS FOR COLLEGIATE FUTURE

The United Nations building in New York City, Sept. 19, 2023. (Julia Bonavita for Fox News Digital)

The cost is “way more than the significant dollars” spent on security, Hauer said. “The cost is that the energy and the resources which faith communities should be investing in strengthening family and strengthening community… is being diverted” to turn “communal Jewish homes into fortresses.”

As a note of “good news,” Hauer said the hate emanating from “mass protests has, thank God, improved,” adding, “And that speaks to the better nature of the masses of both leaders and responsible people in this country, as well as the citizens.”

“We are hopeful,” he said, explaining that America has “a sometimes too-silent majority that despises the acts of hate which are being committed against anybody.” Hauer also added that the country “has to correct itself.”

With only some of the remaining hostages slated to be released at present, the time for relief has yet to arrive.

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Hauer called on a dichotomous mixture of hope and dismay in a press release about long-awaited hostage transfers. “We rejoice with the hostages who are being released, and we weep with those remaining in the hands of Hamas,” Hauer said.

“We are grateful that the new administration worked with the old to bring the necessary pressure to bear on Hamas, but we are incensed that the world has allowed this to go on for so long. We are grateful to President Trump for moving quickly to bring freedom to many, but we will not forget for even a moment the many who remain. There should still be hell to pay,” Hauer said.

January 28, 2025
Rand Paul opposes President Trump’s Labor secretary pick Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has indicated that he will not support confirmation of President Donald Trump’s Labor secretary nominee, former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

The senator said he thinks that Chavez-DeRemer will “lose 15 Republicans,’ but “get 25 Democrats.”

“She might get all the Democrats. Who knows?” he added.

TRUMP NOMINATES REP. LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER AS SECRETARY OF LABOR

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, during a confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In a statement announcing Chavez-DeRemer as his pick for the Cabinet post last year, Trump declared, “Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America.”

AFT union President Randi Weingarten said in a tweet last year that Chavez-DeRemer’s “record suggests real support of workers & their right to unionize,” adding, “I hope it means the Trump admin will actually respect collective bargaining and workers’ voices from Teamsters to teachers.”

DRAG SHOWS, ARABIC SESAME STREET, LONELY RATS: GOP SENATOR DETAILS HOW BIDEN SPENT $1T ON ‘GOVERNMENT WASTE’

Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican who lost her congressional re-election bid in 2024, served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from early 2023 through early 2025.

Paul objected to the former lawmaker’s support for the PRO Act, which he claimed would “pre-empt state law” regarding “right to work.”

TRUMP CABINET NOMINEES, APPOINTEES TARGETED WITH ‘VIOLENT, UNAMERICAN THREATS’

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., participates in the House Transportation Committee hearing on “Oversight of the Department of Transportation’s Policies and Programs and Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request” in the Rayburn House Office Building on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House about Paul’s opposition to Chavez-DeRemer, but did not receive a comment in time for publication.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

January 28, 2025
Who is Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, former Marxist guerrilla and country’s first leftist leader?

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A recent spat publicly carried out this weekend over social media between President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro has brought renewed attention to the former Marxist guerrilla turned top political figure.

The U.S. sat on the brink of a trade war with Colombia after Trump turned to his favored geopolitical tool and threatened to impose up to 50% tariffs on all imports from the Latin American country if it did not accept military planes full of deported Colombians as part of Trump’s deportation sweep.

The trade war was avoided after Petro apparently agreed to lift his ban on flights full of deported Colombians who had allegedly entered the U.S. illegally, though not before he issued a strongly worded statement in which he threatened to match Trump’s tariffs, criticized his “greed” and defended Colombia’s sovereignty.

President Donald Trump, left, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. (Getty Images)

COLOMBIAN LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

The Colombian president’s Sunday diatribe on X in response to Trump is not a new approach for Petro, who has reportedly made a name for himself by being outspoken on social media.

Petro became Colombia’s first leftist leader in 2022 after he defeated conservatives by pledging changes that would focus on ending the country’s long history of violence, human rights abuses and poverty.

According to The Associated Press, Colombians had long been resistant to left-leaning politicians over concerns they were soft on violence.

Petro’s background as a former member of the M-19 guerrilla group before he turned to more traditional political paths, may have played in his favor at home.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, left, and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, shake hands after signing agreements at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Nov. 2, 2022. (Pedro Rances Mattey/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Though Petro’s election to high office was championed at home, it was met with trepidation by conservatives in the U.S.

Colombia was traditionally considered a top ally to Washington, D.C., in Latin America, and according to a Reuters report, the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement was responsible for a substantial $33.8 billion worth of trade in 2023 – accounting for a quarter of all of Bogotá’s exports.

