North Korea appears to have ceased operations of a radio station suspected of sending coded messages to its spies in the South.

Radio Pyongyang — also known as Voice of Korea — is a station known for broadcasting both entertainment programming and spoken lists of numbers that experts assert contain messages for agents abroad.

Supreme leader Kim Jong Un reportedly halted the function of Radio Pyongyang following a decision to reorganize inter-Korea affairs at a meeting of the Workers’ Party last month.

The radio station’s website has also apparently been retired, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The station traces its history back to 1945 when it inaugurated the airwaves with the post-WWII victory speech of Kim Il Sung. 

North Korean officials suspended the program in 2000, then resumed it in 2016.

International cooperation between the North and South has broken down in recent weeks after the Kim regime’s military fired a series of artillery barrages into the buffer zones between the countries, ostensibly for combat drills.

The regime reportedly held a meeting planning the slow wind-down of civilian exchange with the southern neighbor.

South Korean intelligence estimates approximately 260 shells were fired into the area earlier this month. The South Korean Defense Ministry reportedly fired approximately 400 rounds in response to the provocation.

Kim said last month that his regime ‘would by no means unilaterally bring a great event by the overwhelming strength in the Korean peninsula, but we have no intention of avoiding a war as well.’

On Thursday night, over 100 weapons struck 60 targets in 16 Houthi rebel areas across Yemen. The scope of the strike on 16 different areas tells me that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has been watching the Houthis and developing targets for months. Every target was evaluated to reduce collateral damage to civilians, and in fact, that’s another reason for striking at night.  

At the center of the action was the F/A-18EF Superhornet.  Yes, it’s the same Superhornet plane flown by Tom Cruise in the movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’  

Of course, these Superhornets are playing for much higher stakes. They have Iran and China watching.  And the world’s just seen a turnaround in tactics worthy of a Hollywood thriller.

For weeks, U.S. Navy ship crews and F/A-18EF Superhornet pilots in the Red Sea have been under tight limits. 

Since the Houthis began their Red Sea war in October, U.S. Central Command’s rules dictated that the U.S. and allies could only shoot down the Houthi missiles and drones at the last minute.  Sometimes the missiles and drones – all supplied by Iran – closed to within mere seconds of impact. 

Retired Admiral John ‘Black’ Nathman (an actual Top Gun instructor) once famously told Congress he liked the Superhornet enough to kiss it on the lips. 

The Houthis got to take the first shot.  Every time. And all their warehouses, drone launch areas, airfields and radars ashore in Yemen were off limits. Talk about frustrating.

Thursday, at last, the Superhornets switched from drone slayers to bomb-dropping mode. 

The slant-tail, twin-engine F/A-18EF Superhornet first flew combat over 20 years ago and it’s a plane the Navy aviators love. Retired Admiral John ‘Black’ Nathman (an actual Top Gun instructor) once famously told Congress he liked the Superhornet enough to kiss it on the lips. 

Unleashing the Superhornets was long overdue. The USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group has been in action since Nov. 4.  Back on Dec. 26, Superhornets from the Ike were part of a 10-hour battle with the Houthis which started at 6:30 am. Up in the Red Sea, U.S. Navy destroyer USS Laboon was under attack and knocking down drones. Ike launched its Superhornets and the ship and planes together shot down 12 kamikaze drones, three anti-ship missiles and two land-attack cruise missiles. 

Then came the last straw. On Tuesday, Superhornets joined three U.S. and one British destroyer in shooting down 18 Houthi drones and missiles. 

The Houthis had been warned, and it was time for the Superhornets to strike back.  Getting after the nests of Houthi capability supplied by Iran is a much more effective strategy. The Pentagon calls this ‘left of launch.’ 

The Superhornets carry advanced weapons like the satellite-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition or JDAM and the Joint Standoff weapon, a glide bomb that can hit targets from outside some air defense zones.  Both weapons are just right for taking out the fixed target sites where the Houthis ready the lethal drones and missiles supplied by Iran.

Don’t forget the Superhornets and other aircraft carried out their strikes at night.  That means catapult launches into the blackness, air refueling from tanker planes in the dark, and if they were lucky, maybe a streak of dawn for landing back on the ship.

Superhornets can also function as buddy tankers.  After a combat strike, another Superhornet carrying extra ‘bags’ of gas can top off the homebound aircraft with enough fuel to land on the aircraft carrier safely.

