Decorated warfighter Ret. Gen. Stanley McChrystal lambasted recent moves at the Pentagon, arguing on Sunday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's focus on rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion is a "distraction."
"I think that the DEI thing is, frankly, a distraction. It's not helpful," he told CBS’ "Face the Nation."
"I am completely aligned with Secretary Hegseth on the idea that we need to defend the nation, that the defense department needs to be as effective as it can be, and that a certain warrior ethos matters," McChrystal explained. "We just define it differently."
The four-star retired Army general challenged the conception that "everybody's got to look a certain way, got to have biceps of a certain size, there's got to be a male, straight."
"In the counter-terrorist fight, where much of my experience was, it became a meritocracy. You didn't care what somebody looked like or how old they were, what their gender was or sexual orientation because it was too important to get the job done.
"America needs to harness talent from every corner of our society, everyone."
McChrystal resigned as commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, only a year into the job, during the Obama administration after a Rolling Stone article attributed scathing comments about President Barack Obama to McChrystal and his aides.
During his short tenure, McChrystal advocated for a buildup of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
He had wanted 60,000 additional U.S. troops to reverse insurgent "momentum." Obama offered him 33,000.
McChrystal appeared on CBS to promote his new book, "On Character: Choices That Define a Life."
"As a nation, our character is our fate. So, what I am trying to do is convince people to start a national conversation on character, with the idea that it starts at the bottom," said McChrystal. "Not at the top."
"Our national leaders are not the cause of the problem. They are the symptom of the problem. The cause is us," he argued.
"We’ve always had a problem with certain evil in society and corruption, but I think the fact that we see everything so much now that we normalize it," McChrystal said. "We start to accept things in celebrities or leaders that frankly, things we wouldn’t have accepted even a generation ago. And that’s our problem."
Former President Joe Biden is commenting publicly for the first time Monday after it was announced he was diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer.
"Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support," Biden wrote on X.
Biden’s team revealed Sunday that the former president "was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms."
"On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone," it said in a statement.
"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians," the statement added.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and President Donald Trump have since commented on Biden's cancer diagnosis.
"Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family. Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery," Obama noted in posts on social media.
Trump said, "Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis."
"We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery," he added in a post on Truth Social.
Clinton said, "My friend Joe Biden’s always been a fighter," and "Hillary and I are rooting for him and are keeping him, Jill, and the entire family in our thoughts."
Fox News’ Stepheny Price, Peter Doocy and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
Former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, and President Donald Trump have each commented on the grim news of President Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis.
"Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family. Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery," Obama noted in posts on social media.
Biden served as vice president during Obama's White House tenure from early 2009 through early 2017.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer last week, according to a statement his personal office released on Sunday.
"Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians," the statement noted.
President Donald Trump also commented on the news.
"Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery," he noted in a post on Truth Social.
The Clintons both commented as well.
"My friend Joe Biden’s always been a fighter. Hillary and I are rooting for him and are keeping him, Jill, and the entire family in our thoughts," former President Bill Clinton noted.
"I’m thinking of the Bidens as they take on cancer, a disease they’ve done so much to try to spare other families from. Wishing you a speedy, full recovery," former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, said in social media posts.
When asked by special counsel Robert Hur's co-counsel, Marc Krickbaum, in 2023 about a handwritten memo on Afghanistan during the Obama administration, President Joe Biden said he didn't "remember" telling Mark Zwonitzer, the ghostwriter of his book, "Promise Me, Dad," he "just found all the classified stuff downstairs."
In a new audio file released by Axios Friday, Biden said "I don't remember" numerous times as Krickbaum questioned him on the second day of interviews in October 2023 about having classified documents he should not have had after leaving office.
"You said to Mark, ‘I just found all the classified stuff downstairs,’ and, so, you can imagine we are curious what you meant when you said, ‘I just found all the classified stuff downstairs,’" Krickbaum said.
