Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that religious freedom would be a top focus of the Trump administration at home and abroad, saying there was “much more to do” to secure religious liberty. Vance made the comments during a speech at the International Religious Freedom Summit at the Washington Hilton, where he highlighted actions taken during the first Trump administration to advocate for religious freedom, saying the second administration would expand that focus.  “We remain the world’s largest majority-Christian country and the right to religious freedom is protected by the people for everybody whether you’re a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, or no faith at all,” Vance said. “But religious liberty is not simply, as we all know, about legal safeguards, it is also about fostering a culture in which faith can thrive, so that men and women can fully appreciate and respect the God-given rights of their fellow citizens.” He said that religion helps people better connect to “the particular,” helping them be more committed to their neighbors and communities. The conference was attended by 1,500 religious liberty advocates and sponsored by several companies and organizations, including Meta, The Washington Times Foundation, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, and Samaritan’s Purse. “In China, across Europe, and throughout Africa, and the Middle East, the first Trump administration took critical steps to protect the rights of the faithful, whether that was by rescuing pastors who were persecuted by foreign regimes or bringing relief to Yazidis, Christians, and other faith communities facing genocidal terror from ISIS,” Vance said.  He then pointed to actions already taken by Trump during his first few weeks in office, including issuing pardons to 23 peaceful pro-life protesters who were targeted by the Biden administration.  “The president has issued orders to end the weaponization of the federal government against religious Americans, pardon pro-life protesters who were unjustly imprisoned under the last administration, and, importantly, stop the federal censorship used to prevent Americans from speaking their conscience and speaking their mind whether it’s in their communities or online,” Vance said.  The VP also praised Trump’s choice to nominate his former senate colleague, Marco Rubio, as Secretary of State, saying he was a “champion” of religious liberty. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom also praised Rubio’s confirmation, saying he would be stronger than his predecessor.

President Donald Trump signaled on Wednesday that he will seek a “Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement” with Iran that will prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons while allowing it to “grow and prosper.” Trump posted about his goal on Truth Social after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday and saying at a press conference that the U.S. would take control of Gaza. The president also said in his social media post that he has no intention of taking extreme military action against Iran. “I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote. “Reports that the United States, working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens, ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED. I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper. We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!” With his post, Trump appears to be opening the door for Iran to come to the negotiating table after he signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum on Tuesday to apply “maximum pressure” on the U.S. nemesis and deny “Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon.” On Tuesday, Trump also told reporters in the Oval Office that he “left instructions” for how the U.S. should respond if Iran assassinates him. Trump said it “would be a terrible thing for them to do” because “they would be obliterated.” The president also shot back at a reporter who claimed that Netanyahu “wants” the U.S. to “strike Iran.” “You don’t know what he wants,” Trump replied. “What do you know about anything?” While the president said he wants to pursue peaceful negotiations with Iran, he suggested that he might use U.S. troops to take control of Gaza, adding that long-term ownership of Gaza is a possibility. “I think we will be a great keeper of something that is very, very strong, very powerful, and very, very good for the area, not just for Israel, for the entire Middle East,” Trump said. “There will be jobs for everyone.” “Everyone I have spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent,” he added. Trump’s remarks on Tuesday came after he campaigned on ending America’s foreign entanglements. Trump also said during his inaugural address that his foreign policy success will be measured “perhaps most importantly [by] the wars we never get into.”

