The Biden administration is searching for malware it believes China has buried in networks that control a variety of utilities to military bases, according to a report from the New York Times, which Fox News has not yet independently confirmed. 

One congressional official told the New York Times that the malware is ‘a ticking time bomb’ which could hand China power to disrupt movement of the U.S. military by shutting off water, power, and communications to bases.

U.S. officials also told the New York Times that the malware has the potential to be much more disruptive because civilians in many cases use the same infrastructure.

The officials also say that the alleged Chinese malware isn’t just apparent on U.S. soil, but on facilities that Americans control abroad.

Officials speaking anonymously due to the nature of the topic also said that the presence of the malware is more widespread than first thought, and don’t know just how far the computer code could reach.

Meetings in the situation room have taken place in the past few months as U.S. military officials try to understand just how big of a problem this is and looking at how to respond.

Adam Hodge, acting spokesman for the National Security Council, told the New York Times that ‘The Biden administration is working relentlessly to defend the United States from any disruptions to our critical infrastructure, including by coordinating interagency efforts to protect water systems, pipelines, rail and aviation systems, among others.’

‘The president has also mandated rigorous cybersecurity practices for the first time,’ he said.

According to the report, the debate inside the Biden administration is focused on determining what the goal of the Chinese malware is, and if it’s looking at disrupting military operations, or the life of civilians across America if conflict emerges.

Hints of the Chinese malware first emerged in late May when Microsoft determined that it found an odd computer code in the Guam telecommunications system, where the U.S. Air Force has a vast air force base. The code was also found in separate places in America.

Microsoft said in a late-May statement that it ‘uncovered stealthy and targeted malicious activity focused on post-compromise credential access and network system discovery aimed at critical infrastructure organizations in the United States.’

‘The attack is carried out by Volt Typhoon,’ Microsoft said. Volt Typhoon is a Chinese state-sponsored actor that focuses on ‘espionage and information gathering.’

‘Microsoft assesses with moderate confidence that this Volt Typhoon campaign is pursuing development of capabilities that could disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crises,’ the statement reads.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon and White House for comment.

Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Saturday signed into law a measure that seeks to block state and local officials from closing gun stores during disasters declared by the governor, unless such closures apply to all other businesses.

Regarded as a win for Second Amendment supporters and Alaska residents, House Bill 61 — which was championed by Republican House Speaker Cathy Tilton and backed by the NRA — came in response to business closures in Alaska and other states during the coronavirus pandemic and protects a plethora of firearm businesses throughout the state.

‘Today is a remarkable day for Alaskans, NRA members, and Second Amendment advocates,’ Aoibheann Cline, the NRA Alaska State Director, told Fox News Digital in a statement. ‘A decade has passed since the last major pro-Second Amendment legislation, House Bill 24, was signed into law on April 11, 2013, reinforcing our ‘Stand Your Ground’ rights. Now, with the NRA-backed House Bill 61, championed by Speaker Cathy Tilton, we witness another significant milestone.’

‘The NRA, along with our millions of members, applauds Governor Mike Dunleavy for his unwavering support of our Second Amendment rights and for signing this House Bill 61 into law. This bill is not just legislation; it’s a protective shield for our fundamental rights during states of emergency, reinforcing the core principles of the Second Amendment we deeply respect and uphold,’ Cline added. ‘Today is indeed a great victory for all freedom-loving Alaskans.’

The bill also restricts state and local government entities from restricting an individual’s access to firearms, ammunition, and component parts during declared states of emergency. Prohibitions on gun possession would still apply to individuals who are otherwise restricted from having guns.

Defending the measure, Dunleavy told Fox News Digital that ‘firearms are an integral part of the Alaskan way of life.’

‘We use them for protection and to feed our families, so during an emergency our Second Amendment rights become more important then ever,’ he added. ‘This bill reflects the constitutional right Alaskans have to keep and bear arms by protecting access to both firearms and ammunition when Alaskans need it the most.’