Sure, there were probably a few high-fives in the colorfully-decorated squadron ready rooms after the mission.  However, aircraft carrier flight operations don’t stop. Superhornet crews are ready for additional missions as needed – to intercept Houthi missiles, or hit fixed targets again.

It’s no bad thing that the U.S. and Britain attacked Houthi drone and missile launch capabilities right before the Jan. 13 Taiwan elections.

Remember China has warships near the Red Sea gateway on an ‘anti-piracy’ mission. Xi Jinping’s generals can do the math.  While China’s defenses in its home waters are much stiffer, the fact is that the Tomahawk missiles and Superhornets would be adept drone slayers and bomb-droppers in the Pacific, too.

In coming days, we’ll hear more about the Tomahawk cruise missiles fired by Navy submarines and ships. And about the role of the U.S. Air Force combat planes, flying from bases whose national hosts don’t like to appear in the press. 

We already know Britain’s Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets operating out of their ever-useful base in Cyprus employed precision Paveway bombs in the strike. 

Time will tell if the strikes were enough to suppress Houthi operations and get Red Sea shipping traffic back to normal. 

If not, I guarantee you that Central Command has plenty more Houthi military aim points lined up and ready to strike. That is a lesson for China to heed as well. 

Turkey carried out a series of airstrikes in neighboring Iraq and Syria on Saturday, according to its defense ministry. The strikes come as the U.S and other countries launched separate strikes in Yemen on Friday and Saturday.

According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, aircraft struck Kurdish militant targets in Metina, Hakurk, Gara and Qandil in northern Iraq. The strikes were in response to an attack on a Turkish military base in Iraq that left nine Turkish soldiers dead.

The defense ministry said fighter jets destroyed caves, bunkers, shelters and oil facilities ‘to eliminate terrorist attacks against our people and security forces … and to ensure our border security.’ The statement said ‘many’ militants were ‘neutralized.’ It did not specify any attacks in Syria.

The targets were affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a banned Kurdish separatist group that maintains bases in northern Iraq, the ministry said. The PKK is considered a terror organization by the United States and other Turkish allies in Europe.

Local news organizations reported the strikes took place in a different area from where the base was attacked on Friday.

The Iraqi news website Rudaw, based in Erbil, reported that the base attacked on Friday was located on Mount Zap in Amedi district, approximately 10 miles from the Turkish border.

Turkey’s state-run news agency Anadolu said a senior PKK militant was ‘neutralized’ in Iraq, some 100 miles inside the Turkey-Iraq border.

The Turkish Defense Ministry said Friday night’s attack on the military base in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, left five soldiers dead. Four additional soldiers died later of critical injuries. Fifteen militants were also killed during the assault, the ministry said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed his condolences for the deaths of the Turkish soldiers on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

‘We will fight to the end against the PKK terrorist organization within and outside our borders,’ he wrote. Turkey often launches strikes against targets it believes to be affiliated with the PKK.

Previously, Turkish officials said PKK-affiliated militants tried to break into a Turkish base in northern Iraq three weeks ago. The attack left six Turkish soldiers dead. The following day, six more Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes.

The Turkish military responded to the attacks by launching airstrikes and land assaults that left dozens of Kurdish militants dead, Defense Minister Yasar Guler said at the time.

Tensions throughout the Middle East have escalated since the Israel-Hamas war started in October.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is finding himself in the crossfire of feuding House GOP factions, with Republican lawmakers at odds over a path forward on government spending. 

‘I would say the regular order crowd, people who don’t like drama and don’t like dumpster fires, are concerned that maybe we’re drifting toward a little bit more mob rule,’ one GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital. ‘Their temperatures are getting up pretty high….I would say Mike’s got to be concerned with that crowd as well.’

Tensions have erupted in the House of Representatives already, less than halfway through the first month of 2024. 

A group of 12 conservatives staged a protest vote on Wednesday that tanked a normally sleepy procedural measure in a pointed shot at Johnson over his deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., aimed at avoiding a government shutdown. 

Those GOP hardliners have since been pressuring Johnson to go back on the agreement, a move that has angered both moderate Republicans and rank-and-file conservatives.

‘If all you’re here to do is rant and rave and scream, why’d you come?’ conservative Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital of that group. ‘I don’t scream if I’m in the operating room and don’t have the right equipment, I make it work.’

One of the 12 who lodged the protest vote, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital on Thursday that Johnson was considering dropping the Schumer deal. 

