The Department of Defense plans to convene a panel to study its mid-2021 decision to require the COVID-19 vaccine for all service members and the circumstances that led to the dismissal of more than 8,400 troops who refused the shots.The Pentagon announced Wednesday that Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata will draw from military personnel and civilian employees to create the panel, which is tasked with reviewing “the official decisions, coordination, planning, and execution of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate from January 2020 through January 2023.”In a statement, Tata said the effort will help “establish permanent safeguards against future mandates.”“By having members of the affected community lead the internal after-action review and further analyze how the COVID-19 vaccine mandate influenced decision-making and readiness — and making the findings public — we will ensure that the Department learns from the past and does not repeat these mistakes in the future,” Tata said.In addition to Tata’s announcement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged to declassify and release materials related to the mandate, which he said were “essential to learn the lessons of this national security event to ensure we do not make the mistakes of the past.”The National Academy of…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A drunken wrong-way driver who killed a Massachusetts state trooper in a head-on crash had been served nine alcoholic drinks at a restaurant before blowing past clear warning signs and plowing down a highway in the wrong direction, according to a newly released DA report.Hernan Marrero, 50, of Roslindale, had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.192, which is more than twice the legal limit, when his Jeep Wrangler slammed head-on into Trooper Kevin Trainor’s cruiser around 2:04 a.m. on May 6 in Lynnfield, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker’s office said.The crash killed both Marrero and Trainor, a 30-year-old state trooper from Georgetown.BRITNEY SPEARS STANDS THROUGH SUNROOF AT 45 MPH ON STUDIO CITY FREEWAY AFTER DUI CHARGE WAS DROPPED A new report details Marrero’s final hours before the deadly wreck, saying he first stopped at a Waltham restaurant, where he bought food and received one complimentary drink before closing out his tab at 7:42 p.m. He then drove to Tribu Mexican Kitchen and Bar on Route 1 North in Saugus, where he sat at the bar at 9:15 p.m. and was served a margarita five minutes later, according to investigators.VIDEO SHOWS OFF-DUTY…

The U.S. Air Force recently conducted its first-ever live-fire test out of the unmanned, semiautonomous aircraft dubbed “loyal wingmen.”The Anduril-made YFQ-44A executed an end-to-end, beyond-line-of-sight strike against a simulated target during a live-fire test at Edwards Air Force Base, California, according to a company social media post Wednesday.The YFQ-44A fired upon a digital target using an inert AIM-120, which is an advanced medium-range air-to-air missile, an Air Force spokesperson told Military Times.The U.S. Air Force conducted its first-ever live-fire test out of its unmanned, semiautonomous aircraft dubbed the “loyal wingmen.”“We’re one step closer to getting [collaborative combat aircraft] to the warfighter with this live fire test!” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach said in a Wednesday social media post. In a series of April sorties, the force conducted hands-on testing with the YFQ-44A after beginning its flight testing in October 2025. The CCAs are jet-powered, semi-autonomous aircraft meant to fly alongside crewed fighter jets, such as the F-35 and F-47. The weapon was fired in a secluded airspace over the Mojave Desert with the 412th Test Wing’s Air Dominance Combined Test Force as part of a phased test progression that began with inert carriage evaluations earlier this year,…

The United States ruling class has banned Americans currently in the Democratic Republic of Congo from leaving the country amid an increasingly spreading Ebola outbreak. About two dozen Americans are now stuck in DR Congo as healthcare workers struggle to contain a Bundibugyo outbreak of the Ebola virus. Washington has already tightened restrictions on those coming from Ebola-stricken areas of the DR Congo. Back in May, when the outbreak began, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its travel warning for parts of the DR Congo and Uganda, while the Department of Homeland Security directed travelers arriving from the DR Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan to go through enhanced screening at designated US airports. These new rules, announced by the ruling Trump administration on Monday, will place US nationals currently in DR Congo or who recently left the country on a “do-not-board” list using federal transportation powers, Reuters reported, citing a White House official. The measure comes amid the fast-spreading outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in DR Congo, where 1,926 confirmed cases and 702 deaths have been reported by health authorities as of July 11th. By July 15th, those numbers increased to 2,011 confirmed cases and 754 deaths. On…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Trump administration officials and conservatives torched the sentencing result for an illegal immigrant trucker who killed three people in a fiery California semi-truck collision, after he was given less than five years behind bars.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who called the sentencing a “slap on the wrist,” said his agency will not stop “until ALL illegal alien truckers are put out of business and held accountable,” while the Department of Homeland Security said immigration officials were standing by to arrest the trucker “upon his release, so he is never allowed back on our roads.”Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old Indian national who federal authorities said was in the United States illegally, was sentenced Tuesday to four years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to three felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence stemming from an October 2025 crash on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County, California. Singh’s semitruck plowed into slow-moving traffic, killing three people and injuring several others, while dashcam video showed him never applying the brakes before impact.HIGH SCHOOL COACH, WIFE ID’D AS VICTIMS KILLED IN CRASH TIED TO ILLEGAL ALIEN TRUCKER RELEASED BY BIDEN ADMIN”This is a wildly insufficient…