Despite Colombia’s reliance on American spending, Petro has pursued controversial diplomatic pursuits that often run counter to Washington’s geopolitical agenda.

Retired military personnel take part in a rally to protest economic and social reforms pushed by the government of President Gustavo Petro and his proposal to convene a constituent assembly at Bolivar Square in Bogota, Colombia, on Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

COLOMBIA ELECTS FORMER REBEL GUSTAVO PETRO TO BECOME COUNTRY’S FIRST LEFTIST PRESIDENT

Since becoming president of Colombia, Petro has restored diplomatic relations with neighboring Venezuela, whose leader, Nicolás Maduro, has been criticized for his ties to top American adversaries, including China, Russia, Iranian proxies in the Middle East and Cuba.

Petro has also taken a hard stance in opposition to Israel and chose the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 abducted into Gaza, to criticize Jerusalem for carrying out “neo-Nazi” acts against Palestinians.

Petro continued his opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza over the next 15 months before a ceasefire was reached, in part, by officials now active in the Trump administration – which could indicate further headbutting between the nations’ leaders.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks at the International Workers’ Day march in Bogota, Colombia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

“I think many Latin American countries have gotten used to a U.S. presidential administration that doesn’t mean what it says or do what is needed for national security,” expert on Latin America issues and the executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society, Joseph Humire, told Fox News Digital. “President Petro seriously underestimated the resolve of President Trump to secure our border and end the weaponized migration that, for the past four years, has been undermining American sovereignty.

“If President Petro or any government tries to obstruct America’s sovereign right to deport criminals than I think they will see similar punitive measures,” he added.

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It remains unclear what relations going forward between Trump and Petro will look like or how the president was able to get Petro to reverse his position within hours of the Colombian president’s furious post on X.

Colombian foreign minister, Luis Gilberto Murillo, along with the nation’s ambassador to the U.S., Daniel Garcia-Pena, on Sunday announced plans to travel to Washington in the coming days to discuss agreements reached over the weekend to end the impasse and avoid a U.S.-Colombia trade war.

January 28, 2025
President Trump continues call for ‘state-of-the-art’ Iron Dome missile system

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President Donald Trump said that the construction of an Iron Dome-like shield for the U.S. is a top priority for him on Monday, calling for “immediate” work to be done on the project before signing an executive order.

Trump made the remarks at a Republican dinner in Florida on Monday, while commending his recently-confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. After landing at Joint Base Andrews that night, he confirmed that he signed an executive order regarding the Iron Dome on the plane.

“Pete Hegseth, who’s going to be great, by the way… I think he’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said at the event. “I know him very well. I think he’s going to be fantastic.”

“He’s what we need, to immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield, which will be able to protect Americans.”

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE

President Trump says that he will sign an EO authorizing an Iron Dome project. (Reuters)

The president added that Americans “protect other countries, but we don’t protect ourselves.” Trump also referenced that President Ronald Reagan was interested in the system during the Cold War, but Americans “didn’t have the technology.”

“And now we have phenomenal technology. You see that with Israel,” Trump continued. “So I think the United States is entitled to that. And everything will be made right here in the USA 100%.”

“We’re going next to ensure that we have the most lethal fighting force in the world.”

On Monday, the State Department said that a future Iron Dome is one of Hegseth’s many priorities.

MCCONNELL VOTED NO ON HEGSETH AS PENTAGON HEAD, FORCING VANCE TO CAST TIEBREAKER

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“Other areas the secretary will study include reinstating troops that were pushed out because of COVID-19 vaccination mandates and developing an Iron Dome anti-missile system for the United States,” the statement read.

This wasn’t Trump’s first mention of an Iron Dome for the U.S. At the Commander-In-Chief inaugural ball on Jan. 20., Trump said that the project was on his radar.

“We’re also doing the Iron Dome all made in America,” Trump said. “We’re going to have a nice Iron Dome.”

The Republican leader also referenced the plan on the campaign trail in 2024.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives at the Pentagon, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

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“By next term we will build a great Iron Dome over our country,” Trump said during a West Palm Beach event on June 14. “We deserve a dome…it’s a missile defense shield, and it’ll all be made in America.”

January 28, 2025
Belarus’ election extends President Lukashenko’s rule, called a sham by opposition, EU
UN chief meets with Putin, hugs Lukashenko at BRICS summit

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres drew condemnation for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as his warm embrace with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko while attending the BRICS summit in Russia.
- Belarus held an orchestrated election over the weekend that the opposition and the EU rejected as a farce, extending authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko’s more than three decades in power.
- Belarus’ 2020 election, which was also called a sham by dissenters, triggered months of unprecedented protests in the country.
- Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and has relied on subsidies and political support from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also helped him survive the 2020 protests.
Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko extended his more than three decades in power in an orchestrated weekend election that the opposition and the European Union rejected as a farce.

