CIA Director John Ratcliffe declared in an internal memo that China is the top priority for his agency, warning that ‘no adversary in the history of our Nation has presented a more formidable challenge or a more capable strategic competitor than the Chinese Communist Party.’ 

The internal CIA memo directed to the agency’s rank and file was provided to Fox News by a senior CIA official on Thursday.  

‘For CIA to continue successfully defending our Nation, we will build upon our strong foundation and pursue with laser-like focus the near-term priorities for CIA that our President and our country demand. China sits at the very top of that list,’ Ratcliffe wrote. 

‘No adversary in the history of our Nation has presented a more formidable challenge or a more capable strategic competitor than the Chinese Communist Party,’ he continued. ‘It is intent on dominating the world economically, militarily, and technologically, and it is aggressively trying to out-compete America in every corner of the globe.’ 

Ratcliffe said the CIA must continue to respond to the threats China poses ‘with urgency, creativity, and grit.’ 

‘I’ve emboldened CIA’s leadership team to take on more risks, smartly, and to aggressively seek out short- and long-term opportunities that give the United States the advantage it needs to keep China in our rear-view window. It won’t be easy, but I pledge to lead the charge in helping us do just that,’ he added. 

Ratcliffe said, ‘Technology is another top priority; one that is in many ways intertwined with the threat posed by the CCP.  

‘Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing will define the future of national security and geopolitical power,’ he wrote in the memo. 

‘Concurrently, our adversaries – China, Russia, and Iran – seek to gain footholds in countries in our near-abroad. We must continue to push back against these efforts,’ Ratcliffe also said. ‘To best position CIA in addressing this priority, we are taking a close look at how we can create a unified effort across the range of policy objectives in this region. The American people deserve our best.’ 

One of the top defense contractors in the United States, which has a history of pushing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), is facing heat over a massive government contract that critics say should be a prime target for Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts. 

The Air Force’s Sentinel program, a massive intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) project serving as the successor to the Minuteman III program ensuring the future viability of the land-based leg of America’s nuclear triad, has been mired in controversy and slowdowns as Northrop Grumman was awarded the development contract and the endeavor has gone from a $96 billion program to at least $141 billion in recent years. 

The Pentagon ordered Northrop Grumman to pause development earlier this year due to ‘evolving launch facility requirements’, Defense One reported. Air & Space Forces Magazine reported last year that the intercontinental ballistic missile program survived a Pentagon review, but it was found that the cost overrun jumped from 37% to 81%.

Northrop Grumman, which had not previously designed an ICBM, was awarded a $13 billion contract in September 2020 for full-scale development of the program to replace the Minuteman III, and the Pentagon has estimated that the total cost of developing its new ICBM program could cost up to $264 billion over the next few decades, Bloomberg reported.

The awarding of the contract was controversial in its own right, after Boeing dropped out of the bidding, claiming that the process was rigged against it, Responsible Statecraft reported. 

‘The massive expansion of costs for Northrop Grumman’s Minuteman III program is the case example for why poorly-scoped, blank check programs are a bad idea,’ a senior Republican Congressional official who works on defense policy told Fox News Digital. 

‘This is bad for national security, bad for taxpayers, and Republicans will fix this mess that Biden’s team created,’ the official added.

Questions have also been raised by some in recent years about whether the Sentinel program is even necessary, including at a Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group press conference last year, when former Democratic Congressman John Tierney said that Sentinel ‘does not add to our security’ and could ‘actually make us less safe.’

‘When will the blank checks to cover spiraling costs end?’ Tierney said. ‘The Sentinel ICBM program is just the latest in a long list of Pentagon programs that are over budget, behind schedule and of questionable utility.’

Tierney added that he believes the ‘only value’ of recent ICBM development is ‘to the defense contractors who line their fat pockets with large cost overruns at the expense of our taxpayers.’

‘It has got to stop,’ he said. 

An Air Force spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it is taking ‘deliberate’ steps to ensure that the Sentinel program is running as cost-efficiently as possible while enhancing oversight at the same time. ‘We continue to advance the engineering design and maturity of the program with Northrop Grumman, working closely with the company to drive down costs and improve schedule performance,’ the spokesperson added.

The Air Force also pointed to a previous comment from Gen. David Allvin, Air Force chief of staff, during a symposium in March that stressed the importance of the Sentinel program.

