War Secretary Hegseth cuts Harvard ties, declares ‘we train warriors, not wokesters’

The Department of War said Friday that it will end all professional military education, fellowships and certificate programs with Harvard University.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth slammed the university in a video announcement posted on X, saying the department would be cutting ties with Harvard for active-duty service members beginning in the 2026–27 school year — a move he said was “long overdue.”

“Harvard is woke; The War Department is not,” Hegseth stated.

While Hegseth, who has a master’s degree from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, said the U.S. military has had a “rich tradition” with the Ivy League school, he argued that Harvard has become one of the “red-hot centers of Hate America activism.”

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“Too many faculty members openly loathe our military. They cast our armed forces in a negative light and squelch anyone who challenges their leftist political leanings, all while charging enormous tuition. It’s not worth it,” he said.
”They’ve replaced open inquiry and honest debate with rigid orthodoxy.”

The announcement comes amid the Trump administration’s ongoing feud with the Ivy League school.

President Donald Trump said Monday he is seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, which the Trump administration has made a primary target in its effort to leverage federal funding to crack down on antisemitism and “woke” ideology.

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Lawyers for the Trump administration have appealed a judge’s order requiring the restoration of $2.7 billion in frozen federal research funding to Harvard. The university sued the administration in April over the funding freeze, arguing in court that the move amounted to an unconstitutional “pressure campaign” aimed at influencing and exerting control over elite academic institutions.

Hegseth also criticized Harvard’s campus environment, alleging that research programs have partnered with the Chinese Communist Party and that university leadership has encouraged an atmosphere that celebrates Hamas, allows attacks on Jews, and prioritizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.

“Why should the War Department support an environment that’s destructive to our nation and the principles that the vast majority of Americans hold dear?” Hegseth said.
”The answer to that question is that we should not, and we will not.”

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“For too long, this department has sent our best and brightest officers to Harvard, hoping the university would better understand and appreciate our warrior class,” he continued. “Instead, too many of our officers came back looking too much like Harvard — heads full of globalist and radical ideologies that do not improve our fighting ranks.”

In addition to Harvard, Hegseth took aim at much of the Ivy League, saying the schools have a “pervasive institutional bias” and a lack of viewpoint diversity, including the “coddling of toxic ideologies,” that he said undercuts the military’s mission.

He said that in the coming weeks, all departments at the Pentagon will evaluate existing graduate programs for active-duty service members at Ivy League schools and other civilian universities.

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“The goal is to determine whether or not they actually deliver cost effective strategic education for future senior leaders, when compared to, say, public universities and our military graduate programs,” he said. “At the War Department, we will strive to maximize taxpayer value in building lethality to establish deterrence. It’s that simple. That no longer includes spending millions of dollars on expensive universities that actively undercut our mission and undercut our country.”

Hegseth concluded his message, saying, “We train warriors, not wokesters. Harvard, good riddance.”

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Harvard University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Rock band hit with ‘woke’ backlash after pulling out of patriotic festival

Shinedown has pulled out of the Rock the Country festival, sparking backlash among their fan base.

On Friday, the rock band took to X to announce their sudden exit from the festival, which is being touted as “a celebration of community, tradition, and the spirit that’s carried America through 250 years,” explaining that their mission as a band is to “unite, not divide.”

“Shinedown is everyone’s band. We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song. We have one boss, and it is everyone in the audience.”

“Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock the Country festival,” the statement read.

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“We know this decision will create differences of opinion,” Shinedown continued. “But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”

Shinedown’s statement drew a lot of backlash on the social media platform.

“This is pathetic. What about being patriotic to your country is divisive? Lost my respect by backing out. Grow a backbone, quit bowing down. By the way, the boss is Jesus Christ, not people,” one user wrote.

Another added, “Your words say unity, your actions say division. Not playing because you want to cater to the woke mob? That’s division. Playing for everyone and all audiences? That’s unity. Spare us your virtue signaling noise. Shame, I was a fan.”

A third user mentioned that the band could have left politics out of their performance.

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“You could have just performed and kept your politics to yourself. Huge L and major disappointment,” the user wrote.

