Amid ongoing hostilities with Iran, Democrats brushed off past calls from some figures in their party for U.S. armed forces to "refuse illegal orders," even as they broadly maintained that President Donald Trump's use of the military is on shaky footing without lawmaker approval. "The troops are in no way to blame for this illegal war. Responsibility lies solely and simply with the president," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. "We support the troops always. They’re following orders," Rep. Daren Soto, D-Fla., said. "This is about a debate of whether we should be there or not." The comments come just months after six members of Congress with military backgrounds urged service members to disregard unconstitutional directives. GOP BLOCKS BOOKER-LED PUSH TO CURB TRUMP'S MILITARY AUTHORITY IN IRAN "You must refuse illegal orders," Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said. "Don’t give up the ship." The six lawmakers included: Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. The lawmakers did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment when asked about what those calls meant in the context of the conflict with Iran. ONE MONTH AT WAR WITH IRAN — CAN WASHINGTON DEFINE VICTORY? Efforts to pass a war powers resolution that would curb Trump’s military powers in Iran have failed amid a steep partisan divide over whether the president’s actions fall within what the Constitution permits without congressional approval. A war power resolution that would have forced Trump to remove U.S. forces from Iran failed in the House of Representatives in a 213-214 vote on Thursday. Democrats, citing the War Powers Act of 1973, note that the law requires a president to secure approval from lawmakers before engaging in a conflict that goes past 60 days. FETTERMAN BREAKS WITH DEMOCRATS, SAYS TRUMP'S MILITARY STRIKES ON IRAN HAVE 'MADE THE WORLD SAFER' "The president says it’s an ‘excursion’ which it’s not," Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., said. "We have to call it for what it is. It is a war." Republicans and other advocates for the conflict have noted the war with Iran hasn’t hit that mark yet. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., joined Republicans in rebuffing challenges to the president’s authority. DEMOCRATS THREATEN TO GRIND SENATE TO A HALT TO FORCE PUBLIC IRAN HEARINGS "I’ve been the only Democrat who has supported Epic Fury," Fetterman said, referring to the Iran conflict’s operational name. "And now we’re 48 days into this. None of this has been illegal," he added. Even so, Democrats have blasted the president for dragging the country into a conflict that they say is far from a meaningful resolution. Blumenthal called on the administration to provide lawmakers with more information about a possible timeline for resolution and more details about the conflict's status. "One of the complaints — and it's bipartisan — we don’t have any accurate information about how the blockade is going, what the costs of the war are, even in a classified setting," Blumenthal said. Although Trump has said U.S. and Iran talks are working towards ending the conflict for good, it remains unclear if ceasefire talks will render a permanent cessation of hostilities. View the full article

A former lead hostage negotiator under the first Trump and Biden administrations warned that the Iranians are tougher negotiators than the Russians, Chinese and even the Taliban, noting that several Americans are still wrongfully detained in Iran and should be included in any peace talks. Roger Carstens, the U.S. former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, said in an interview with Fox News that six American citizens are being held captive in Iranian prisons — each of them previously held in Evin prison in Tehran, known for its harsh conditions. He said the Iranians will likely use the American hostages as a "sweetener" to ensure negotiations go in "the direction of Iran" as the United States seeks a nuclear deal and permanent ceasefire. "Strangely, the Russians, the Chinese, the Taliban, the Venezuelans, when you start getting into hostage discussions, they tell the truth and they stick to what they promise. You can do a handshake deal with the Taliban, and they're going to follow through," Carstens said. "The Iranians. Absolutely not." While Carstens remains confident that U.S. negotiators can secure the return of the six Americans, he stated that Iran is unlike any other foreign government he's worked with and can't be trusted. MORNING GLORY: THE US-IRAN NEGOTIATIONS IN ISLAMABAD BECAME REYKJAVÍK 2.0 He said the Iranians are the sort of negotiators likely to pull a "fast one" right up until the last moment. "You cannot trust the Iranians up until the last second," Carstens said. "If you were landing a plane in either Geneva or even Tehran, to get your Americans, you better be out there with a clipboard making sure that the people coming on the plane are the people that you bargained for." Only two of the American hostages have been publicly identified: Kamran Hekmati, 61, and Reza Valizadeh, 49. Hekmati is a Jewish American who also holds Iranian citizenship. He was imprisoned 11 months ago after being charged and convicted of visiting Israel in the past 10 years. Like Hekmati, Valizadeh holds dual Iranian and American citizenship. He previously worked for the U.S.-funded Radio Farda, covering corruption and election manipulation in Iran. Valizadeh was arrested in September 2024 during a visit to see family and was sentenced after being convicted of working with a hostile government. SEN TIM SHEEHY: GOLD STAR FAMILIES DESERVE JUSTICE. THIS $15B FROM IRAN IS A START Carstens suggested it was unlikely there was any time for the Americans and Iranians to discuss the release of the six Americans during the 21-hour marathon peace talks in Pakistan earlier this month. MEET IRAN'S HARDLINE SPEAKER WHO THREATENED TO BURN US FORCES — REPORTEDLY TEHRAN'S POINT MAN FOR TALKS "I think the Iranians are going to be smart enough to keep these people healthy and ready to throw on to a negotiating table," Carstens said. "The question in my mind during these negotiations is not whether they'll be at risk or pulled off, but rather, what's it going to take, and how will we, the United States, value them [the hostages]?" President Donald Trump does not mention the release of American hostages in his four objectives for ending the Iran war. Carstens is calling for the return of the hostages to be a fifth objective. "Let's make this an official ask, and when we go in, not only ask for it officially, but hold ourselves accountable to getting the job done," Carstens said. "The good news is Trump has a great record in bringing Americans home." A senior White House official told Fox News Digital that future peace talks with Iran are under discussion, but nothing has yet been scheduled. "President Trump is always concerned about Americans detained abroad, which is why he has brought over 100 individuals — a record number — home from around the world," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for additional comment. View the full article