After explaining that he was referring to a conversation with Zwonitzer about a handwritten memo he wrote for former President Barack Obama, Biden replied, "I probably did. I don't remember specifically, but my guess is I may have done that."
Then, leading to the "classified stuff downstairs" comment, Zwonitzer asked Biden if he had found any documents in his home or if he told Zwonitzer about finding any while they worked together on the book in 2017.
Stumbling over his words, Biden replied, "No, the only thing I can remember is I wanted to be clear to him that I didn't want what he just heard me say about the memo to Barack, even though it wasn't a top secret thing (indiscernible), I didn't, I didn't want any of that mentioned. It was confidential."
He clarified he didn't mean confidential in the classification sense, but that he did not want it included in the book about his son, Beau.
They discussed boxes in the library, hallway and the "back of the garage," with Biden noting he did not know "where in the hell" all of it was going, but that was the extent of his knowledge of what they contained.
"Not like I'm looking for something, like I'm trying to compile things. But just what'd they pack up, what's here," Biden said.
While the White House released the transcripts during his presidency, the audio of the interviews remained under wraps, with some speculating about his mental state as the reason.
Hur's investigation, which concluded in 2024, found Biden should not be criminally charged for mishandling and retaining classified documents that detailed military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other countries, among other national security topics.
After Hur described the former president as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," Biden fired back, saying, "I'm well-meaning, and I'm an elderly man, and I know what the hell I'm doing. I've been president. I put this country back on its feet. I don't need his recommendation."
Fox News Digital's Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
Natalie Jasmine Harris says a recent Nike commercial bears similarities to her short film "Grace."
Jess X. Snow
Natalie Jasmine Harris says a Nike ad directed by Malia Obama has similarities to her short film.
Harris says she wants to spark a broader conversation about how indie creators get overlooked.
She's had success as a young filmmaker, but she says it's still tough for artists to break through.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Natalie Jasmine Harris, a 27-year-old filmmaker. It has been edited for length and clarity. Reps for Malia Obama, Nike, the ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, and the production company Iconoclast didn't respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this month, at the Denver airport on the way home from a TV directing mentorship program, I was scrolling on Instagram when Malia Obama's Nike adwith the basketball star A'ja Wilsonappeared on my feed.
At first, I was confused, wondering whether it was real. It featured two people playing pat-a-cake in a way that echoed an early scene from my 14-minute short film "Grace," which is a Black Southern Gothic short about a girl who's being baptized and questioning her feelings for her best friend.
I'd met Malia at Sundance in 2024, when "Grace" and her short film "The Heart" were both in competition. We saw each other at the director's brunch and a couple other events.
Initially, I was disappointed and hurt — not just for myself but for my entire team. I sent the commercial to friends who had the same reaction I did. One put together a shot-by-shot photo comparison.
Since posting about the issue online, there have been a lot of people who don't understand my disappointment. They're like, "You didn't invent pat-a-cake." And that's very true. But it's not about the game, it's about the cinematic tools used to depict it.
My cinematographer, Tehillah De Castro, noted a lot of similarities from a technical perspective, from the camera angles to the shots to the framing composition and the color palette.
Over time, I've moved through that initial shock into a deeper frustration around how instances like this are very common — and need to change.
It speaks to a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn't breed innovative films or original storytelling. If they wanted these shots that were similar to my shots, why not hire me to direct?
The route that used to work for the Spike Lees and Steven Spielbergs of the world feels less viable today. If we're continuously overlooked, how is the next generation of filmmakers going to exist?
Despite early success, being a young director has been a struggle
I knew I wanted to be a director from a young age.
I started making documentaries in high school about social justice during the Black Lives Matter movement. A lot of my work centers joy in coming-of-age experiences, black women, and queer stories — things that are personal to me.
Despite graduating from New York University in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, I've had a lot of success so far. My thesis film, "Pure," ended up getting bought by HBO shortly after I graduated, and it won the DGA Student Film Award. I also won a contest to direct a commercial for Hyundai and did a commercial for Verizon.
