The Army has paused all helicopter training flights around the Pentagon near Washington after disruptions to two commercial flights last Thursday.

A senior Army spokesperson confirmed the pause to Fox News on Monday, noting it was implemented pending the investigation into last week’s decision by Reagan National Airport (DCA) to divert two flights after an Army helicopter on a training mission was told by the Pentagon tower to make another loop around the Pentagon before landing. 

At about 2:30 p.m. that day, air traffic control instructed a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170 to perform “go-arounds” at DCA due to an Army Black Hawk helicopter inbound to the Pentagon Army Heliport, according to statements from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The FAA said the Black Hawk was a priority air transport helicopter.

2 PLANES DO ‘GO-AROUNDS’ TO AVOID MILITARY HELICOPTER NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT

The aircraft “took a scenic route around the Pentagon versus proceeding directly from the west to the heliport,” prompting controllers to call for two go-arounds, Politico reported, citing an email written Friday by Chris Senn, FAA’s assistant administrator for government and industry affairs.

Army officials, though, took issue with the statement from the FAA suggesting that the helicopter “took a scenic route.”

Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, confirmed the Black Hawk helicopter came from the same Army Aviation brigade as the helicopter involved in the deadly Jan. 29 midair collision over the Potomac River.

FAA INCREASING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL STAFF, SUPERVISORS AT RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT

But Army officials said the helicopter was not flying the same route. Defense officials said the helicopter last week did an overhead loop over the Pentagon at the accepted parameters set by the FAA before landing on the Pentagon helipad.

There is also growing frustration at the Pentagon with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over how the situation was handled.

“Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear,” Duffy wrote on X Friday. “In addition to investigations from @NTSB and @FAANews, I’ll be talking to the @DeptofDefense to ask why the hell our rules were disregarded.”

BLACK HAWK PILOT FAILED TO HEED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR IN MOMENTS BEFORE PLANE COLLISION OVER DC: REPORT

“Safety must ALWAYS come first. We just lost 67 souls! No more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in a congested DCA airspace full of civilians. Take a taxi or Uber – besides most VIPs have black car service,” he continued.

Several defense officials said they felt blindsided by Duffy’s tweet, adding they wished Duffy had called and spoken with someone at the Pentagon before tweeting.

No military VIPs were onboard the military training flight.

FAA ‘PERMANENTLY RESTRICTING’ WASHINGTON HELICOPTER TRAFFIC AFTER FATAL MIDAIR COLLISION NEAR DC AIRPORT

Thursday’s disruptions come less than one month after the FAA increased staffing and oversight for the DCA air traffic control team.

In March, the FAA announced that it would permanently restrict “nonessential” helicopter operations around the airport and eliminate helicopter and fixed-wing mixed traffic.

The agency also prohibited the simultaneous use of runways 15/33 and 4/22 when helicopters that are conducting urgent missions are operating near DCA.

It is unclear how the incident took place, given the new guidelines.

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The airport’s main runway is the busiest runway in America, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram, Landon Mion, Grady Trimble and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

The Baltimore Ravens have released longtime kicker Justin Tucker, though the organization is calling it a “football decision.”

The Ravens took Arizona’s Tyler Loop in the sixth round of this year’s draft following a rough season for the usually dependable Tucker.

However, Tucker has been embroiled in off-the-field controversy as 16 massage therapists from eight different Baltimore spa and wellness centers have accused him of inappropriate behavior from alleged incidents between 2012-16.

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Tucker has denied all allegations, calling them “unequivocally false” in a statement posted to social media. 

“Sometimes football decisions are incredibly difficult and this is one of those instances. Considering our current roster, we have made the tough decision to release Justin Tucker,” Ravens executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement on Monday.

“Justin created many significant and unforgettable moments in Ravens history. His reliability, focus, drive, resilience and extraordinary talent made him one of the league’s best kickers for over a decade.

NFL INVESTIGATING JUSTIN TUCKER’S SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS, INTERVIEWING ACCUSERS: REPORTS

“We are grateful for Justin’s many contributions while playing for the Ravens. We sincerely wish him and his family the very best in this next chapter of their lives.

When Loop was taken on day three by the Ravens, there was immediate speculation about Tucker’s future with the franchise. 

The 35-year-old, who is a five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, had his worst year in the NFL in 2024 after owning a 73.3% field goal percentage. He still, however, owns the all-time career field goal percentage at 89.1% with that mark. 

Tucker made 22 of his 30 field goal attempts, missing 3-of-8 from 40-49 yards and 6-off-11 from 50 yards and beyond. He also missed two of his 62 extra point attempts. 