Even supporters of the band seemed confused by the statement, with one writing, “I love you guys but this is a terrible PR decision.”

Shinedown — which consists of members Zach Myers, Brent Smith, Eric Bass and Barry — was set to perform at the Rock the Country festival in Anderson, South Carolina on July 25–26. 

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The rock band’s move to pull out of the event follows Carter Faith and Morgan Wade’s withdrawals, according to Rolling Stone.

Rock the Country will be traveling to various states in 2026, including Georgia, Texas, Florida and New York. Stars such as Jelly Roll, Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Ella Langley, Brooks & Dunn, Jon Pardi, Brantley Gilbert and Hank Williams Jr. are slated to perform at the various shows.

The festival is a celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. According to its website, “It’s a chance to look around and appreciate the strength of our towns, the stories that shaped us, and the moments we’ll be talking about long after the lights go down.”

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Ex-ESPN star shares the ‘disturbing’ thing about Bad Bunny performing at Super Bowl

Former ESPN broadcaster Sage Steele said Friday the issue with Bad Bunny performing at the Super Bowl LX halftime has nothing to do with him being from Puerto Rico.

Steele said on the “Faulkner Focus” with Harris Faulkner that her problem was that Bad Bunny had led “with hate” since he was announced as the music headliner for the game.

“I want to point this one thing out as well,” Steele said. “This isn’t about someone who is not American, and Bad Bunny is, but it isn’t about that. U2, they’re from Ireland. They gave an amazing performance right after 9/11 20-something years ago. This is about, as an artist, you lead with hate, and that is what Bad Bunny has done from day one.

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“When he says, ‘I’m not going to speak your language, you have four months to learn it,’ are you kidding me? It would never be acceptable in their country. So, that’s the disturbing (thing). Not that he’s from Puerto Rico. That he says he hates us, he’s not going to take our money but now he’s doing it.”

Bad Bunny made the crack about American fans needing to learn how to speak Spanish before his performance. He tried to pull back from the remark on Thursday during his interview with Apple Music ahead of the show.

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Steele praised Turning Point USA for offering fans an alternative halftime show for those who may not like Bad Bunny’s music or politics. She added that she knows why the NFL is going with Bad Bunny from a business perspective.

“I love there’s an alternative,” Steele said. “That’s what America is all about, and I give TPUSA a lot of credit for doing so. I think it was needed more than ever. However, I believe more people will probably go ahead and watch the Super Bowl halftime show with Bad Bunny if for no other reason because a lot of times people hate watch just to see how bad he is going to be.

“Unfortunately, he made it very clear. He’s like, I’m not speaking in English. I’m singing in Spanish. You have four months to learn the language.’ And I think that’s the part, along with the hate and talk about ICE, etc., that disturbs so many people.

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“However, what we have to remember is that this is a business decision. Two years ago, there were only two other NFL games played in other countries. Last season, three, and, in 2025, five games. 

“All the commissioner cares about right now is growing the game, and they want to be in more countries. They don’t care what the players that were interviewed are saying or what the fans are saying. This is about the business of the NFL and making it more global.”

Maher torches Billie Eilish over ‘stolen land’ speech, says singer lacks facts

“Real Time” host Bill Maher criticized celebrity “virtue-signaling” at the 2026 Grammys, calling out singer Billie Eilish’s anti-ICE speech.

“You don’t know facts,” Maher said of the singer during Friday’s episode of his HBO show.

Eilish, who won Song of the Year at the music award show, condemned ICE during her acceptance speech. The 24-year-old went viral when she declared, “No one is illegal on stolen land.”

Maher picked apart a transcript of Eilish’s speech, which began with the singer saying, “It’s hard to know what to say.”

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“Then, don’t say anything, ‘cause you don’t know things,” he charged. “You didn’t go to school, I don’t think, and you don’t know facts.”

However, Maher admitted he agreed with Eilish on one subject, before roasting her credibility on immigration.

“She said, ‘Keep fighting and protesting and speaking up.’ I totally agree with that,” Maher continued. “She said, ‘Voices still matter. People matter.’”