‘We own two-thirds of the triad and three-fourths of the nuclear command and control of communications,’ Allvin said. ‘We own the nuclear deterrence. So more Air Force means more nuclear deterrence…We have to have the most reliable, the most safe, the most effective nuclear deterrent. That means sentinel, yes…I believe we need more nuclear deterrence for our nation. It’s a solemn responsibility. It’s not an option.’

Amid the cost overruns and headaches from the ICBM program, Northrop Grumman adopted and promoted an agenda focused on DEI in recent years and was one of several defense contractors that have attempted to scrub their websites of DEI in the wake of the Trump administration’s pledge to rid the government of the ideology. 

Northrop Grumman’s 2023 annual report mentions DEI as ‘vital to our culture and our company’s success. Our ability to leverage the power of our diverse workforce enhances employee engagement and enables us to innovate, perform and deliver on quality, which results in value for our shareholders, customers, and employees.’

The report also touted its minority hiring practices and stated that 25% of its employees are female, 37% people of color, 18% veterans and 8% people with disabilities. 

‘Diversity Has a Home at Northrop Grumman,’ a YouTube video from ClearanceJobs says in a post that features Northrop Grumman employees discussing the diversity of the company. 

‘Northrop’s Sentinel Program is a DOGE poster child,’ a person close to the Trump administration told Fox News Digital. ‘Not only did they practice DEI, the program is ineffective, delayed, and wasting billions of taxpayer money. Musk would have a field day.’

DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts have affected essentially every area of government, including the Defense Department, which recently announced that over $580 million worth of contracts have been canceled as Democrats continue to blast the efforts and make the case that DOGE cuts are detrimental to the country.  

‘I’ve seen it with my own eyes, billions of dollars spent on pricey consulting firms, grants and NGO‘s—the self-serving bureaucrats in Washington DC have found a million different ways to rip-off the American taxpayer,’ special advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake told Fox News Digital. 

‘I’m working very closely with DOGE at the agency President Trump asked me to oversee. Our DOGE team is not political, they are practical. They know that it’s not practical for the U.S. government to continue spending the way it has been. Our country won’t survive unless we cut back right now, and the hard-working men and women across this country support that.’

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for Northrop Grumman touted recent progress in the program.

‘We continue to make substantial progress on the Sentinel Weapon System,’ the spokesperson said. ‘On March 6, we completed the missile’s stage one static fire test, the latest of many test events that validate the rocket motor’s performance and digital design. We continue to mature the design and reduce risk as we prepare for production and deployment of this essential national security capability.’

Regarding DEI, the spokesperson said, ‘We have reviewed our policies and processes and continue to take the steps necessary to ensure compliance with the orders for the work entrusted to us. Northrop Grumman is committed to our customers’ missions, delivering technologies they need to deter threats, prevail in conflicts, and strengthen national security. Underpinned by our values, we hire, promote, and pay based on merit and performance resulting in the best team to deliver for our customers.’

A top official at the National Institutes of Health announced his abrupt retirement from the agency after 21 years, complaining about censorship under the leadership of HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

NIH senior investigator Kevin Hall complained that he ‘experienced censorship’ during his investigation of ultra-processed food addiction.

‘After 21 years at my dream job, I’m very sad to announce my early retirement from the National Institutes of Health. My life’s work has been to scientifically study how our food environment affects what we eat, and how what we eat affects our physiology,’ Hall wrote in a lengthy post on social media.

‘Lately, I’ve focused on unraveling the reasons why diets high in ultra-processed food are linked to epidemic proportions of chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Our research leads the world on this topic,’ he continued.

Hall said that he was initially encouraged by Kennedy’s public statements about chronic illness and problems with America’s food systems. However, he says he ‘experienced censorship in the reporting of our research because of agency concerns that it did not appear to fully support preconceived narratives of my agency’s leadership about ultra-processed food addiction.’

‘I wrote to my agency’s leadership expressing my concerns and requested time to discuss these issues, but I never received a response,’ Hall added.

The NIH did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Hall’s claims come days after Kennedy visited FDA employees last week and reportedly told them that ‘the Deep State is real.’

‘President Trump always talks about the Deep State, and the media, you know, disparages him and says that he’s paranoid,’ Kennedy said according to Politico, which reported it obtained an audio recording and transcript of the secretary’s remarks. ‘But the Deep State is real. And it’s not, you know, just George Soros and Bill Gates and a bunch of nefarious individuals sitting together in a room and plotting the, you know, the destruction of humanity.’