Prior to Dunleavy signing the measure into law, the bill passed the state Senate 17-3 in May and was returned to the House for a concurrence vote. The House agreed 28-12 to pass the bill one day later.

State Sen. Jesse Kiehl, a Democrat from Juneau, Alaska, was against the measure, calling it a ‘special rights bill’ and objecting to the NRA’s lobbying efforts on the legislation. The bill ‘elevates in Alaska law the Second Amendment above all the rest of our rights,’ Kiehl said, according to the Juneau Empire.

State law allows a governor to declare an emergency if the governor finds a disaster has occurred or is ‘imminent or threatened.’ Disaster emergency proclamations are not to remain in effect for longer than 30 days unless extended by the legislature.

Dunleavy issued a series of public health disaster emergency declarations during the pandemic. A 2020 order by Anchorage’s then-mayor was cited by Tilton’s office as an example of a situation in which there were gun store or shooting range closures during an emergency declaration. The city had issued its own emergency proclamation.

Dunleavy’s signing of the measure comes one decade after the state enacted House Bill 24 – also known as the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law – in 2013.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans led by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have signed onto a letter calling for additional hearings on human trafficking, noting the recent blockbuster film ‘Sound of Freedom’ has raised public awareness on the issue.

‘The United States Senate must continue to conduct much-needed oversight of this administration’s border policies to find immediate solutions to combat one of the most disturbing consequences of inadequate border security: the proliferation of human trafficking,’ the letter to the Democratic chairs of the Senate Homeland, Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committee states.

The lawmakers cite estimates of up to 17,500 trafficking victims each year, with more than 1,300 investigations opened in fiscal year 2022 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and an increase of 50% of trafficking-related arrests. 

The Republicans blame the Biden administration for running an ‘open border policy,’ which they say is encouraging drug, sex and human trafficking, tapping into long-standing criticisms of the administration’s policies from conservatives.

There were approximately 1.7 million migrant encounters in fiscal 2021 and 2.4 million in fiscal 2022. The lawmakers noted ongoing concerns about a surge in unaccompanied children, which has been reported as fueling child labor trafficking in the U.S. They say it paints a ‘dire picture of the crisis at our southwest border that cannot be ignored.’

The administration has said it is cracking down on smugglers and illegal entry while encouraging the use of significantly expanded legal pathways for migrants so they do not need to use smuggling routes. The Labor Department said this week it is ‘leaving no stone unturned to root out exploitative child labor.’

The lawmakers note the issue of human trafficking has been back in the spotlight with the release of ‘Sound of Freedom,’ a faith-based movie in which a federal special agent quits his job and journeys to the jungles of South America in search of a victim of human trafficking. 

The movie has become a summer blockbuster, raking in over $130 million at the box office since its July 4 weekend debut. 

‘The movie, ‘Sound of Freedom’ … has played an important role in creating public awareness of this modern-day form of slavery,’ the lawmakers said in the letter.

Johnson presented a copy of the letter to Agent Tim Ballard and actor Jim Caviezel this week. 

‘Given your committee’s roles in overseeing DHS, we urge you to investigate and hold hearings into DHS’s efforts to combat human trafficking,’ the lawmakers wrote. ‘Without our attention and leadership, human trafficking will continue to plague this country.’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is declaring a reboot to his campaign and boasting support from state Republicans after the Lincoln Dinner Friday night.

DeSantis scooped up endorsements from multiple state GOP politicians, attempting to cement a new start to his struggling campaign.

‘The Lincoln Dinner showed that Republicans have a deep bench of great candidates for President in 2024 compared to the train wreck offered by Democrats. Iowans will have a difficult choice for caucusing,’ said GOP Iowa State Rep. Bill Gustoff. 

‘But Gov. DeSantis knocked it out of the park in his short speech packed with a long list of plans to put the country back on track, complete with a record of accomplishment to show why he’s the one to get the job done.’  

The governor has been working to reinvigorate the campaign following several weeks of negative stories spotlighting his campaign’s overspending, downsizing and other stumbles.