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“And I would just say so does knowledge,” he added.

It was “pretty great” that a tribe in California asked for Eilish’s house after her speech, the host argued.

He then confronted his panel with a follow-up question to the singer’s speech.

“What’s the practical next step if you say there is no such thing as illegal people on stolen land?” Maher asked. “Do we just go back to living in teepees?”

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One of Maher’s panelists, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, said his kids “forced” him to watch the Grammys. He ridiculed what he called “all bulls—.”

“The fact is, it’s a complicated history,” Christie said.

“People got screwed along the way. Yes, we agree with that,” the Republican conceded. “But if what we’re going to do today is say these pronouncements and then have no real solution behind that pronouncement, it’s all bulls—.”

Meanwhile, Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s former deputy prime minister and a self-identifying progressive, shared what “really bugs” her about the Grammys controversy.

“I thought it was powerful that some of those award winners at the Grammys did speak about ICE,” Freeland countered.

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“And I agree with you broadly, Bill, that celebrities should not be the leaders of political movements. But I think it would have been wrong for them not to comment on this really horrible thing happening,” she continued.

Earlier in the show, Maher compared Eilish’s remarks to the “from the river to the sea” slogan often heard during “Free Palestine” protests.

“The people of Los Angeles will not move, and neither will all Israelis from Gaza,” Maher asserted.

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“We have to deal with the future, not just the past,” he posited.

Fox News Digital reached out to Eilish’s representative for comment and did not hear back in time for publication.

SBA suspends over 100,000 California borrowers over suspected pandemic loan fraud

The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced Friday it had suspended more than 100,000 California borrowers amid suspected fraud, with the alleged abuse totaling nearly $9 billion.

SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the agency suspended 111,620 California borrowers linked to suspected fraudulent activity across SBA pandemic-era loan programs. Those borrowers received 118,489 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) loans totaling more than $8.6 billion.

“Once again, the Trump SBA is taking decisive action to deliver accountability in a state whose unaccountable welfare policies have created a culture of fraud and abuse at the expense of law-abiding taxpayers and small business owners,” Loeffler said in a statement.

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“Today, we announced we have suspended nearly 112,000 borrowers tied to at least $9 billion in suspected fraud,” she said. “This staggering number represents the most significant crackdown on those who defrauded pandemic programs, and it illuminates the scale of corruption that the Biden administration tolerated for years.”

Loeffler referenced the Trump administration’s fraud crackdown in another blue state, saying, “As we did in Minnesota, we are actively working with federal law enforcement to identify the criminals who defrauded American taxpayers, hold them to account and recoup the stolen funds.

“As we continue our state-by-state work, our message is clear: Pandemic-era fraudsters will not get a pass under this administration.”

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The announcement comes after the SBA said last month it had suspended 6,900 Minnesota borrowers after uncovering what it said was widespread suspected fraud.

The agency previously reviewed thousands of PPP and EIDL loans approved in Minnesota, identifying nearly $400 million in potentially fraudulent loans tied to borrowers.

That suspected activity included 7,900 PPP and EIDL loans approved during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Loeffler.

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The SBA previously said at least $2.5 million in PPP and EIDL funds issued during the pandemic era were connected to a Somali-linked fraud scheme based in Minneapolis.

Super Bowl performers have made it a point to criticize Trump administration policies

Super Bowl LX will be played between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, but all eyes will be on the performers who have spoken out against the Trump administration.

Bad Bunny, Green Day and Brandi Carlile are all set to have a performance in Santa Clara, California, either before the game begins or during its halftime show. The halftime headliner, Bad Bunny, has been very outspoken about how the Trump administration has used U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to root out illegal immigrants.

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The Puerto Rican music artist had been outspoken last year as federal agents operated in Los Angeles. He revealed in September he was postponing U.S. tour dates because of it.

In an interview with i-D, the artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, confirmed that one of the main reasons behind the absence of U.S. dates on his “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos World Tour” was so there was no risk his fans could be picked up by ICE agents.

