National security experts are sounding the alarm over a report that the Chinese Communist Party’s reach inside the United States could include two golf courses located right on the doorstep of one of the country’s most critical military bases. 

News this week that a Chinese intelligence officer is the owner of two golf courses on both sides of Louisiana’s Barksdale Air Force Base, which controls aspects of the U.S. nuclear trial, raised concerns from several China experts who spoke to Fox News Digital. The Daily Caller was the first to report the story. 

Josh Hodges, U.S. commissioner for the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission, told Fox News Digital the case underscores longstanding vulnerabilities the federal government has failed to address.

‘This investigation is yet another wake-up call,’ Hodges said. ‘The CCP operates by buying proximity, embedding influence and exploiting blind spots near our most sensitive military installations, while simultaneously embedding in critical infrastructure like America’s power grid.

‘The USCC’s November 2025 report identified these types of risks clearly, including the persistent threat from operations like Volt Typhoon pre-positioning assets for potential sabotage. It is long past due for the U.S. to revamp our counterintelligence efforts and take steps to address these vulnerabilities within our borders.’

The report states that the golf courses are owned by Eugene Ji, a Chinese-American businessman who has held multiple positions in the Chinese government, adding they were bought with the purpose of a ‘networking opportunity for Chinese and American business people.’

Ji has served as an official with the United Front Work Department (UFWD), an arm of the Chinese Communist Party that helps coordinate information campaigns that Republicans in Congress have worked to sanction, calling it a ‘disinformation network.’

Michael Lucci, founder and CEO of State Armor, told Fox News Digital that Louisiana is one of the top states when it comes to combating possible malign influence from the CCP but that more needs to be done to ensure sensitive military installations aren’t compromised. 

‘Louisiana state lawmakers are national leaders in countering Communist China, and today’s blockbuster investigation makes crystal clear that their mission-critical work must continue,’ Lucci said.

‘A Chinese intelligence official with huge property purchases next to Barksdale Air Force Base is proof positive that Chinese land acquisitions are strategic and malicious. This is no coincidence. It reflects a deliberate CCP strategy to pre-position near America’s most sensitive military and critical infrastructure assets to exploit for intelligence today and sabotage in the event of a future conflict.’

Lucci warned that failure to act decisively could leave the U.S. exposed during a future confrontation with China.

‘States must act quickly, and Louisiana must continue to lead, by not only banning Communist China from owning assets near military installations and critical infrastructure, but also by ejecting blatant security threats that threaten national security.’

Former Trump administration official Joe Grogan, co-founder and president of Public Policy Solutions, told Fox News Digital the issue should not be confused with free market investment.

‘It is unthinkable that agents of communist China could be allowed to take possession of property so close to one of our nation’s most vital strategic assets,’ Grogan said. ‘We can’t confuse this insidious incursion with free enterprise. Make no mistake, land purchases by Chinese nationals near our military infrastructure present a clear and present danger.’

Grogan called for stronger coordination between Washington and state governments to close gaps that hostile foreign actors can exploit.

‘The need for greater cooperation between federal and state agencies to confront threats like these could not be more clear,’ he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the golf properties for comment. 

The Trump administration is considering paying each Greenland resident thousands of dollars as part of a bid to encourage the territory to secede from Denmark and join the United States, according to Reuters. 

U.S. officials, including White House aides, have discussed payment figures ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, the outlet reported, citing sources. 

For an island with a population of roughly 57,000, the total cost could range from more than half a billion dollars to nearly $6 billion.

While discussions of a lump-sum payment are not new, Reuters reported that officials have become more serious in recent days and are considering higher amounts.

The White House referred Fox News Digital on Thursday to remarks by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said during a Wednesday briefing that buying Greenland would benefit U.S. national security.

‘The acquisition of Greenland by the United States is not a new idea,’ Leavitt said. 

‘The president has been very open and clear with all of you and the world that he views it as in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region,’ she said. ‘That’s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like.’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he plans to meet with his Danish counterpart next week to discuss Greenland.

Trump has long contended that the U.S. should acquire Greenland, arguing that its mineral resources are vital in advancing U.S. military technologies and that the Western Hemisphere should broadly fall under Washington’s geopolitical influence.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters Greenland is surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships and that Denmark, which governs Greenland, lacks the capability to provide the level of defense and oversight that meets U.S. national security standards.

‘It’s so strategic,’ Trump told reporters on Air Force One. ‘We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.’

Authorities in Greenland and Denmark insist that Greenland is not for sale, and European leaders have criticized the proposal, arguing that it undermines trust between the U.S. and Denmark as NATO allies. Under the NATO defense agreement, allies are obliged to support one another militarily if attacked, making the idea of a sale particularly sensitive.

‘This is enough,’ Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday, responding to Trump’s Sunday remarks about acquiring the island. ‘No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation.’

On Tuesday, Nielsen added that Greenland will remain part of Denmark despite U.S. efforts.