‘[We’re’] working on alternate plans and Johnson listened to all sides. He did not commit, but he knows the crisis is border security, that has to be addressed,’ Norman said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., another one of the rebels, emerged from a meeting with Johnson on Friday morning and said, ‘I don’t think there is a budget agreement yet.’

However, Johnson himself touted the bipartisan deal later on Friday morning and said it remains in place.

‘I have spoken and received feedback this week from members all across the Republican Conference. That’s a very important part of this,’ he said. ‘Our topline agreement remains. We are getting our next steps together, and we are working towards a robust appropriations process.’

Freedom Caucus member Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told reporters in response, ‘I think that’s a bad move. I think it’s a bad deal.’

However, rank-and-file members are pushing Johnson to keep holding firm against the pressure.

‘He’s got to be careful who he’s listening to because, you know, it impacts people like me that are in districts that are watching and that are – listen, I represent a purple district and a tough seat,’ Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., said. 

Kiggans told Fox News Digital that she is concerned about how the further cuts being pushed by hardliners would impact her military-heavy district.

‘They elected a Republican majority, so we can get things done, and we’re not, and it’s frustrating to me,’ Kiggans said. 

Another moderate, Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., said, ‘My recommendation to him is, stick to what you know is right…We know that we are working with a Democrat Senate and a very out-of-touch White House, and this is what we can negotiate, the best deal that we could come up with – even slightly more savings than what was negotiated before.’

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, called on Johnson to be more decisive, but he insisted the issue began in early October when eight House Republicans voted to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

‘You’ve just got to make a decision and go with it. That’s what a leader does, right? And that’s not what we’re seeing right now, but I want to make something clear,’ Miller said.

‘We lost 10 weeks of Congress. How? Because Matt Gaetz and eight of the biggest RINOs in the Republican Conference voted with 213 Democrats…If they actually cared about the debt they would stop lying to the American people, because we’ve never lowered our national debt by cutting discretionary spending.’

U.S. Central Command said ‘follow-on action’ early Saturday local time against a Houthi radar site was conducted by the Navy destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk land attack missiles. It was the second strike in two days against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

‘At 3:45 a.m. (Sana’a time) on Jan 13., U.S. forces conducted a strike against a Houthi radar site in Yemen,’ CENTCOM said on X.

It added: ‘This strike was conducted by the USS Carney (DDG 64) using Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and was a follow-on action on a specific military target associated with strikes taken on Jan. 12 designed to degrade the Houthi’s ability to attack maritime vessels, including commercial vessels.’

The strike followed ‘multilateral coalition strikes’ by the U.S. military forces — together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands — which hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets on Friday, Jan. 12.

Friday’s early morning multilateral coalition strikes ‘targeted radar systems, air defense systems, and storage and launch sites for one way attack unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles,’ CENTCOM said on X.

Both the initial retaliation and Saturday’s singular strike on the radar facility came after Houthi rebels have launched missiles and carried out attacks over several months on commercial shipping and trade vessels in the Red Sea.

CENTCOM said the Houthi rebels have attacked or attempted to harass vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at least 28 times since Nov. 19, 2023.

These attacks include the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles.

‘These strikes have no association with and are separate from Operation Prosperity Guardian, a defensive coalition of over 20 countries operating in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden,’ the statement continued.

On Thursday, CENTCOM said dozens of countries have been impacted by the Houthi harassment.

‘We hold the Houthi militants and their destabilizing Iranian sponsors responsible for the illegal, indiscriminate, and reckless attacks on international shipping that have impacted 55 nations so far, including endangering the lives of hundreds of mariners, including the United States,’ said General Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander.

‘Their illegal and dangerous actions will not be tolerated, and they will be held accountable,’ Kurilla added.

President Biden has warned that the Houthis could face further strikes. 

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a case involving whether cities in Western states can ban homeless people from sleeping in public areas. 

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled against anti-camping ordinances in Grants Pass, Oregon, saying it’s unconstitutional because it violates the Eighth Amendment of no ‘cruel and unusual punishment.’

Grants Pass appealed the ruling, with the backing of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose own state faces a homelessness crisis. 

The ruling applies to nine western states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

A separate 9th circuit panel ruled in the Grants Pass case that officials shouldn’t pass laws banning homeless people ‘from using a blanket, pillow, or cardboard box for protection from the elements.’ 