But Tucker’s status for the 2025 campaign could be in question as he faces these allegations. 

Ravens president Sashi Brown spoke on the allegations against All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker, as the league got ready for its annual meeting in March. 

A main talking point was how these investigations take time, and there is no timetable for when they would end. 

“That’s never satisfying to anybody involved, probably including Justin and the folks that made the allegations,” Brown said, via the team’s website. “But this is an issue, generally as a society in terms of women making claims that takes a lot of courage and bravery, and frankly as a society we haven’t gotten right for too long.

“From our standpoint, we want to make sure we have great understanding of the facts, hear both sides of the situation and that we allow the investigation to be properly conducted and concluded and make decisions based on full information.”

The Baltimore Banner first reported the allegations with victims saying Tucker exposed himself repeatedly during a span of four years, including his rookie campaign when the Ravens won the Super Bowl. 

Six massage therapists came out at first, followed by seven more women and an eventual total of 16. The accusations from all women are similar. 

“Throughout my career as a professional athlete, I have always sought to conduct myself with the utmost professionalism. I have never before been accused of misconduct of any kind, and I have never been accused of acting inappropriately in front of a massage therapist or during a massage therapy session or during other bodywork,” Tucker’s statement said. 

“I have never received any complaints from a massage therapist, have never been dismissed from a massage therapy or bodywork session and have never been told that I was not welcome at any spa or other place of business.”  

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LeBron James announced Monday he will forgo attending the Met Gala despite being the honorary co-chair for the event, which takes place in New York City.

The Los Angeles Lakers star said he’s been dealing with an injury he suffered in the team’s first-round playoff exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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“Unfortunately because of my knee injury I sustained at the end of the season I won’t be able to attend the Met Gala in NY tonight as so many people have been asking and congratulating me on!” James wrote on X. 

“Hate to miss an historical event! My beautiful powerful Queen will be there holding the castle down as she always has done!”

James suffered a sprained knee ligament in Game 5, the Associated Press reported. The 40-year-old would have been out for a few weeks if the Lakers had avoided elimination.

2024-25 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS: THUNDER REMAIN FAVORED; WOLVES CLIMB

Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Anna Wintour were named co-chairs for the event.

The theme for the Met Gala is inspired by the annual spring exhibition, which is based on Monica L. Miller’s book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.” 

The exhibit itself, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” draws on other sources beyond the book. It’s organized into a dozen sections, symbolizing a characteristic of dandy style as defined by Zora Neale Hurston in her 1934 essay, “Characteristics of Negro Expression.”

The gala has raised a record $31 million, Metropolitan Museum of Art CEO Max Hollein said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Nicolas Cage recently had a near-death experience. 

While filming for his latest role in “The Surfer,” the 61-year-old actor revealed he “got pounded to smithereens” while practicing his surfing skills: a stunt, he said, that could’ve killed him. 

“I have surfed, but every time I’ve attempted surfing, I’ve been pounded to smithereens,” Cage, who plays a businessman who returns to Australia in hopes of buying his childhood beach house, told Entertainment Weekly. “I surfed down on Sunset Beach. When I was trying to learn, my teacher gave me a short board. I said, ‘Look, I want a long board.'”

NICOLAS CAGE SAYS ABSTINENCE, SOBRIETY, 7:30 BEDTIME SPARK CREATIVITY AS HE FOCUSES ON NEW FATHERHOOD

“I just got pounded and literally got stuck in the rip tide, and they said they saw my board, they call it ‘tombstone,’ like that triangle top,” he continued, describing a situation in which the tip of his board stuck out of the water. 

“I’m climbing up the leash as I’m somersaulting, and I could have died,” he continued. “Now I have a young kid, I don’t know if I want to do it anymore.”

Not long ago, Cage, whose impressive career spans over four decades, expressed his desire to possibly retire. 

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“I feel that I’ve, at this point, after 45 years of doing this, that in over 100 movies, I feel I’ve pretty much said what I’ve had to say with cinema. And I’d like to leave on a high note and say adios,” Cage told Uproxx in 2023.

“I think I have to do maybe three or four more movies before I can get there and then hopefully switch formats and go into some other way of expressing my acting.”

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“I would’ve liked to have left on a high note, like ‘Dream Scenario.’ But I have other contracts that I have to fulfill, so we’ll see what happens,” he continued. “I am going to be very severe and very [stringent] on the selection process moving forward. But for me to do another movie, I do want to explore other formats.”

His end goal?

“The goal is to retire, surf, drink red wine and eat spaghetti,” he told EW. 