“But there was the issue of — like, f—ing ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” he told the outlet, expressing concerns over President Donald Trump’s second-term deportation agenda.

The artist has been outspoken about ICE in the past. While visiting Puerto Rico in June, Ocasio recorded and posted video of what he described as local ICE raids to social media.

“Look, those motherf——s are in these cars, RAV-4s. They’re here in Pontezuela,” he said in Spanish, mentioning ICE working on the Avenida Pontezuela in Carolina, a city east of Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan.

“Sons of b——, instead of leaving the people alone and working there,” he added.

More backlash ensued in October when he was named the Super Bowl LX halftime show performer. He told Americans would have four months to learn English if they wanted to move and groove to his songs.

Bad Bunny was given the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and he continued to be outspoken against ICE.

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“ICE out,” he said. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens — we are humans, and we are Americans.”

He didn’t mention any of the controversies that have clouded him ahead of the Super Bowl LX during his interview with Apple.

Green Day

Green Day will be a part of an on-field performance just before the coin toss as the NFL honors Super Bowl MVPs of the past ahead of the 60th game in its history. The NFL said Green Day will “usher Super Bowl MVPs onto the field with a dynamic performance celebrating the legacy and evolution of the championship game.”

Green Day has been notoriously outspoken against President Donald Trump since the start of his first term. The band had only upped the ante on his administration since he got back into office in January 2025.

The punk rock band took a swipe at Vice President JD Vance last March. While playing “Jesus of Suburbia” in Melbourne, Australia, at the time, the band changed the words to suggest that Vance was “retarded.”

“Am I retarded or am I just JD Vance?” lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong sang instead of the original lyrics, “Am I retarded or just overjoyed?”

Following the overturning of Roe V. Wade in 2022, Armstrong told a crowd during a London concert that he would be renouncing his U.S. citizenship and moving there.

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“F— America, I’m f—ing renouncing my citizenship,” Armstrong said. “I’m f—ing coming here.”

“There’s just too much f—ing stupid in the world to go back to that miserable f—ing excuse for a country,” Armstrong added. “Oh, I’m not kidding. You’re going to get a lot of me in the coming days.”

He also called the Supreme Court Justices “pricks” and said, “f— the Supreme Court of America.”

During a performance on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” last year, the band changed the lyrics to their 2004 hit “American Idiot,” with Armstrong singing, “I’m not a part of a MAGA agenda,” instead of the original, “I’m not a part of the redneck agenda.”

The band has also been outspoken against ICE. The band slammed the agency at a concert last month.

“We stand up for our brothers and sisters in Minnesota,” Armstrong said, and later took a swipe at White House advisor Stephen Miller.

Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile will be among the performers who will sing before the Super Bowl. She’s tapped to perform “America the Beautiful” while Coco Jones will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” otherwise known as the Black national anthem, and Charlie Puth will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Carlile started to speak out against Trump after he won the 2016 election. She told KUOW Radio in December 2016 that she was “upset” with Trump voters and “concerned” as to why they were voting for Trump.

Since then, Carlile has made her disdain for Trump clear. She wrote a song called “Church & State” which took aim at the administration. Carlile joined Elton John to help offset cuts to HIV/AIDS funding made by the White House in the early days of Trump’s second term.

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Carlile joined Don Lemon on the Grammys red carpet after he was arrested for his alleged involvement in a protest in Minnesota that saw activists storm a church in January.

While she hasn’t spoken out against Trump ahead of the Super Bowl just yet, she said in an interview with Apple Music she hoped that those listening to her performance on Sunday will interpret “America the Beautiful” as a prayer rather than a song.

Country singer looks forward to giving fans epic show at TPUSA’s event

Country music singer Brantley Gilbert was tapped to perform at Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” Sunday to counter Bad Bunny’s spectacle at the Super Bowl.

Gilbert will be one of four performers at the Turning Point USA event. Kid Rock is the headliner along with Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett. 

Gilbert has been performing professionally since 2007 and released his debut album in 2009.

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He may not be a household name for some Americans and football fans. He addressed those who were asking who he is and why he’s performing at the event.