Former MLB great and 10-time All-Star Steve Garvey, a California Republican running for U.S. Senate, told Fox News Digital Friday that combating homelessness must be ‘grounded in compassion and practical solutions.’ 

‘Having recently visited homeless shelters in San Diego and Skid Row in Los Angeles, I’ve seen the harsh realities faced by those living on the streets,’ Garvey explained. ‘This experience reinforces my belief that while we need to uphold public safety and community standards, our approach to homelessness must be grounded in compassion and practical solutions.’

He said his tour of homeless areas ‘started as a personal awakening and has now become a personal commitment to doing everything I can to address this humanitarian crisis.’

Garvey told Fox News Digital that the Supreme Court should ‘take into account the need for humane treatment of the homeless, alongside the enforcement of public ordinances.’

‘It’s imperative that we find a balance that respects the dignity of all individuals while addressing the broader social and health-related issues contributing to homelessness,’ he added. 

Newsom issued a statement on Friday that said, ‘California has invested billions to address homelessness, but rulings from the bench have tied the hands of state and local governments to address this issue.’

His office said he had filed an amicus brief in September that urged the Supreme Court ‘to clarify that state and local governments can take reasonable actions to address the homelessness crisis creating health and safety dangers for individuals living in encampments and our communities.’

Newsom added, ‘The Supreme Court can now correct course and end the costly delays from lawsuits that have plagued our efforts to clear encampments and deliver services to those in need.’

In 2018, a 9th circuit ruling over a Boise, Idaho, case also found that penalizing the homeless for sleeping on the street when there’s no shelter available violates the 8th amendment. 

Theane Evangelis, a lawyer for Grants Pass, said, ‘The tragedy is that these decisions are actually harming the very people they purport to protect. We look forward to presenting our arguments to the Supreme Court this spring.’

Grants pass argued that allowing homeless people to stay in encampments can lead to increased crime, fires, ‘the reemergence of medieval diseases’ and harm to the environment, according to The Hill. 

But Ed Johnson, a lawyer representing the homeless people who challenged the ordinances in Grants Pass, said, ‘The issue before the Court is whether cities can punish homeless residents simply for existing without access to shelter. Nevertheless, some politicians and others are cynically and falsely blaming the judiciary for the homelessness crisis to distract the public and deflect blame for years of failed policies.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

House Republicans will move forward to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify in front of lawmakers about his business dealings. 

‘Hunter Biden has already defied two valid, lawful subpoenas,’ said a joint statement from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. ‘For now, the House of Representatives will move forward with holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress until such time that Hunter Biden confirms a date to appear for a private deposition in accordance with his legal obligation.’

Earlier this week, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and House Judiciary Committee passed a resolution recommending the House of Representatives find Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a lawful subpoena.

‘House Republicans have been resolute in demanding Hunter Biden sit for a deposition in the ongoing impeachment inquiry, the joint statement said. ‘While we are heartened that Hunter Biden now says he will comply with a subpoena, make no mistake: Hunter Biden has already defied two valid, lawful subpoenas. Instead of appearing for his deposition on December 13, 2023, Hunter Biden appeared on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol where he made a public statement without taking any questions. Then this week at the Oversight Committee’s markup of his contempt resolution, Hunter Biden pulled another stunt as he continued to defy duly issued subpoenas.’

Hunter Biden has said his father, President Biden, was never financially involved in his business dealings, including his work with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings or Chinese firms.

On Friday, Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, told the House Oversight and House Judiciary Committees that if a new subpoena is issued under the ‘duly authorized impeachment inquiry,’ the first son ‘will comply for a hearing or deposition.’ 

Hunter Biden, ahead of his subpoenaed deposition on Dec. 13, offered to testify publicly. Comer and Jordan rejected his request, saying he would not have special treatment and pointed to the dozens of other witnesses who have appeared, as compelled, for their interviews and depositions. Comer and Jordan vowed to release the transcript of Hunter Biden’s deposition.

Biden defied the subpoena and delivered a public statement outside the Capitol. At the time, he said his father ‘was not financially involved in my business.’ 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that President Biden and first lady Jill Biden were ‘proud’ of their son for ‘continuing to rebuild his life.’ The White House has repeatedly said that the President had no knowledge of his son’s business dealings.

Comer and Jordan said they will work to schedule a deposition date but would not ‘tolerate any additional stunts or delay’ from the younger Biden. 

‘The American people will not tolerate, and the House will not provide, special treatment for the Biden family,’ they said. 