FIRST ON FOX: The White House is going after Democratic lawmakers looking to upend House GOP plans to make President Donald Trump’s Gulf of America name change permanent.

The House Rules Committee, the final gatekeeper before most legislation gets a House-wide vote, is considering a bill to codify Trump’s decision to cease calling the body of water on the U.S. Southeast “the Gulf of Mexico.”

“Democrats are so overtaken with Trump Derangement Syndrome and obsessed with obstructing the President’s agenda that they will always put America last,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital.

“As President Trump said, the Gulf of America has long been an integral asset to our nation. All future generations should be able to recognize this beautiful body of water as a sign of American greatness.”

MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE

Four Democrats have submitted amendments in a bid to upend the legislation — though none are likely to pass, given the committee’s Republican majority.

The first measure, led by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., would revert a similar Trump decision to rename Mt. McKinley in Alaska. The highest peak in North America, former President Barack Obama stripped his assassinated predecessor’s name from the mountain in favor of Mt. Denali, the name originally given by the indigenous peoples who lived in the area.

Trump signed an executive order restoring McKinley as its name on his first day in office this year.

BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY

A second amendment by Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., is aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to issue oil and gas drilling leases in the Gulf region.

Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., meanwhile, submitted an amendment that, if passed, would block the Trump administration from “retribution” against news organizations that refer to the area as the Gulf of Mexico.

The White House had blocked access for an Associated Press journalist earlier this year after the organization continued to refer to the gulf’s former name even after Trump’s executive order. A federal judge ordered the White House to reverse that last month.

The fourth amendment submitted by Democrats, led by Rep. Luz Rivas, D-Calif., would prevent the formal name change from taking effect until the Department of Interior carried out an assessment on whether it would benefit the economy.

Rivas told Fox News Digital that the Gulf of America rename is a “vanity project” that “accomplishes nothing” in response to the White House statement.

“Millions of Americans are struggling because of President Trump’s economic policies, and Republicans in Congress have yet to put forth a legislative proposal that lowers the costs of groceries, protects healthcare, or lowers housing costs,” Rivas said.

The bill itself is expected to get a vote sometime this week.

It’s one of several pieces of legislation House Republicans are advancing aimed at making Trump’s executive actions permanent.

Trump’s executive order renaming the gulf was one of the first actions he took in his second term.

The remaining three Democratic offices who Fox News Digital reached for comment did not get back by press time.

“I Will Survive” singer Gloria Gaynor revealed that the “biggest misconception” about her was that she was a feminist, which she repeatedly denied in a recent interview.

While speaking to Metro on Sunday, the 81-year-old singer was asked what the biggest misconception about her was after decades of fame. Gaynor remarked that she has had several people assume that she was a feminist even though she “loves men.”

“I’ve had people say that to me, ‘And since you’re a feminist…’ Erm, no. Not really. I love men. I grew up with five brothers, and I love men,” Gaynor said.

‘I WILL SURVIVE’ SINGER GLORIA GAYNOR SUING EX-PRODUCER FOR $2 MILLION, ALLEGING ‘SUPPRESSED’ PAYMENTS

She added, “I love men who know who they are and are strong enough to take their place but also strong enough to recognize a woman’s strengths and who are able to allow her to exercise those strengths and realize that we are to be partners and not opponents.”

Though “I Will Survive” has been used as an anthem for marginalized groups, Gaynor has described the song as a kind of universal statement for people who have gone through trauma.

“This is a timeless lyric,” Gaynor said in 2024. “I’m standing here [in 1978] relating to this song since I had a back brace on from a surgery I had just had. I’m relating it to the fact that my mother passed away a few years prior, something I never thought I’d survive. Everybody is going to relate every traumatic situation they’re going through with this song. Any situation they find seemingly insurmountable, they can relate.”

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She also associated the song with her return to faith and has rewritten the lyrics in the past to reflect that. 

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Gaynor told NPR in 2019: “When I read the lyrics, I realized the reason they’d been waiting for me to record that song was that God had given that song to them for them to set aside, waiting for him to get everything in order for me to meet up with them. And that song was ‘I Will Survive.’” 

People who pay more in taxes could be less likely to die from cancer.

The link was revealed in a new study published in JAMA Network Open, which aimed to explore how state-level tax revenue impacts cancer screenings and mortality in the U.S.

Researchers from The Ohio State University, Emory University in Georgia and the University of Verona in Italy analyzed 1,150 state-years of tax data over a 23-year period, between 1997 and 2019. (A state-year refers to one year of data from one state.)