‘Ron DeSantis had an awesome, energetic speech last night that offered a positive vision for the future,’ said Republican Iowa State Representative Dan Gehlbach. 

‘He’s ready to get to work on day one with specific plans for our country. DeSantis took the time to talk to every single person in the room after his speech at the Iowa GOP dinner, far more than any other candidate I saw.’

Former President Donald Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner in the GOP nomination race as he makes his third straight White House run, has expanded his large double-digit lead over DeSantis in numerous polls since the governor declared his candidacy two months ago. 

And Desantis’ advantage over the rest of the large field of 2024 Republican presidential candidates has eroded since late spring.

The economy remains a top concern for American voters, who continue to give President Biden a failing grade on the issue. Even though fears of a recession appear to be subsiding and inflation has eased, more than three-quarters questioned in the most recent Fox News national poll said the economy was in fair or poor shape.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hit back at fellow White House contender Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., on Friday after the latter criticized Florida’s new school history curriculum and its approach to teaching about slavery.

‘I think part of the reason our country has struggled is because D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives, accept lies that are perpetrated by the left,’ DeSantis said during a campaign stop. ‘And to accept the lie that Kamala Harris has been perpetrating even when that has been debunked – that’s not the way you do it.’ 

‘The way you do it, the way you lead is to fight back against the lies, is to speak the truth. So I’m here defending my state of Florida against false accusations and against lies. And we’re going to continue to speak the truth,’ he added.

On Thursday, Scott called for DeSantis to clarify how Florida teaches students about slavery after the governor defended the state’s new curriculum from similar criticism by Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. 

‘There is no silver lining in slavery,’ Scott said. ‘The truth is, anything you can learn that — any benefits that people suggest you had during slavery, you would’ve had as a free person. What slavery was, was really about separating families, about mutilating humans and even raping their wives. It was just devastating.’

‘I would hope that every person in our country, and certainly running for president, would appreciate that,’ he added.

The criticism from Scott and Donalds joins that from Vice President Kamala Harris and left-wing media outlets claiming Florida’s curriculum teaches students that slaves in the U.S. ‘benefited from slavery’ — an accusation which DeSantis’ administration has fiercely denied. 

Their criticism also breaks with the large number of conservatives who’ve rejected the left’s narrative on the new curriculum, which was approved by the Florida Department of Education last week, and states, ‘Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.’ 

Multiple Black scholars helped construct the new curriculum.

The line is just one out of 191 other listed items in the standards, but the singling out of that one line by Harris during a trip to Florida last week led to countless critics accusing her of ‘brazenly lying,’ and ‘misleading’ the American people. 

When reached for comment, Scott’s campaign pointed Fox News Digital to comments he made Friday to the NH Journal, calling the controversy surrounding the school curriculum a ‘hot mess that isn’t necessary.’

‘What I said isn’t controversial at all: Slavery has no redeeming benefit, no redeeming value,’ he said. ‘There’s no silver lining in slavery. We founded this nation upon the notion of freedom. Slavery is a deprivation of freedom. It is antithetical to who we are. That doesn’t need to be explained. That just needs to be digested.’

‘Truth be told, whether you’re Kamala Harris or Ron DeSantis, having an opportunity to restate your position against slavery is always something that should be welcomed by all people: Conservatives, liberals, Black, White, rich, poor, red, blue. It doesn’t really matter,’ he added.

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has broken with his party when it comes to just how far he’s willing to support medical treatments for children identifying as transgender.

Beshear, who polls show maintains one of the nation’s highest approval ratings for a sitting governor despite leading a deep-red state, pushed back on Republican criticism last week that he supports sex change surgeries for children.

In a new ad titled, ‘Parents,’ Beshear says the attacks from Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, his Republican opponent in this year’s gubernatorial race, concerning child sex changes are ‘not true,’ and declares he’s ‘never supported gender reassignment surgery for kids – and those procedures don’t happen here in Kentucky.’

