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Rubio says US may need to ‘reexamine’ NATO membership after allies blocked basing, airspace help

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday that the U.S. may need to “reexamine” its role in NATO after key allies refused to allow American forces to use bases and airspace during Operation Epic Fury.

“If now we have reached a point where the NATO alliance means that we can’t use those bases, that, in fact, that we can no longer use those bases to defend America’s interests, then NATO is a one-way street. Then NATO is simply about us having troops in Europe to defend Europe,” Rubio said on “Hannity.”

He continued, “But… when we need them to allow us to use their military bases, their answer is no? Then why are we in NATO? You have to ask that question.”

Rubio pressed the point, telling Fox News that there is “no doubt” that the U.S. must “reexamine” its relationship with the alliance once the Iran conflict has concluded, but deferred to President Trump’s ultimate decision-making authority on the matter.

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“We’re going to finish the job here [in Iran],” Rubio added.

“We’re very, very close to achieving our objectives on all of these things that I’ve outlined, but I do think, unfortunately, we are going to have to reexamine whether or not this alliance that has served this country well for a while, [whether it’s] still serving that purpose, or has it now become a one-way street where America is simply in a position to defend Europe? But when we need the help of our allies, they’re going to deny us basing rights, and they’re going to deny us overflight.”

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Rubio’s remarks come amid growing frustration within the Trump administration over what officials see as European allies failing to support U.S. military operations at a critical moment, particularly as Washington moves to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.

The Secretary of State emphasized that the U.S. was not asking NATO partners to participate directly in combat, but simply to provide access to existing infrastructure — a longstanding pillar of the alliance.

The tensions stem in part from decisions by several European allies that have entered the administration’s crosshairs — including Spain and France — after restricting or denying U.S. access to key bases and airspace during the early phases of the operation.

Spain, for instance, closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in the Iran war, while President Trump has slammed France because the country “wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory,” adding in a Truth Social post that the longtime ally has been “VERY UNHELPFUL.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Orioles pitcher commits two errors on one play in disastrous outing

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Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish had a start he probably would like to forget.

Bradish was on the bump against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon. Chicago took the lead in the fifth inning after Bradish committed two errors on one play.

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White Sox shortstop Colin Montgomery was up at the plate with runners on second and first and was issued a walk after Bradish’s pitch was inside. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman threw the ball back to Bradish, who dropped it and lackadaisically followed it back to the mound. He realized Chase Meidroth was rounding third and heading for home.

Bradish fired the ball to Rutschman, but it was wide to his left. Meidroth scored on the play to give Chicago a 3-2 lead. Bradish was charged with two errors on the play. He struck out Andrew Benintendi to end the inning and was removed before the start of the sixth inning.

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“Yeah, just frustration came out. Unacceptable,” Bradish told reporters after the game, via MLB.com. “That’s just childish behavior, and that will not happen again.”

The White Sox won the game, 5-3.

Bradish allowed three runs, two earned, and six hits in five innings of work. He struck out seven batters and walked three more, as the Orioles dropped to 6-6 on the year.

The 29-year-old is in his fifth season of his MLB career. He underwent Tommy John surgery during the 2024 season and returned to the mound in August 2025. He has a 3.54 ERA with 396 strikeouts in 70 career starts.

Chicago improved to 4-8 with the win.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Nashville public school excuses Muslim students for daily prayer time during Ramadan

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A Nashville public school allows Muslim students to leave class to pray in a reserved space on campus during the school day, offering the accommodation daily during Ramadan and once a month during the rest of the year, according to local reports.

According to a report published Tuesday in the Nashville Banner, John Overton High School in South Nashville also supports Muslim students during Ramadan by offering food-free classrooms during lunch for students who are fasting.

In the afternoon, students who signed up received electronic hall passes allowing them to leave class for 15 minutes to pray in a reserved space on campus. More than 80 students signed up, according to the Banner.

Ten teachers also volunteered to make their classrooms a food-free space for Muslim students during the lunch hour during the month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast daily from dawn to dusk.