NEW PROSTATE CANCER TEST PINPOINTS DISEASE BETTER THAN PSA OPTION, STUDY FINDS

They also reviewed population-level cancer screening rates and cancer-related deaths from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) databases.

The states with higher tax income were found to have increased cancer screening rates and decreased cancer mortality rates, the researchers found.

For each $1,000 increase in tax revenue per capita, the population had a 1.61% increase in colorectal cancer screening, a 2.17% increase in breast cancer screening and a 0.72% increase in cervical cancer screening rate, the research showed. 

ALTERNATIVE CANCER TREATMENT COULD REPLACE CHEMO AND SURGERY, STUDY SUGGESTS

Among those who had cancerous tumors, each $1,000 increase in tax revenue per capita was linked to up to 4% decreased death rates among White patients. The same reduced risk was not found for racial and ethnic minority populations, according to the study.

“State-level tax policy is an underappreciated social determinant of health that may improve cancer screening and mortality rates,” the researchers wrote.

“These findings suggest that state-level tax revenue may serve as one aspect of a multifaceted approach to improve cancer-related outcomes in the U.S. and help bridge cancer care gaps, particularly in more progressive tax policy settings.”

Prior studies have identified tax policy as a predictor of public health, particularly for infant mortality risk and overall healthcare outcomes.

“Tax revenue may serve as funding that promotes the common good by ensuring access to safe, healthy environments and quality healthcare, while progressive taxes can substantially increase the disposable income of working-class households, thus enhancing their living standards and improving their health and cancer outcomes,” the study stated.

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Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, shared his external reaction to the study.

“One possible association could be that the higher your taxes, the more money you would have to buy healthier food and more luxury for relaxation and exercise,” he told Fox News Digital. 

“Having more money to pay for extra treatment, earlier diagnosis and better care can also help prevent cancer death.”

The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged — chiefly that the results show an association but do not prove that the high tax rates caused the decreased mortality. 

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Cancer screening rates were also based on patient questionnaires, which could have some level of bias.

There is also the possibility of measurement errors in the data, the researchers cautioned.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday it has gone to court because the Employment Equity Amendment Act would lead to job losses, worsening employment figures after many years in which laws aimed at racial redress were exploited by the corrupt.

DA federal chairperson Helen Zille said the regulations would result in the unintended consequence of jobs being lost. The official unemployment figure is 32.1%.

“Even if the consequences are intended, when you see what the consequences are, you adjust your strategy. You don’t double down.” 

The briefing came on the eve of pleadings in the high court on Tuesday after the DA filed an application to the Pretoria high court arguing that the amendment Act rings in unconstitutional changes.

The court battle signals the latest clash between the two biggest parties in the government of national unity, after a bitter confrontation saw Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana revoke a 0.5 percentage point VAT increase that would have taken effect last weekend.

Zille and labour lawyer Michael Bagraim, the DA’s labour spokesperson, said regulations recently gazetted in terms of the Act could not only hinder employment but see companies fined for the composition of their staff complement.

Both suggested that this harked back to apartheid-era discrimination, at a cost to the economy.

“It will continue to make far more people marginalised in our economy than they already are,” Zille said.

“One thing I’ve already learnt is that you never judge a Bill by the intention, you judge a Bill by the [effect] it has in the real world.

“We’ve had an employment equity regime, which was meant to drive employment, for the last 25 years. And we have seen unemployment almost double since 2008, from 5.5 million on the expanded definition to 11.1 million last year and that is primarily as a result of failed government policies that drive away investment. That was not their intention, I’m sure but it is the effect.”

Zille said the absence of energy security and the terms of labour legislation were the main causes of concern for investors, and the country should judge measures in terms of their effect on South Africa’s population.

The strategy implied in the regulations ran counter to the ideal of an inclusive economy, she said.

It also fell foul of section 9 of the Constitution, because it was clear that redress needed to be fair discrimination.

“There is a benchmark that must be reached to qualify as fair discrimination under section 9(2) and this Act fails that test by 100% and that is the primary argument that we will be making in court.”

Zille said the amendment Act went beyond the prescripts of earlier interactions of equity legislation in that it set “extreme” penalties for companies that failed to comply with targets.

The DA argues in its founding affidavit that the Constitution “prohibits quotas and measures which would establish an absolute barrier to employment or promotion by members of non-favoured groups”.

It said the law hitherto had given a nod to context, when it comes to redress.

“The amendment Act would replace this approach with one that is impermissibly rigid and one-size-fits-all. 