Fox News Digital’s Thomas Catenacci and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

President Biden admitted Friday that it was a lapse in judgment for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin not to tell him or the public about his hospitalization last week, but he still has confidence in his Pentagon chief’s leadership.

During a visit to small businesses outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, Biden said ‘yes’ when asked by reporters if it was a lapse in judgment for Austin not to tell him about his condition.

When a reporter asked him if he still has confidence in Austin’s leadership following his hospitalization debacle, Biden replied, ‘I do.’

Austin, 70, remains hospitalized as he is being treated for complications following prostate cancer surgery.

The Pentagon publicly revealed on Jan. 5 that Austin had been in the hospital since Jan. 1 due to complications from elective surgery. 

But it was later revealed that not only was the media kept in the dark, the highest levels of the White House and top officials in the Pentagon itself were not aware until Jan. 4 that Austin was in the hospital.

The non-disclosure prompted a flurry of bipartisan concern, with top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees calling for more transparency about the incident.

In a statement to Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy, the White House confirmed that Biden continued to have ‘full trust and confidence’ in the Pentagon’s leader.

‘The President has full trust and confidence in Secretary Austin. He’s looking forward to him being back at the Pentagon,’ the official said.

The Pentagon echoed the White House sentiment in a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday, saying Austin also has no plans to resign.

‘Secretary Austin has no plans to resign,’ Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said. ‘He remains focused on conducting his duties as Secretary of Defense in defense of our nation.’

Austin’s hospital stay began on New Year’s Day.

Details of his visit remain slim, beyond that he was there for an elective procedure.

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

The centrist group No Labels is trying to reach out and speak with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — who this week ended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination — about a possible role in a potential third-party, bipartisan presidential ticket.

Sources in Christie’s political orbit confirmed to Fox News there has been outreach by No Labels but that the organization has not had any actual conversations with the former governor since he suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday. 

Christie campaign manager Maria Comella on Thursday said that ‘neither the governor nor anyone on the campaign has had conversations with No Labels.’

Former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the party’s 2000 vice presidential nominee and a No Labels founding co-chair, said in a radio interview after Christie ended his White House bid that Christie ‘could be a very strong candidate’ on the group’s proposed unity ticket.’

Christie, a longtime ally turned vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump, in June launched a second bid for the Republican nomination.

Asked in an interview in July if he’d consider joining a possible No Labels ticket, Christie shot down the idea, saying, ‘I think it’s a fool’s errand.’

‘I’m not in this for showtime. I’m not in this for making a point. I’m in this to get elected President of the United States, and there are only two people who will get elected President of the United States: the Republican nominee for president and the Democratic nominee for president,’ Christie said at the time in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s ‘This Week.’ 

Lieberman, in a Sirius XM interview with Michael Smerconish, said Thursday that when Christie made his comments last summer ‘he basically said it was not an effort that had any chance of succeeding, but maybe the world will look different to him now.’

‘I’d like to reach out to him and see if he, Gov. Christie, is at all interested in being on a bipartisan No Labels Unity ticket this year. He could be a very strong candidate,’ Lieberman added. 

Lieberman called Christie ‘refreshingly independent’ and said he ‘might well be’ No Labels ‘material,’ adding that ‘that’s the kind of candidate No Labels is looking for.’

No Labels has said it will pull the trigger on whether to launch a presidential ticket in March, following Super Tuesday, when a slew of states hold nominating contests.

Trump is the commanding front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, and plenty of political pundits argue that any third-party ticket fielded by No Labels would only benefit Trump in a likely rematch this November with President Biden.

There’s also been a chorus of calls from Democrats warning that a No Labels ticket would pave a path to victory for Trump in next year’s election.

No Labels takes issue with that criticism, and has repeatedly pushed back on such notions.

‘That’s not our goal here,’ Lieberman told Fox News Digital last year. ‘We’re not about electing either President Trump or President Biden.’

Sources in Christie’s political orbit sounded skeptical when asked about the former governor joining any No Labels ticket. And they pointed to Christie’s comments on Wednesday as he dropped out of the race.

‘I want to promise you this — I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be President of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambitions,’ Christie emphasized as he suspended his campaign.

‘Even though I am suspending this campaign, I am not going away, and my voice is not going away,’ he added.

Referring to Trump, Christie stressed, ‘I am not going to be a part of a generation who willingly stands by and says, ‘It’s too hard. He’s too loud, he’s too strong.”