According to multiple reports, Kennedy pointed the finger at ‘institutional pressures.’

Kennedy also reportedly said the FDA had become a ‘sock puppet’ of the industries it was meant to regulate. NBC News reported that Kennedy said that this was the case with ‘every agency,’ not just the FDA.

Former Trump national security aide and Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot reportedly will resign at the end of the week. 

His sudden departure comes after Sean Parnell took over the role of the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson in February. 

‘I made clear to Secretary [Pete] Hegseth before the inauguration that I was not interested in being number two to anyone in public affairs,’ Ullyot told Politico, reportedly adding that he had offered to help on an acting basis for two months. 

‘Last month, as that time approached, the secretary and I talked and could not come to an agreement on another good fit for me at DOD. So I informed him today that I will be leaving at the end of this week,’ Ullyot said. 

The Department of Defense did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

During the first Trump administration, Ullyot served as the spokesperson for the National Security Council and was an assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

The Marine Corps veteran also served as a senior adviser in President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign. 

Ullyot’s resignation will come as three Pentagon officials have been placed on administrative leave this week as part of a leak investigation. 

Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, was put on leave on Wednesday, according to Politico. 

The day before, Darin Selnick, the deputy chief of staff for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Hegseth aide Dan Caldwell were removed. 

Reuters reported that Caldwell was placed on leave for an ‘unauthorized disclosure,’ as part of an investigation into leaked Pentagon documents. 

The probe was announced last month and concerned itself over ‘recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information.’ 

Fox News’ Andrea Margolis and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report. 

Israeli troops will not leave the buffer zones in Gaza, even after the war ends, according to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. 

On Wednesday, Hamas appeared to reject an Israeli-proposed ceasefire deal that would see the return of nearly a dozen hostages who have been held captive for more than 550 days. Israel resumed combat operations in the strip last month after a previous ceasefire agreement fell apart before Israel and Hamas could reach phase two.

‘Unlike in the past, the IDF is not withdrawing from areas that have been cleared and captured. The [Israeli Defense Forces] IDF will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and Israeli communities under any temporary or permanent arrangement in Gaza — just as it does in Lebanon and Syria,’ Katz said in a statement on Wednesday.  

The buffer zones that Israel established along the Gaza border make up 30% of the strip, according to the Times of Israel. The outlet also reported that Israeli troops have been working to create the Morag Corridor, which would cut off the southern city of Rafah from Khan Younis.

Hamas reportedly said that any deal that does not have ‘real guarantees for halting the war, achieving full withdrawal, lifting the blockade, and beginning reconstruction will be a political trap,’ according to Reuters.

Since it resumed operations in March, Israel has been condemned by leaders of international institutions who have called for an immediate ceasefire.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement that he was ‘very concerned’ about the situation and the lack of humanitarian aid going into the strip. Katz confirmed on Wednesday that humanitarian aid was being blocked in order to put pressure on Hamas, which has been accused of stealing aid. 

Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon condemned Guterres’ statement, saying ‘The U.N. secretary-general has no problem explicitly condemning Israel’s defensive war in Gaza and unequivocally calling for a ceasefire. Yet his statements, once again, fail to mention the hostages and fail to mention Hamas, whose barbaric actions on October 7, 2023, triggered this war.’

‘This war Hamas started will not be over until all of our remaining 59 hostages are returned home from brutal captivity,’ Danon added.

The Trump administration has asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, sources within the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed to Fox News.

The Ivy League school’s failure to address antisemitism on campus is grounds for losing their 501(c)(3) status, Fox News’ sources said.

The IRS is expected to make a final decision soon on Harvard’s tax exemption, according to CNN, which was first to report the story. 

 In a recent social media post, President Donald Trump claimed that Harvard had ‘lost its way’ and didn’t deserve federal funding.

‘Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and ‘birdbrains’ who are only capable of teaching FAILURE to students and so-called ‘future leaders,” Trump wrote. ‘Look just to the recent past at their plagiarizing President, who so greatly embarrassed Harvard before the United States Congress.’

‘Many others, like these Leftist dopes, are teaching at Harvard, and because of that, Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges,’ he continued. 

‘Harvard is a JOKE, teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds.’

This is a breaking story. Check back with us for updates.

A third high-level Pentagon staffer has been placed on administrative leave in two days as part of a probe into media leaks.

Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg, was escorted out of the building on Wednesday, following Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff to Hegseth. 