The Central Election Commission declared early Monday that Lukashenko won the election with nearly 87% of the vote after a campaign in which four token challengers all praised his rule.

Members of the country’s political opposition, many of whom are imprisoned or exiled abroad by Lukashenko’s unrelenting crackdown on dissent and free speech, called the election a sham — much like the last one in 2020 that triggered months of protests that were unprecedented in the history of the country of 9 million people.

SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO HAILS RELEASE OF US PRISONER IN BELARUS AS CONTROVERSY HANGS OVER NATION’S ELECTION

Since then, more than 65,000 people were arrested and thousands beaten, with the crackdown bringing condemnation and sanctions from the West.

The EU rejected Sunday’s vote as illegitimate and threatened new sanctions.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the election offered no choice to voters, marking “a bitter day for all those who long for freedom and democracy.”

The head of the Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus, Igor Karpenko, fifth from left, and his colleagues attend a news conference on presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, on Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

“Instead of free and fair elections and a life without fear and arbitrariness, they experience daily oppression, repression and human rights violations,” she said in a post on X.

Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and has ruled the country with an iron fist. He has relied on subsidies and political support from Russian President Vladimir Putin, himself in office for a quarter-century, a relationship that helped him survive the 2020 protests.

Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use the country’s territory to invade Ukraine in 2022 and later hosted some of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons.

Putin called Lukashenko on Monday to congratulate him on his “convincing victory.” Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent congratulations.

Some observers believe Lukashenko feared a repeat of those mass demonstrations amid economic troubles and the fighting in Ukraine, and so scheduled the vote in January, when few would want to fill the streets again, rather than hold it in August.

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Leading opponents have fled abroad or were thrown in prison. Activists say the country holds nearly 1,300 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center.

Since July, Lukashenko has pardoned more than 250 people. At the same time, authorities have sought to uproot dissent by arresting hundreds more in raids targeting relatives and friends of political prisoners.

Opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled Belarus under government pressure after challenging Lukashenko in 2020, denounced the election as a “senseless farce” and urged voters to cross off everyone listed on the ballot.
January 27, 2025
Vice President JD Vance pressed on when grocery prices will come down: ‘Which one lowers prices?’

Vice President JD Vance was pressed on when grocery prices would come down during an interview on Sunday with CBS’s Margaret Brennan.

Vice President JD Vance was pressed on grocery prices during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Sunday, arguing that several of President Donald Trump’s first moves in office would help bring down prices for Americans.

“No, Margaret, prices are going to come down, but it’s going to take a little bit of time, right? The president has been president for all of five days. I think that, in those five days, he’s accomplished more than Joe Biden did in four years,” Vance told Brennan, who pressed him on which of the several executive orders Trump signed in his first week addressed lowering grocery prices. “All of the stuff that we’ve done on energy, to explore more energy reserves, to develop more energy resources in the United States of America.”

Some Democrats have mocked Trump over grocery prices after he took office, including Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who posted on X in early January, “I don’t care if Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland. I just want to know what he’s going to do to lower the cost of groceries.”

“Donald Trump has already taken multiple executive actions that are going to lower energy prices, and I do believe that means consumers are going to see lower prices at the pump and at the grocery store,” Vance said, “but it’s going to take a little bit of time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

CBS News’ Margaret Brennan pressed VP JD Vance on grocery prices. (Screenshot/CBS / Fox News)

The price of eggs is up nearly 37% from last year, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI.)

BIDEN SAYS TRUMP INHERITING ‘STRONGEST ECONOMY IN MODERN HISTORY,’ SLAMS TARIFF PLAN AS ‘MAJOR MISTAKE’

Former President Biden and his administration had repeatedly insisted that it would take time for Americans to feel the former president’s accomplishments when it came to the economy.

Brennan asked Vance about when voters would see differences in the products they “touch and feel” at the grocery stores, and specifically noted Vance mentioned bacon on the campaign trail.

“Well, but Margaret, how does bacon get to the grocery store? It comes on trucks that are fueled by diesel fuel. If the diesel is way too expensive, the bacon is going to become more expensive. How do we grow the bacon? Our farmers need energy to produce it. So if we lower energy prices, we are going to see lower prices for consumers, and that is what we’re trying to fight for,” Vance responded.

The vice president also said during the interview that Big Tech was still on notice, despite their donations to Trump’s inauguration.

Vice President Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) arrives for a campaign rally at Radford University on July 22, 2024 in Radford, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Brennan said during the interview that most of the executive orders were not focused on the economy, but Vance pushed back.