Three former University of Pennsylvania women’s swimmers have filed a lawsuit over biological males being allowed to use female locker rooms and participate in their competitions. The students, who have since graduated, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday against their university, Harvard University, the Ivy League Council of Presidents, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The lawsuit is based on their experience with teammate Lia Thomas, a former male swimmer who started identifying as a woman and dominating female competitions. The lawsuit, filed by Grace Estabrook, Margo Kaczorowski, and Ellen Holmquist, with support from the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), was provided exclusively to Fox News and has been reviewed by The Daily Wire. The women are seeking damages for “pain and suffering, mental and emotional distress, suffering and anxiety, expenses costs” and more for the institutions allowing Thomas and other trans-identifying men into women’s spaces and competitions, which they say violated their rights under Title IX. Title IX is a federal statute that prohibits discrimination based on sex, and was initially created to ensure women have equal opportunities for sports. But over the past decade, schools have allowed biological men to self-identify into women’s sports, taking hundreds of medals from women. The three women now suing have argued that being forced to change clothes in front of Thomas, who still has male genitalia, left them “repeatedly emotionally traumatized.” It can take around 30 minutes for a competitive swimmer to get into their skintight swimsuits, meaning the women had to spend at least that much time in a vulnerable position in front of a biological man, who was also changing. “The UPenn administrators told the women that if anyone was struggling with accepting Thomas’s participation on the UPenn Women’s team, they should seek counseling and support from [UPenn’s student wellness center] and the LBGTQ center,” the lawsuit says. “The administrators also invited the women to a talk titled, ‘Trans 101.’ Thus, the women were led to understand that UPenn’s position was that if a woman on the team had any problem with a trans-identifying male being on her team that woman had a psychological problem and needed counseling,” the lawsuit added. The former swimmers also allege that the administrators told them not to publicly speak out about the situation, or risk consequences. “The UPenn administrators went on to tell the women that if the women spoke publicly about their concerns about Thomas’ participation on the Women’s Team, the reputation of those complaining about Thomas being on the team would be tainted with transphobia for the rest of their lives and they would probably never be able to get a job,’” the lawsuit says. The women are suing Harvard as well as UPenn because Harvard hosted the NCAA women’s championship, where Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle, and 400-yard freestyle relay as a senior. Thomas has continued to fight to be allowed to compete against biological women, even attempting to be allowed to compete in elite women’s races post-college, but a legal challenge was denied last year, The Daily Wire reported. On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order to keep biological men out of women’s sports.

As drones become more standard in warfare, Israel‘s Defense Ministry (IMOD) is working with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD) to develop anti-drone technology. In January 2024, three U.S. Army soldiers were killed, and more than 30 service members were injured by a drone attack at a U.S. outpost in Jordan. “Officials said the drone was fired by Iran-backed militants and appeared to come from Syria,” CNN reported. “Mexican drug cartels are ordering their members to attack US Border Patrol agents with kamikaze drones and other explosives in a desperate bid to thwart the crackdown at the border, according to an internal memo obtained by The Post,” The New York Post reported this week. The Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD) “identifies and develops capabilities for DOD and Interagency customers to conduct Irregular Warfare against all adversaries, including Great Power competitors and non-state actors,” the entity says of itself. “Irregular Warfare is a struggle among state and non-state actors to influence populations and affect legitimacy. Irregular Warfare favors indirect and asymmetric approaches, though it may employ the full range of military and other capabilities, in order to erode an adversary’s power, influence, and will. It includes specific missions of unconventional warfare (UW), stabilization, foreign internal defense (FID), counterterrorism (CT), and counterinsurgency (COIN).” Tests concluded in Israel on Tuesday follow an initial series of completed trials conducted in October 2024. The tests included nine different Israeli arms contractors and startups demonstrating various drone interception and neutralization capabilities. The IMOD will choose several technologies for accelerated development and production processes with the goal of implementing their operational capabilities immediately. “The UAV threat is an evolving and multi-arena threat that has expanded to all our combat sectors, led by Iran and its proxies,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared. “This threat has already extracted a heavy human toll from us, which is why we have mobilized all tools to develop an effective response. The series of tests we conducted represents a national effort led by the DDR&D, with participation from major defense companies alongside innovative startups. Everyone has joined the mission with the understanding that defending Israel’s skies is a top priority. Against our enemies, we are committed to continue advancing and introducing new capabilities to the battlefield in the near term. We will act to ensure maximum protection for our citizens and forces on the ground against UAVs from Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, and any arena where we may be required to respond.” Head of the DDR&D, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dr. Daniel Gold stated, “The defense establishment is determined to complete a comprehensive defensive response to the drone threat, as we have done for threats in the upper layers. We have defined an operational architecture with the IDF, including detection, tracking, and interception layers. In this series of follow-up trials, we witnessed the advancement of sophisticated drone interception capabilities, which will now enter an accelerated development process under DDR&D leadership.” IDF Head of Planning and Force Build-Up Directorate Maj. Gen. Eyal Harel added, “We are in a learning competition with the enemy, particularly in the field of UAVs, which challenges us across multiple combat zones. Throughout the war, we have developed various creative, technological, and operational solutions that have led to unprecedented achievements on the battlefield. This day has demonstrated the importance of continued technological efforts that showcase Israel’s existing technological capabilities. The synergy between the defense establishment and Israel’s technological sector serves as a force multiplier, enabling us to provide comprehensive protection for Israel’s airspace and our forces on the ground. In the coming months, we will select the most suitable capabilities and implement them extensively throughout the IDF. Much appreciation to the participating industries.”

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