‘We can confirm that Mr. Carroll has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation. We have nothing additional to provide at this time,’ a defense official told Fox News Digital. 

Carroll did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Last month Defense Department (DOD) announced it would launch a probe into ‘recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information’ and might employ the use of polygraphs to determine the source of the leaks. 

‘The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy,’ DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper wrote in a memo. ‘This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense.’

He wrote that ‘information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure’ would be referred for criminal prosecution. 

Caroll, a Marine Corps reservist, most recently worked at defense contractor Anduril, which develops autonomous weapons systems. Both Selnick and Caldwell worked at Concerned Veterans for America, an advocacy group once led by Hegseth. 

The Pentagon has not provided specifics about what the three officials are accused of leaking. An official told Politico that the leak concerned Panama Canal plans and Elon Musk’s visit to the Pentagon and a second aircraft carrier being deployed to the Red Sea. 

The DOD followed the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice in announcing it would use polygraphs to root out alleged leakers. But the DOD memo came after President Donald Trump pushed back on a New York Times report that Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk would be briefed on ‘war plans’ with China during a visit to the Pentagon. Trump said he would not show such plans ‘to anybody.’

While autism experts claim that the rise in cases stems from greater awareness and improved diagnostic testing, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shut down that idea Wednesday and, instead, attributed the rise in cases to environmental factors.

Those who discount that environmental exposure is a factor in rising autism cases are engaging in ‘epidemic denial,’ Kennedy told reporters Wednesday. 

Kennedy appeared at HHS’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss the latest findings on autism included in a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey released Tuesday. 

‘This is coming from an environmental toxin, and somebody made a profit by putting that environmental toxin into our air, our water, our medicines, our food,’ Kennedy said. ‘And it’s to their benefit to say ‘Oh, to normalize it, to say all this is all normal, it’s always been here.’ That’s not good for our country.’

Even so, the CDC’s own new survey Kennedy addressed found that autism prevalence is on the rise and said the increase ‘might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices.’

Specifically, the survey found that one in 31 8-year-old children were diagnosed with autism in 2022 – up from one in 36 in 2000.

Additionally, the survey determined that autism rates were far more common for boys than girls. While one in 20 boys is diagnosed with autism, those numbers go down to one in 70 for girls. 

While Kennedy acknowledged Wednesday there may be some genetic vulnerabilities that could contribute to increased odds of an autism diagnosis, he said the autism rates spiked starting in 1989 and that some new environmental toxin must have been introduced around that time. 

‘Why are we not seeing it in older people? Why is this only happening in young people?’ Kennedy said. ‘Have you ever seen anybody our age – I’m 71 years old – with full blown autism? Head-banging, non-verbal, non-toilet-trained.’ 

As a result, Kennedy said HHS’ studies would examine toxins including mold, pesticides, air, water, different medications, as well as the age and obesity rates of parents, among other things. 

‘We’re going to look at all the potential culprits,’ Kennedy said. 

HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding the apparent discrepancy between Kennedy’s remarks and the CDC survey. 

Kennedy signaled Thursday in a Cabinet meeting at the White House that the administration would kick off a massive research initiative to understand the cause of autism by September. 

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to policy and legal advocacy on behalf of those with autism, pushed back against Kennedy’s statements in the Cabinet meeting and claimed Kennedy refused to acknowledge studies that point to genes as the underlying cause of autism. 

‘There is no evidence that autism is actually becoming more common (rather, we as a society are getting better at identifying it, and diagnostic standards have appropriately been widened),’ the network said in a Thursday statement. ‘Even if it were, however, autistic and other disabled people belong in our society. To claim otherwise, and to speak as though our existence is some kind of calamity that must be eliminated, is a form of eugenics.’ 

A third high-level Pentagon staffer has been placed on administrative leave in two days as part of a probe into media leaks.

Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg, was escorted out of the building on Wednesday, following Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff to Hegseth. 

‘We can confirm that Mr. Carroll has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation. We have nothing additional to provide at this time,’ a defense official told Fox News Digital. 

Carroll did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The Pentagon has not provided specifics about what the three officials are accused of leaking. 

Last month Defense Department (DOD) announced it would launch a probe into ‘recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information’ and might employ the use of polygraphs to determine the source of the leaks. 

‘The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy,’ DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper wrote in a memo. ‘This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense.’

He wrote that ‘information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure’ would be referred for criminal prosecution.