In addition to going to Sundance in 2024, "Grace" is also a Vimeo Staff Pick and will be on Criterion in June.
Still, being a young director has been a struggle. Festivals are great, but they don't pay the bills. I've taken on other full-time and freelance jobs.
Right now, I'm working on my first feature, which I've spent the last several years writing and pitching.
But I've often run into roadblocks with production companies and financiers saying, in so many words, that no one wants to be the first person to bet on me — coupled with the fact that I'm young and don't have an established name.
I would like there to be some acknowledgment
I haven't heard from Malia Obama or Nike since speaking out, but I would like for there to be some acknowledgment.
I was initially hesitant to speak out, since it involves a former president's daughter and a beloved brand like Nike. Criticizing something involving the WNBA was also hard because it means a lot to me personally, and it already gets such a lack of a spotlight.
But I've poured too much into my work to just sit by and watch.
Sometimes it can feel like filmmaking is something that's supposed to be a hobby for the wealthy rather than something that can actually be a career.
But I don't want to give up. I have a beautiful community of friends and family and colleagues fighting the same fight, and there's hope in that. I still have a lot of stories I want to tell. And I want to be a name someday, too.
Michelle Obama says she can roast her husband, but not vice versa.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Michelle Obama says she made a rule with Barack that allowed her to tease him, but not vice versa.
"I said, 'When I tease you, it's like, you know, it's like a love tap," she said.
Playfulness in relationships, like teasing, can contribute to long-lasting bonds.
Only one Obama gets to crack the jokes in this relationship — and it's not the former US president.
During an appearance on Amy Poehler's "Good Hang" podcast on Tuesday, Michelle Obama spoke about the deal she struck with her husband, Barack Obama, about making fun of each other.
"See, we have a deal, Barack and I, in our marriage, and it started very early. It's like 'I can tease you, but you cannot tease me,'" Obama told Poehler.
"You know, so when he does, I was like, 'Oh, oh, oh, oh, wait a minute. What's going on here?' And he's like, 'I'm teasing you.' I was like, 'None of that,'" Obama said.
The former first lady joked that her husband is outnumbered at home, especially when she teams up with their two daughters.
"When me, Malia, and Sasha — all of us — are together, he doesn't stand a chance," Obama said. "We mercilessly go after him. So, yes, teasing is our love language, and I tell him that."
She added that teasing was her way of showing affection — a habit she picked up from her parents, especially her mother, who loved pulling pranks on her and her brother.
"I said, 'When I tease you, it's like, you know, it's like a love tap," Obama said, recalling her words to her husband.
A 2021 study found that playfulness among couples may be the key to a long relationship. Whether sharing a laugh or playing sports together, playfulness helps create a light, easygoing dynamic, Rachel Sussman, a relationship therapist who was not part of the study, previously told Business Insider.
"Everyone needs a respite from all the heaviness going on in the world," Sussman said.
The former US president is also known for his sharp sense of humor — he made plenty of dad jokes during his time in the office. More recently, during a speech at the Democratic National Convention last year, he made a size joke about then-GOP nominee Donald Trump that went viral.
A representative for Michelle Obama did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.
The former first lady recently opened up about her nighttime routine and joked that she has made the former president "afraid" of changing the temperature
FIRST ON FOX: Congressional Republicans are urging President Donald Trump to remain committed to a hardline Iran strategy, calling for the complete dismantlement of the regime’s nuclear enrichment capabilities in a letter that drew wide support.
The U.S. "cannot afford" an agreement like the 2015 nuclear deal under then-President Barack Obama that "buys time" for Iran to quietly continue its nuclear program, the letter, signed by over 200 members of Congress, stated.