NASA has revived support for the European Space Agency's long-delayed Rosalind Franklin Mars rover mission. According to the space agency, the current plan is to launch via a SpaceX Falcon Heavy no earlier than 2028. Engadget reports: This is a partnership between NASA and the ESA, with the European agency providing the rover, the spacecraft and the lander. The US will provide braking engines for the lander, heater units for the rover's internal systems and, of course, assistance with the actual launch. The rover will be outfitted with scientific instruments to look for signs of ancient life on the red planet. These include a state-of-the-art mass spectrometer and an organic molecule analyzer, which will come in handy as the vehicle collects samples at the Oxia Planum landing site. The mission has been stuck in development limbo since 2001, with delays caused by budget problems, technical issues, shifting international partners, and geopolitical fallout. After NASA dropped out, Russia stepped in, then was cut loose after invading Ukraine, and now -- despite NASA rejoining in 2024 and fresh political budget threats -- the rover is tentatively back on track for a 2028 launch. Read more of this story at Slashdot. View the full article

Péter Magyar and his Tisza party are wasting no time preparing for the transfer of power after their dramatic landslide victory.View the full article

The U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) held its large-scale annual "CULEX," or culminating training exercise, on Thursday, giving cadets a realistic look at a combat scenario. The 24-hour-a-day exercise places nearly 4,000 cadets in a mock war setting, where upperclassmen lead complex missions and younger students follow orders. This year, it runs April 15–16. The Air Force Academy is 18,500 acres, nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, but on Thursday, the culminating exercise scenario transformed USAFA into Hokkaido, a Japanese island under attack by enemy forces. "We've pretty much taken over the entirety of USAFA, to allow all 4,000 of our cadets to have space to operate throughout the exercise," said CULEX director Col. Jennifer Hall. 'FLY' YOUR OWN AIRCRAFT IN US AIR FORCE ACADEMY HOTEL'S FIRST-EVER FLIGHT SIMULATORS In the war scenario, Japan has asked the U.S. to come in as a defensive force. "In this scenario, we have four established airfields," Hall said. "And so that's what's established, the four joint operating areas that we have them in." Each joint operation area, or JOA, has around 800 cadets, defending an airfield, two high-value assets and a downed airman. Cadets also face real-world issues such as injured officers and invasions by enemy targets deemed the "Red Force." "We pulled out one squadron to play Red Force," said Hall. "So our cadets are actually playing Red Force, and they're out there in the field right now harassing our cadets. They're doing an amazing job. They're super excited." Hall explained, "What we're trying to do is have the cadets prioritize through decision-making. And you'll see all across that Red Force is trying to complicate that to the best of their ability." While the situation may not be real, it definitely looks and feels like it. AI TEST FLIGHT MOVES AIR FORCE ONE STEP CLOSER TO UNMANNED 'WINGMAN' AIRCRAFT "You'll see about 15 tents laid down as an austere, expeditionary environment, two of which are tactical operations centers and a medical tent and warming tent," Hall explained. "And then we have sleeping tents for the cadets, because we will be remaining overnight for the first time." Some cadets fly airplanes while others deploy parachutes in the sky. On the ground, hundreds of cadets equipped with air soft guns defend their camps, taking radio traffic from troops under attack. Meanwhile, students in mission control use drones and mapping technology to solve real-world problems. AIR FORCE TURNS TO VIDEO GAMES TO HELP PREPARE MEMBERS FOR REAL-LIFE COMBAT "The only way to prepare for the fight that we're in, or the future fight, is to develop the training necessary where they can experience it real time, in the woods, in the field," said Hall. Now in its second year, the CULEX focuses on building confidence, teamwork and leadership skills rather than testing cadets with a pass-or-fail system. It's a multi-domain tactical exercise designed to replicate the environments future Space Force and Air Force officers may encounter. "For our seniors, in 44 days, they're going to graduate, and they're going to go off, and they're going to be officers in our Space Force and Air Force— how much more equipped they're going to be to lead, to face complicated problems, to know that they can do what's difficult," said Hall. View the full article