‘Our country isn’t something you can deny or take over because you want to,’ he added. ‘Once again, I urge the United States to seek respectful dialogue through the correct diplomatic and political channels and utilizing pre-existing forums that are based on agreements already in place with the United States. The dialogue must take place with respect to the fact that Greenland’s status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity.’ 

President Donald Trump unleashed his fury on a handful of Senate Republicans who rebelled against him on Thursday, demanding that they never be re-elected. 

Five Senate Republicans broke ranks to support a bipartisan war powers resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., geared toward reining in Trump’s ability to pursue further military action in Venezuela. 

It served as a rare rebuke from Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Todd Young, R-Ind., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., in a Republican-controlled Senate that has largely accepted and advanced many of Trump’s legislative desires. 

Trump was not happy about it. 

‘Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

‘Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again,’ he continued. ‘This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief.’ 

Collins, in particular, faces a tough re-election challenge in Maine, where Senate Democrats got their prized candidate, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, to jump into the race late last year. 

The Republicans that voted for the resolution argued that while they supported Operation Absolute Resolve, the code name of the mission carried out to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, they wanted Congress to have a say should any further military action take place. 

That decision came in part after lawmakers received briefings throughout the week from top administration officials to explain what the next steps in the country would be. 

‘With Maduro rightfully captured, the circumstances have now changed,’ Collins said in a statement ahead of the vote. ‘While I support the operation to seize Nicolás Maduro, which was extraordinary in its precision and complexity, I do not support committing additional U.S. forces or entering into any long-term military involvement in Venezuela or Greenland without specific congressional authorization.’

Trump rejected Congress’ war powers authority, calling the War Powers Act ‘unconstitutional, totally violating Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me.’

‘Nevertheless, a more important Senate Vote will be taking place next week on this very subject,’ he said. 

President Donald Trump called for defense spending to be raised to $1.5 trillion, a 50% increase over the current budget. 

‘After long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, but rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday evening. 

‘This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe.’ 

The president said he came up with the number after tariff revenues created a surplus of cash. He claimed the levies were bringing in enough money to pay for both a major boost to the defense budget ‘easily,’ pay down the national debt, which is more than $38 trillion, and offer ‘a substantial dividend to moderate income patriots.’

The boost likely reflects efforts to fund Trump’s ambitious military plans, from the Golden Dome homeland missile defense shield to a new ‘Trump class’ of battleships.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that the increased budget would cost about $5 trillion from 2027 to 2035, or $5.7 trillion with interest. Tariff revenues, the group found, would cover about half the cost — $2.5 trillion, or $3 trillion with interest. 

The Supreme Court is expected to rule in a major case Friday that will determine the legality of Trump’s sweeping tariff strategy.

In 2026, the defense budget is expected to breach $1 trillion for the first time thanks to a $150 billion reconciliation bill Congress passed to boost the expected $900 billion defense spending legislation for fiscal year 2026. Congress has yet to pass a full-year defense budget for 2026.

Some Republicans have long called for a major increase to defense spending to bring the topline total to 5% of GDP, as the $1.5 trillion budget would do, up from the current 3.5%.

Trump has ramped up pressure on Europe to increase its national security spending to 5% of GDP — 3.5% on core military requirements and 1.5% on defense-related areas like cybersecurity and critical infrastructure.

Trump’s budget announcement came hours after defense stocks took a dip when he condemned the performance rates of major defense contractors. In a separate Truth Social post, he announced he would not allow defense firms to buy back their own stocks, offer large salaries to executives or issue dividends to shareholders. 

‘Executive Pay Packages in the Defense Industry are exorbitant and unjustifiable given how slowly these Companies are delivering vital Equipment to our Military, and our Allies,’ he said. 

‘​Defense Companies are not producing our Great Military Equipment rapidly enough and, once produced, not maintaining it properly or quickly.’

He said that executives would not be allowed to make above $5 million until they build new production plants.

Stock buybacks, dividends and executive compensation generally are governed by securities law, state corporate law and private contracts, and cannot be broadly restricted without congressional action.

An executive order the White House released Wednesday frames the restrictions as conditions on future defense contracts, rather than a blanket prohibition. The order directs the secretary of war to ensure that new contracts include provisions barring stock buybacks and corporate distributions during periods of underperformance, non-compliance or inadequate production, as determined by the Pentagon.

Vice President JD Vance announced a new federal task force aimed at tackling fraud across the country on Thursday.

Vance says the Justice Department will feature a new associate attorney general position to address fraud, in addition to the 1,500 subpoenas and 100 indictments the DOJ has already sent out on the issue.

Vance says the administration hopes to announce a nominee to the position ‘within the next few days.’

‘This is the person that is going to make sure we stop defrauding the American people,’ Vance said.

‘We have activated a major Interagency task force to make it possible to get to the heart of this fraud,’ he continued. ‘We also want to expand this. We know that the fraud isn’t just happening in Minneapolis. It’s also happening in states like Ohio. It’s happening in states like California.’

Vance made the announcement alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at a Thursday briefing.

Prior to Vance’s remarks, Leavitt reiterated the administration’s rock-solid support for federal immigration officers operating across the country.