“I’m a songwriter who grew up, and still lives in Jackson County, Georgia, whose goal in the music business was to sell out the local theater a few miles from my house and somehow make my living writing songs,” he said in a statement. 

“I’m a recovering addict with the history of all the bad choices that come with it. I’m not proud of those choices, but I am proud of the choice I’ve made to live in another direction.

“I share my story through my music in hopes that it may help and inspire others in their darkest hour. I’m a Christian, and I love our country despite its flaws. I’ve dedicated part of my life to the men and women who fight for it and the families of those who gave their life for it. Above all, I’m a proud husband and father of three.”

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Gilbert added that he wanted to perform for his children and that it’s been more than 20 years since a country artist had been asked to perform at halftime of the Super Bowl.

“We’re celebrating 250 years as a country, and it’s been more than 20 years since a country artist has been asked to play the Super Bowl halftime show. I respect that some people may see this differently, but I’m not playing this show to be divisive. I was offered this opportunity and imagined my kids watching their daddy perform at halftime during the biggest game in American football. Everything I do, I do for them.

“The way I treat people isn’t conditional based on what our differences may be. I believe “united we stand, divided we fall,” and my prayer for our country is that we stand united.”

He said he was looking forward to putting on an epic show Sunday.

Turning Point USA said the show will air live on YouTube, X and Rumble in addition to other conservative news outlets.

Andrew Kolvet, TPUSA’s spokesman, previously told Fox News Digital the broadcast will provide families a different viewing option that will give the viewer an immersive and high-energy experience.

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“‘The All-American Halftime Show’ is an opportunity for all Americans to enjoy a halftime show with no agenda other than to celebrate faith, family and freedom,” Kolvet said. “We can’t wait to watch the incredible show they’re about to put on. We know millions around the country will be watching too.”

A $26 billion surprise shows how badly one auto giant misread EV demand

Stellantis on Friday announced it will take a $26.5 billion charge as the automaker cuts back on electric vehicle (EV) production, joining other manufacturers in taking a financial hit after misjudging consumer demand for EVs.

Stellantis – the parent company of brands including Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram – became the latest automaker to take a charge. The $26.5 billion charge is larger than those taken by Ford and General Motors in the wake of the end of federal EV subsidies.

The automaker had set ambitious EV goals under its former CEO, Carlos Tavares, who aimed for EVs to make up 100% of European sales and 50% of U.S. sales by 2030. Tavares was forced out in 2024 after U.S. sales plunged, where Stellantis is exposed because of its reliance on sales of high-margin Jeep and Ram pickups.

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Across the auto industry, fully electric vehicles represented 19.5% of European sales last year and just 7.7% of new U.S. car sales.

CEO Antonio Filosa, who took the helm at Stellantis last summer, said on a call with reporters that the company’s past assumptions about demand for EVs were “over optimistic” and outlined, “What we are announcing today is an important strategic reset of our business model… to put our customer preferences back at the center of what we do, globally and in each region.”

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Stellantis’ charges, which were booked in the company’s results for the second half of 2025, also reflected quality issues that Filosa blamed on cost cuts that occurred under Tavares, which he said caused the automaker to hire 2,000 engineers globally.

The charges also included reductions to the company’s EV supply chain, revised assumptions for warranty provisions due to poor product quality, as well as previously announced job cuts in Europe.

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Ross Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said the writedown showed that Stellantis “got it wrong on how quickly the world would transition from combustion engines to electric power.”

Mould added that the success enjoyed by Chinese EV-makers like BYD “begs the question as to whether Stellantis’ frustration over its EV sales is linked to market issues or that drivers simply don’t like its vehicles.”

Stellantis shares sank on the news, with the company’s New York-traded stock down more than 22% during Friday’s trading session.

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The multinational automaker – which includes American, French and Italian auto brands – saw its Milan-traded shares sink by over 23%.

Stellantis is forecasting a mid-single-digit increase in net revenue for 2026, along with a low-single-digit adjusted operating income margin. It projects positive industrial free cash flows in 2027. The company also won’t pay a dividend this year.