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Al-Nadir Muhammad, a member of the school’s support staff, oversees the student prayer period and is responsible for assuring students are following the rules. He also offers support to Muslim students on campus, the Banner reported.

The report noted how students met in a foyer, laid paper towels down for makeshift prayer mats and put a divider between girls and boys before one student led a prayer and recited verses from the Quran.

The outlet previously reported that outside of the month of Ramadan, Muslim students are permitted to leave class to pray on campus once a month.

Muslim teacher Revas Barwari told the Banner the school’s treatment of Muslim students was a stark contrast to her own experience growing up in Nashville public schools, where she felt she had to hide that she was fasting.

“What school do you know that actually changes their whole bell schedule to work around students being able to go pray?,” she told the outlet. “I don’t think the kids really even understand how important that is or see that like, ‘Wow, my school’s doing this for me.’”

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The report noted that the school has worked to refine the prayer system after students and staff suggested to the administration several years ago that they provide a daily time and space for prayer.

The American Muslim Advisory Council also reportedly sent a letter to Metro Nashville Public Schools asking educators to support Muslim students during Ramadan by giving students a reserved space for lunch and to skip heavy physical activities during the fasting period.

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“It is a Muslim’s right to fast and receive reasonable accommodations at school or work,” the letter stated, according to the report.

The U.S. Department of Education says public schools must permit constitutionally protected student prayer and religious expression, including private prayer during the school day, but may not sponsor, organize, coerce or favor religious activity.

In February, the agency released guidance on prayer in public schools, saying schools should allow members of the school community to “act and speak according to their faith” as long as others’ rights are respected, the school itself is not engaging in religion, and the school does not favor one faith over another.

John Overton High School Principal Kelby Garner did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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New exposé claims California lost at least $180B to fraud under Gavin Newsom

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A journalist who claims that California has lost at least $180 billion due to fraud joined “Will Cain Country” to share the findings of his exposé entitled “Gavin Newsom’s Empire of Fraud.”

Chris Rufo of City Journal co-authored the piece. He told host Will Cain on Tuesday that California’s fraud stems from three main sources: Medi-Cal fraud, unemployment fraud and general welfare fraud.

“And if you add these all together, under Gavin Newsom, experts and HHS officials estimate that California has lost somewhere between $180 and $280 billion. Now that’s like the GDP of New Zealand. It’s a lot of money,” said Rufo.

The sheer scale of the problem is more than the federal government can handle given currently allocated resources, he added, expressing frustration with the lack of accountability.

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“The ugly reality, and this is a criticism, frankly, of the federal government right now under President Trump, is that they’re going to have to significantly scale up these efforts if they want to deter fraud in the future,” Rufo said.

He said he hopes to spur additional action through his reporting, and that a big area of focus for him has been California’s in-home care program.

The program is intended to help support those who cannot work because they must provide full-time care for a loved one. But Rufo said it has become the most common job in the state.

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“We’re paying approximately 800,000 people to stay home or to stay in the homes of the care recipients. And because it operates essentially on an honor system… it’s all done in private,” he said.

Rufo said thousands of whistleblower reports on the matter led to hundreds of investigations and ultimately fewer than 100 prosecutions.

Rufo called it a “shadow welfare system,” but said Californians were beginning to grow wise to the scam.

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“I think California voters are starting to look around and saying, wait a moment, this is now 10% of our state budget. It’s $30 billion a year,” he added. “What on earth are we doing? Why do we seem to be paying for everybody, for everything, including fraudsters, when the quality of life in California for middle class working people seems to get worse and worse?”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office pushed back on the idea that his administration wasn’t proactive enough in going after fraudsters.

“This is utter b******* from top to bottom,” a Newsom spokesperson told The New York Post. “California will keep doing its part to go against fraud, we ask the federal government to work with us to do the same.”

The governor’s office previously stated they have been taking action for “years” on the issue of hospice fraud.

“Glad the federal government is finally stepping up to do their part,” they reacted to a federal anti-fraud task force’s actions in California, per The Post. “State has been taking action for years, including suspending 280+ licenses & banning new licenses since 2022. Big question: Will Trump pardon any of them like he’s done for so many fraudsters before?”

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