He also referenced his promise to ‘support parents,’ who he says ‘know what’s best’ for their children, a position he has maintained when it comes to other types of transgender-related treatments, such as hormone therapies, which he refers to as ‘gender-affirming care.’

‘Andy Beshear has always been clear that he does not support gender reassignment surgery for minors – which doesn’t happen in Kentucky,’ Beshear’s campaign manager, Eric Hyers, said in a statement. ‘Daniel Cameron and his allies are pushing a blatantly false attack because they know they can’t win talking about Cameron’s record, which includes supporting cuts to teacher pensions and backing schemes to divert money out of our public schools.’ 

‘As governor and as a father, Andy Beshear will always support parents, because he understands that parents know what’s best for their kids – not politicians in Frankfort or Washington,’ he added.

In response to Beshear’s stated opposition to child sex change surgeries, Cameron’s campaign called foul.

‘Andy Beshear supports sex-change surgeries for kids because he vetoed the bill banning them in March,’ campaign surrogate and Republican Party of Kentucky spokesman Sean Southard said in a statement. ‘Now, in the heat of a campaign, Andy Beshear is misleading voters about his true beliefs. It’s a shame, and Kentuckians are smart enough to see through Andy Beshear’s lies.’

Southard was referencing Beshear’s March veto of SB 150, a bill to ban gender transition surgeries for minors, prohibit school discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity, and prevent teachers from being forced to use a student’s preferred pronouns.

In his veto, Beshear argued the bill allowed ‘too much government interference in personal healthcare issues and rips away the freedom of parents to make medical decisions for their children,’ and that it would ’cause an increase in suicide among Kentucky’s youth.’

A spokesperson for Beshear’s campaign told Fox News Digital that his veto of the bill was based on multiple concerns about the legislation, including mental health and parental rights, and not about the ban on child sex change surgeries.

Southard also pointed to Beshear’s veto of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act last year, or SB 83, a bill that prohibited biological males from competing in girls sports. In his veto, Beshear argued that the policies set by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association ‘allow transgender children the opportunity to participate in sports without disturbing the competitive balance.’

Those policies Beshear referenced allowed biological male children to compete in girls’ sports if they underwent sex reassignment before puberty, or after puberty if they completed changes to their external genitalia, received hormone therapy ‘in a verifiable manner and for a sufficient length of time to minimize gender-related advantages,’ and continued taking such hormone treatments.

Beshear’s vetoes of SB 83 and SB 150 were ultimately overridden by both Republican-controlled houses of the state legislature.

The race between Beshear and Cameron is expected to be the most-watched of the 2023 election cycle and is likely to be viewed as a bellwether for the 2024 elections.

The general election will be held on Tuesday, November 7.

Republican presidential candidate and former Texas Congressman Will Hurd was booed off the stage at a campaign event in Iowa on Friday after he began railing against former President Donald Trump.

The instance occurred at the end of Hurd’s speech at the Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines when he declared Trump was running for president ‘to stay out of prison,’ rather than to ‘make America great again.’

‘The reason Donald Trump lost the election in 2020 is he failed to grow the GOP brand in areas like women with a college degree in the suburbs, Black and Brown communities, and people under the age of 35,’ Hurd said as he began laying into Trump. 

‘One of the things we need in our elected leaders is for them to speak the truth, even if it’s unpopular. Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again. Donald Trump is not running for president to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020. Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison,’ he said. 

The crowd erupted in boos, causing Hurd to have to pause his speech.

‘I know, I know, I know, I know, I know. Listen, I know the truth – the truth is hard,’ he said as the boos continued. ‘But if we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House and America can’t handle that.’ 

‘God bless you and God bless America,’ he said as he departed the stage.

Hurd, a former CIA agent, launched his presidential campaign in June amid Trump’s continued dominance in the GOP race. He has said he would not sign a pledge to support the eventual 2024 Republican nominee which the Republican National Committee is mandating that all candidates sign in order to make the stage at the first debate in August hosted by Fox News.

He has so far not met the fundraising and polling requirements to qualify for the debate.

Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, has told multiple people within her party that she intends to run in the commonwealth’s gubernatorial election in 2025.

The centrist Democrat has been preparing for a run for the governor’s office for months or even years but more recently began making her political ambitions clearer. Spanberger and one of her top political aides told four Democrats that she is planning to make a run for governor in the next election, POLITICO reported, citing people familiar with the conversations.

Spanberger’s team has also been speaking to congressional colleagues about her plans for a gubernatorial run, two Democratic lawmakers told the outlet.

Virginia’s current GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin will vacate the governor’s mansion following the 2025 election because governors in the commonwealth may not serve consecutive terms.

An announcement from Spanberger would likely not come until after Virginia’s highly competitive state legislative elections this November. The congresswoman’s ambitions and the timeline for a potential announcement could hurt Democrats’ chances of retaking the U.S. House in 2024, as the party needs to hold onto the seat in Spanberger’s competitive district if they hope to win back control of the lower chamber.

President Biden won Spanberger’s district by six points in the 2020 presidential election.

Spanberger can run for reelection to her House seat and launch a campaign for governor after that election. But both the congresswoman and one of her aides told two Virginia Democrats last spring that she does not plan to seek a fourth term in Congress, two people familiar with those conversations told POLITICO.

‘As every Democrat in Virginia should be, Abigail is squarely focused on the 2023 General Assembly races,’ a spokesperson for Spanberger’s office told the outlet.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and former Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn are among the other Democrats most likely to enter the governor’s race.

Spanberger, a powerful fundraiser, raised more than $9 million in the 2022 election cycle. But she only has $1.2 million in donor money in 2023 for her congressional reelection as of the end of June, according to POLITICO. And since Virginia has few limits on who can donate or how much, along with the commonwealth’s lax campaign finance laws, Spanberger can allocate funds raised for her congressional race to run for governor.

The former CIA officer first won her House seat by a narrow margin five years ago when she defeated GOP Rep. Dave Brat. She has been a leading moderate voice in the Democratic Party on fiscal reform, police funding and other issues.

Virginia holds primaries in June and some Democrats say they would prefer to have an open House seat in a presidential year instead of an unpredictable special election later in the event that Spanberger wins reelection next year and the governor’s race in 2025, when her congressional seat would be more vulnerable.

If Spanberger does vacate her House seat, there are several Democratic contenders expected to explore a run in her district, including former state Dels. Jennifer Carroll Foy and Hala Ayala, and state Sen. Jeremy McPike. For Republicans, businessman Bill Moher is the only one who has begun fundraising in the district.

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Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott delivered an address to the state’s Republican County chairs on Friday and addressed the recent move to install floating barriers along the Rio Grande as part of an effort to reduce illegal immigration.

During his speech in Georgetown, Texas, Abbott spoke about his administration’s response to the influx of migrants entering the state illegally through the U.S.-Mexico border, according to Fox 7.

‘I will do whatever I have to do to defend our state from the invasion of the Mexican drug cartels and others who have tried to come into our country illegally, and I will protect our sovereignty,’ Abbott said.

The governor touted his recent decision to have a floating border wall built in the Rio Grande as part of Operation Lone Star.

‘It’s called operation hold the line,’ he said. ‘They are holding the line and ensuring that nobody enters the state of Texas illegally.’

The Department of Justice announced a lawsuit against Texas after Abbott refuse to remove the buoys. The department accused the governor of violating federal law, calling his one-thousand-foot-long barrier ‘unlawful construction.’

This comes as Texas continues to send buses of migrants to sanctuary cities across the country, including New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Abbott has previously said the migrant relocations will not stop until the federal government fixes the crisis at the Southern Border.

‘I challenge the federal government to show that they have spent that much money in the state of Texas on the border under Joe Biden as president,’ Abbott said on Friday.

‘He gave me a lawsuit, and by God, Joe Biden, we will see you in court,’ he added.

Demonstrators were outside the governor’s mansion in Austin on Friday to protest against Abbott’s floating border wall.

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