The Pentagon is moving to buy thousands of affordable cruise missiles, reaching framework agreements with three companies on Wednesday. The deals fall under the U.S. Air Force’s Family of Affordable Mass Missiles program, or FAMM. The Defense Department said it reached agreements with Anduril for its Barracuda-500, CoAspire for its Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile and Zone 5 Technologies for its Rusty Dagger. The move boils down to cost-effectiveness. The Air Force is betting that low-cost weapons can do the work the service once reserved for far more expensive munitions.Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, designed to be fired at heavily defended targets from a safe distance, cost more than $1.3 million apiece. The service wants its new missiles for a fraction of that, closer to $218,000 per round, cheap enough to shoot many for less than it once cost to shoot one.The FAMM program splits into a lugged variant carried by fighters and bombers (FAMM-L) and a palletized variant dropped from airlifters (FAMM-P), both with ranges of 250 to 500 miles. Anduril said its framework agreement runs seven years, with deliveries starting in 2027. According to the company, the Air Force intends to buy up to 8,000 FAMM rounds a year…

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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Cyclospora parasite outbreak has put lettuce in the spotlight as investigators examine a possible link to Taco Bell, raising concerns among consumers about whether it’s still safe to eat fresh greens.While investigators have not identified a specific product or supplier as the source of the outbreak, interviews with sick patients have repeatedly pointed to lettuce and other salad greens as common exposures, and many of those patients also reported eating at Taco Bell before becoming ill.PARASITIC INFECTION CAUSING ‘EXPLOSIVE’ STOMACH ILLNESS EXCEEDS 1,000 CASES IN NORTHERN STATEState and federal health officials – including the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), CDC and FDA – are investigating a possible link between fresh ingredients served at certain Taco Bell locations and the Cyclospora outbreak. The chain has voluntarily removed select fresh ingredients at certain locations while public health officials continue their investigation.EXPERIMENTAL VACCINE SHOWS PROMISE AGAINST DANGEROUS INTESTINAL ILLNESSIn an email statement to Fox News Digital, Taco Bell Corp. said: “The health and safety of our guests is our top priority. Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer. While…

The Pentagon will begin annually screening service members for testosterone deficiency, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday, citing the need to ensure troops maintain the “biological foundation” to fight. Under the new program, the secretary said service members aged 30 and older will be tested yearly for testosterone deficiency as part of routine health assessments. Troops under 30, meanwhile, will have the option to be tested, he said. The decision to receive testosterone replacement therapy — if recommended by a medical professional — will remain up to the individual service member. “It’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight,” Hegseth said in a video posted to X. The video did not specify if the testing and treatment would be gender-specific and appeared to connect the directive to mental wellness. “As we know, the modern battlefield is brutal and unrelenting,” he said. “It requires and demands maximum psychological and mental readiness. And by addressing these health markers early, we’re keeping you on the leading edge of lethality and giving you the same level of support that you give this nation — the absolute best.”The requirement…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., is brushing off calls to debate his Republican rivals in Florida’s gubernatorial race, arguing his opponents remain stuck in single-digits while he holds a commanding lead ahead of the Aug. 18 primary.”I’ve been consistent,” Donalds told Fox News Digital when asked about criticism of his refusal to participate in debates. “These guys are in single digits. They stay in single digits.”Donalds has argued there is no reason to debate given the large lead he has maintained throughout the campaign leading up to the primary.JOE LOMBARDO CRUISES PAST SIX GOP CHALLENGERS TO SECURE NEVADA REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL NOMINATION The Florida Republican, retiring from the House to run for governor, has consistently polled at roughly 50%, with all his opponents trailing far behind in the single digits. His campaign has also vastly outraised the rest of the field — raising over $90 million.”They should spend their time going to see the people of Florida because they’re not getting much support at all,” Donalds said.Donalds entered the race with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, giving him a major boost among MAGA voters. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is term-limited, has not formally endorsed any…