Iran must give up its uranium enrichment capacity entirely – even for energy purposes, the lawmakers wrote. Their letter was spearheaded by Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and House Republican Study Committee Chair Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas. It is signed by every GOP senator except libertarian-minded Rand Paul, R-Ky., and 177 Republican House members.
"The scope and breadth of Iran’s nuclear buildout have made it impossible to verify any new deal that allows Iran to continue enriching uranium," the letter read. "The regime must give up any capacity for enrichment."
"We cannot afford another agreement that enables Iran to play for time, as the JCPOA did," the letter stated. "The Iranian regime should know that the administration has Congressional backing to ensure their ability to enrich uranium is permanently eliminated."
"You and your administration have therefore correctly drawn a red line against a deal that allows Iran to retain any enrichment capacity," the letter said. "As always, we stand ready to provide you and your administration whatever resources you need to advance American national security interests."
When asked last week if Iran could have a civil enrichment program if it did not produce weapons-grade material that could be used in a bomb, Trump said, "We haven’t made that decision yet."
However, more recently, Special Envoy to the MIddle East Steve Witkoff seemed to draw a red line against the prospect – a departure from previous comments.
"An enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again," Witkoff said in an interview with Breitbart.
Last month, Witkoff suggested Iran may be allowed to enrich uranium to low levels.
"They do not need to enrich past 3.67 percent," Witkoff said. "In some circumstances, they’re at 60 percent. In other circumstances, 20 percent. That cannot be. And you do not need to run – as they claim – a civil nuclear programme where you’re enriching past 3.67 percent," he said on Fox News.
Such a demand could complicate talks with Tehran, which has repeatedly asserted its right to a civil nuclear program.
Iranian and U.S. officials ended talks in Oman over the weekend on a positive note, despite seemingly remaining at odds over the issue.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said Tuesday that talks had not delved into the matter yet, but Iran would be open to a temporary restriction on enrichment levels.
"For a limited period of time, we can accept a series of restrictions on the level and volume of enrichment," said Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, according to Tassim news agency."We have not yet gone into details about the level and volume of enrichment."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said Saturday that enriching uranium was "non-negotiable" in any sort of deal.
"If the goal of the negotiations is to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, I state clearly that Iran will not back down from any of its rights," Aragchi said, according to state media.
"Iran continues negotiations in good faith, and if the goal of these talks is to ensure the non-acquisition of nuclear weapons, an agreement is possible. However, if the aim is to limit Iran’s nuclear rights, Iran will never retreat from its rights."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday added that calls to dismantle Tehran's nuclear facilities were "unacceptable," and, "Iran will not give up its peaceful nuclear rights under any circumstances and will not back down from its rights in the face of pressure."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered to help out with the development of the Obama Presidential Center, which has been plagued by huge cost overruns and delays, with the project’s embrace of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies drawing significant attention recently.
Trump, who reshaped city skylines with towering skyscrapers throughout his business career, linked DEI to the problems at the massive Chicago project, which has seen costs spiral from an initial $350 million to $830 million in 2021, with no new updated figures available.
"Look, President Obama, if he wanted help, I'd give him help because I'm a really good builder and I build on time, on budget. He's building his library in Chicago. It's a disaster," Trump said at the White House alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
OBAMA LIBRARY, BEGUN WITH LOFTY DEI GOALS, NOW PLAGUED BY $40M RACIALLY CHARGED SUIT, BALLOONING COSTS
Trump was speaking about the Biden administration’s CHIPS Act -- passed to boost domestic semiconductor research and manufacturing - and its DEI provisions when he pivoted to the Obama Presidential Center.
"[Obama] said something to the effect, ‘I only want DEI, I only want woke,’" Trump said. "He wants woke people to build it. Well, he got woke people and they have massive cost overruns. A job is stopped. I don't know, it's a disaster. And I don't like that happening because it's bad for the presidency that a thing like that should happen. He's got a library that's a disaster."