“We’ve taken over 200 executive actions — some executive orders, other executive actions. Again, this is in less than a week, and a lot of them were focused on the economy, bringing investment into our country and lowering energy prices. We’ve also focused on safety, restoring public safety, ending weaponization of the Department of Justice. We’ve done a lot, and I think the president is to be commended for actually coming in and doing something with this incredible mandate the American people gave him. He’s not sitting in the Oval Office doing nothing. He’s doing the American people’s business, and I think they’re going to see a lot of good effects from it,” he said.

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January 26, 2025
Impeached South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol indicted on insurrection charges

South Korean prosecutors have indicted impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of leading a rebellion after he briefly imposed martial law last month, according to the country’s opposition party, as well as several South Korean media reports.

Yoon, a conservative, has presidential immunity from most criminal prosecutions, but the privilege does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. By law in South Korea, the leader of a rebellion can face life in prison or the death penalty.

“The prosecution has decided to indict Yoon Suk Yeol, who is facing charges of being a ringleader of insurrection,” Democratic Party spokesman Han Min-soo said at a press conference, according to Reuters. “The punishment of the ringleader of insurrection now begins finally.”

The move announced Sunday makes Yoon the first sitting South Korean president to face an indictment and criminal investigation, according to the Washington Post.

Yoon became the second conservative president to be impeached in South Korea when the opposition-led parliament voted to suspend his duties on Dec. 14.

IMPEACHED SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT DETAINED WEEKS AFTER MARTIAL LAW CHAOS

South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, attends the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 23, 2025. (Jeon Heon Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

He was arrested earlier this month over his Dec. 3, 2024, martial law decree that plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. ally into political turmoil. Yoon has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, calling his martial law a legitimate act of governance meant to raise public awareness of the danger of the liberal-controlled National Assembly, which obstructed his agenda and impeached top officials.

In declaring martial law, Yoon called the assembly “a den of criminals” and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.”

He sent troops and police officers to the assembly, but enough lawmakers still managed to enter an assembly chamber to vote down Yoon’s decree unanimously, forcing his Cabinet to lift it.

Though Yoon rescinded the decree after just six hours, the martial law imposition was the first of its kind in South Korea in more than 40 years and evoked painful memories of past dictatorial rules in the 1960s-80s.

Yoon had resisted efforts by investigative authorities to question or detain him. After a days-long standoff between his security detail and authorities, Yoon was then apprehended on Jan. 15 in a massive law enforcement operation at his presidential compound, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. Yoon, a former prosecutor himself, has been held in solitary confinement since then, according to Reuters.

Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attend a rally to oppose his impeachment near the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, on Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SOUTH KOREA’S IMPEACHED PRESIDENT AVOIDS ARREST ATTEMPT AFTER HOURSLONG STANDOFF

After a local court on Jan. 19 approved a formal arrest warrant to extend Yoon’s detainment, dozens of his supporters stormed the court building, destroying windows, doors and other property, according to the Associated Press. They also attacked police officers with bricks, steel pipes and other objects. The violence left 17 police officers injured, and police said they detained 46 protesters.

Separate from criminal judicial proceedings, the Constitutional Court is now deliberating whether to formally dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him.

Leading Yoon’s investigation was the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, but since his detainment Yoon has refused to attend CIO’s questioning, saying it has no legal authority to investigate rebellion allegations. The CIO has said it can investigate Yoon’s rebellion allegation as it’s related to his abuse of power and other allegations.

Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attend a rally to oppose his impeachment in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

The CIO handed over Yoon’s case to the Seoul prosecutors’ office Friday and asked it to indict him on rebellion, abuse of power and obstruction of the National Assembly.

In a statement Saturday, Yoon’s defense team urged prosecutors to immediately release Yoon and launch an investigation into the CIO.

South Korean media outlets, including Yonhap news agency, reported on Sunday that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Yoon on rebellion charges.

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Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several other military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the martial law decree.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.

January 26, 2025
Republic Day 2025: President Droupadi Murmu Unfurls Tricolour at Kartavya Path, National Anthem and 21 Gun Salute Follow (Watch Video)

President Droupadi Murmu unfurled the national flag as she led the countrymen in celebrating India’s 76th Republic Day today, January 26. The unfurling of the national flag was followed by the national anthem and 21 gun salute. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received President Droupadi Murmu and President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto at Kartavya Path for the 76th Republic Day celebrations. The Republic Day parade will showcase the country’s unique blend of rich cultural diversity, unity, equality, development and military prowess at the Kartavya Path. Republic Day 2025 Celebrations Live Streaming: Watch Live Coverage of National Flag Unfurling, Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path in Delhi on India’s 76th Gantantra Diwas.

Droupadi Murmu Unfurls the National Flag at Kartavya Path

#WATCH | President Droupadi Murmu unfurls the National Flag at Kartavya Path, on the occasion of 76th #RepublicDay🇮🇳

National anthem and 21 Gun salute follows.

(Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/6969bmx2B4

— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2025

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January 26, 2025