Addressing the deadly officer-involved shooting in Minnesota on Wednesday, she blamed the incident on an ‘organized attack’ by a ‘broader left-wing network’ on federal officers operating in multiple states.

The statement echoed comments from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the victim, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, tried to ‘weaponize her vehicle’ and ‘attempted to run a law enforcement officer over.’

Noem also accused Good of ‘stalking and impeding’ federal agents all day. Noem told reporters that Good was instructed to get out of her car and stop ‘obstructing’ law enforcement, but she did not comply.

The agency is labeling the incident as an act of ‘domestic terrorism.’

On Thursday, in a separate post on X, Vance expanded on his defense of the officer’s actions, slamming critics for engaging in ‘gaslighting.’ The post was made in response to comments from Jenin Younes, the national legal director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, who argued that the officer was not in danger and had time to get out of Good’s way. Vance said Younes’ arguments were ‘preposterous.’

‘The gaslighting is off the charts, and I’m having none of it. This guy was doing his job. She tried to stop him from doing his job. When he approached her car, she tried to hit him,’ Vance wrote. ‘A tragedy? Absolutely. But a tragedy that falls on this woman and all of the radicals who teach people that immigration is the one type of law that rioters are allowed to interfere with.’

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates. 

Vice President JD Vance unleashed on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Thursday, and gave him a new nickname: ‘a joke.’ 

Vance’s comments come after Walz reminisced on Minnesota’s contribution to the Union during the Civil War, following an incident where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, 37. 

Walz, who announced Monday he wouldn’t run for re-election, already has faced increased scrutiny in recent weeks as Minnesota faces investigations into multiple alleged fraud schemes plaguing the state’s social services system.

‘Look, Tim Walz is a joke. His entire administration has been a joke,’ Vance told reporters Thursday. ‘The idea that he’s some sort of freedom fighter, he’s not. He’s the guy who has enabled fraud and maybe, in fact, has participated in fraud.’

‘I don’t care what Tim Walz says,’ Vance said. ‘I care about getting to the bottom of this fraud for the American people.’ 

Walz’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

On Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that Good ‘weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.’ 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that Good ‘hit’ the ICE agent involved with a vehicle, and described the incident as an act of ‘domestic terrorism.’

However, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey later challenged the administration’s description of events, and claimed that the shooting wasn’t an act of self-defense like the administration was trying to ‘spin’ it. 

Earlier Thursday, Walz described the contributions of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Battle of Gettysburg, who were responsible for holding the Union line against Confederate troops. 

‘I’ve seen it throughout our history,’ Walz said. ‘When things looked really bleak, it was Minnesota’s 1st that held that line for the nation on that July 3rd, 1863. And I think now we may be in that moment, that the nation is looking to us to hold the line on democracy, to hold the line on decency, to hold the line on accountability.’

Vance isn’t the only one to unleash on Walz recently. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently called Walz a ‘traitor.’ 

Meanwhile, Walz has come under fire from Republicans and President Donald Trump, who has labeled Minnesota a ‘hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.’

The Trump administration and lawmakers have launched probes into Minnesota’s alleged ‘Feeding Our Future’ $250 million fraud scheme that allegedly targeted a children’s nutrition program the Department of Agriculture funded and that Minnesota oversaw during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Likewise, another alleged fraud scheme in the state stems from the Housing Stability Services Program, which allegedly offered Medicaid coverage for housing stabilization services in an attempt to help those with disabilities, mental illnesses and substance-use disorders receive housing.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., expressed support for the idea of the U.S. buying Greenland, which is linked to the nation of Denmark.

‘I believe Greenland has massive strategic benefits for the United States. I do not support taking it by force. America is not a bully. Ideally, we purchase it — similar to our purchases of Alaska or the Louisiana Purchase. Acquiring Greenland is a many decades-old conversation,’ the senator noted in a Wednesday post on X.

In a Fox News appearance last year, Fetterman had similarly noted that he would not support forcibly seizing Greenland but expressed an openness to the prospect of purchasing the land. He pointed to the Louisiana Purchase and the Alaska Purchase.

President Donald Trump has been eyeing the island, categorizing the U.S. acquiring the territory as a national security matter.

In a 2024 Truth Social post, he asserted, ‘For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.’

During a Sunday news gaggle aboard Air Force One, he said, ‘We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And the European Union needs us to have it.’

Trump has previously floated the idea of acquiring Greenland in the past, but the commander-in-chief spoke about the Artic territory recently when someone brought it up during the gaggle on Air Force One after the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Nicolás Maduro. Since then, the president said the U.S. is in charge of Venezuela and will be for the foreseeable future until a secure transition of power can take place.

In a Fox News appearance on Monday, Fetterman described the U.S. capture of Maduro as a ‘good thing,’ calling the operation ‘surgical.’ 

‘Removing Maduro was positive for Venezuela. As a Democrat, I don’t understand why we can’t acknowledge a good development for Venezuelans — and how deft our military’s execution of that plan was,’ he noted in a Tuesday post on X.