Construction is still under way at the 19.3-acre site which will consist of a 225-foot-tall museum, a digital library, conference facilities, a gymnasium and a regulation-sized NBA court.
From the outset, the project touted "ambitious goals" for certain construction diversity quotas, with its contracts allocated to "diverse suppliers," 35% of which were required to be minority-based enterprises (MBEs).
A $40.75 million racially charged lawsuit filed earlier this year by a minority contractor against the project’s structural engineer shined a spotlight on the DEI-driven aspect of the project. The structural engineers claimed the minority contractor lacked sufficient qualifications and experience to perform its work, resulting in delays.
Trump on Tuesday said Obama was paying for prioritizing DEI over meritocracy.
"And he wanted to be very politically correct and he didn't use good, hard, tough, mean construction workers that I love Marco," Trump said, switching into his trademark deeper tone while addressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"I love those construction workers but he didn't want construction workers. He wanted people that never did it before and he's got a disaster in his hands. Many millions of dollars over budget and I would love to help him with it or somebody else I could recommend professionals, but it was not built in a professional manner."
Emily Bittner, the vice president of communications at the nonprofit Obama Foundation, said Trump’s remarks were not based in facts and that the center itself is not involved in the lawsuit, nor did it delay the timeline of the facility which is set to open in 2026. The Obama Foundation oversees the center’s development and will also be housed at the center when it opens.
"Everyone who sees the Obama Presidential Center is blown away by its beauty, scale and the way it will be an economic engine for Chicago and a beacon of hope for the world," Bittner told Fox News Digital in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming all visitors to the 19.3-acre campus next spring, to experience a presidential center that not only honors the Obamas’ legacy but also lifts up the next generation of leaders."
Bittner said the hundreds of workers on site every day are a testament to the center’s progress and added that the project is being funded privately and not by the taxpayer.
The library at the center will be a digital one and not a physical one like other presidential libraries have, which are federally funded and have size restrictions.
Obama’s current presidential library is in Hoffman Estates in the northwest of Chicago and is expected to move to College Park in Maryland later this year.
During Wednesday's episode of her and her brother's "IMO" podcast, which featured guests Damon and Marlon Wayans, the former First Lady spoke about her experience raising her kids.
Obama said that even though she was strict with her daughters, she felt it was important for them to make their own mistakes.
"And I think nowadays a lot of parents are trying to live their kids' lives for them so that they don't make any mistakes and don't feel any sense of failure, which keeps them from learning," Obama told her cohost Craig Robinson and her two guests.
The "Becoming" author also spoke about how she wanted her daughters to make sound decisions on their own, meaning she had to stop overparenting them.
"It's like, you know what, I raised you all to have some sense, to have judgment. And at some point, you've got to practice that, which means that I've got to let go," Obama said.
She added that she tried to give her kids more rope before they went to college.
"And I think that the reverse happens now is that everybody's trying to hold on to their kids. But one day they're going to get out there, and the only thing that is for certain for kids getting out in the world, is they're going to get hit with some failure," Obama said.
To help kids handle failure, she says parents should start letting them make decisions early on.
"Choosing the knucklehead boyfriend and holding your tongue, and showing them that you trust them so that when they do fail, they'll come back," she said.
Obama's comments come as more parents are rethinking how they raise their children.
In recent years, gentle parenting has been a big trend, especially among millennial parents. This parenting style frowns upon punitive methods while emphasizing respect and understanding of children's emotions.
Similarly, permissive parenting involves not setting or enforcing many rules for kids. While this parenting style can foster a stronger bond between parents and their children, it may lead to kids having trouble with self-regulation.
In a personal essay for Business Insider, child psychologist Michele Borba wrote that parents can instill resilience in their kids by letting them fail.
She wrote that one way would be for parents to stop trying to fix their kids' problems.
"Instead, step back and subscribe to a new parenting behavior: 'Never do for your child what your child can do for themself,'" Borba wrote.
A representative for Obama did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.
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