“If the amendment Act comes into effect, every designated employer would have to follow ‘numerical targets’ set by the minister of labour, regardless of the degree of underrepresentation it suffers from and its ability to remedy that underrepresentation.”

The case will probably cause renewed friction between the DA and the ANC, just more than a week after the parties reached a courtroom settlement on the proposed increase of the VAT rate.

At the weekend, President Cyril Ramaphosa rhetorically invited the party to explain its issue with redressing the legacy of apartheid.

Bagraim said the net effect of the regulations gazetted a fortnight ago would be companies letting go staff, for fear of fines, because their current complement fell foul of the legislation.

He said the government was apparently trying to legislate the route to redress but this could never transpire if the result was shrinking the economy.

So if anyone has to be accused of breaching the Constitution it is the government, he said. “The government has passed a law that is wrong. It is wrong for all of us. It is wrong for all of us that need jobs.”

He said the regulations implied a race register, and the DA was trying to avoid this through its court application, adding that the party was trying to ensure economic redress by making sure that job growth was not stifled. 

The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa is sounding the alarm on the devastating impact of excessive salt consumption on the nation’s heart and brain health. This year’s theme, “Your Brain and Heart Cannot Take the Pressure!” highlights the importance of maintaining a stable blood pressure for good overall health, and specifically for heart and brain health. Understanding the critical link between excessive salt consumption, hypertension, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular ill-health is crucial. The Foundation’s theme was carefully crafted to align with World Hypertension Day on May 17th and draws inspiration from global public health initiatives, including those driven by the World Action on Salt, Sugar and Health (WASSH). This synergy is reflected in the global theme for Salt Awareness Week (12-18 May 2025), “5 Ways to 5 Grams”, and the World Hypertension League’s theme, “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer”. Both themes emphasize the importance of managing blood pressure through informed choices. The causes of hypertension are complex, involving behavioral factors like unhealthy diets, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption, as well as genetic predispositions.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is identified as a condition in which the blood pressure is over 140/90 mmhg on multiple occasions. Blood pressure is the pressure that is exerted by the blood on the interior arterial walls. It is measured and recorded as a systolic pressure over a diastolic pressure. Systolic (the top number) is the pressure exerted on the arterial walls when the heart contracts or beats and the diastolic pressure (the bottom number) is the pressure exerted between heart beats or when the heart muscles relax. Elevated blood pressure can cause significant damage to both blood vessels and organs like the kidneys, heart, and brain. The longer and higher the pressure remains elevated, the greater the risk of damage. This can lead to conditions such as arteriosclerosis (hardening and thickening of arteries) and aneurysms (bulges or weakening of blood vessels), which can have severe consequences. A ruptured aneurysm can be life-threatening, while arteriosclerosis can reduce blood flow, straining organs and blood vessels, and potentially causing heart failure, kidney damage, vision loss, cognitive issues, and dementia. Your brain and heart literally cannot handle the increased pressure!

The strain on the body from these conditions is significant, and the risks associated with hypertension don’t stop there. Hypertension during pregnancy can have severe consequences for both the mother and baby, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life. Conditions like gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia affect up to 10% of pregnancies and can program long-term cardiovascular health risks. The critical first 1000 days of a child’s life, from conception to age two, shape cardiovascular development and future hypertension risk. Maternal health and nutrition during this period play a crucial role in fetal development, influencing the child’s cardiovascular system and potentially setting the stage for lifelong blood pressure trends.

This early life foundation can be further compounded by genetic factors, as seen in familial hypertension. Knowing your family medical history is essential, as individuals with a family history of hypertension are more likely to develop high blood pressure due to the interaction of multiple genetic variants and environmental factors. A study by Li et al., (2021) revealed that individuals with a family history of hypertension are four times more likely to develop high blood pressure compared to those without. Building on this, a recent South African study by Katsukunya et al., (2024) further explored the genetic aspect, finding that certain genes may influence an individual’s response to antihypertensive medication, potentially making some people more resistant to treatment.

Managing hypertension requires a comprehensive approach that includes medication adherence and behavior modifications. Unfortunately, medication non-adherence remains a significant challenge, particularly in low- to middle-income countries. A recent study (2024) in Sub-Saharan Africa found that 43.5% of adults treated for hypertension were non-adherent, translating to two out of every five adults struggling with their treatment plans. The challenges are multifaceted, including other health issues, side effects, and complex medication regimens, often exacerbated by limited resources or inadequate healthcare access. Socioeconomic factors like unemployment, poverty, and lack of social support further compound the issue. According to the American Heart Association, 12% of patients never fill their initial prescriptions, and non-persistence rates range from 30% to 80% in the first year. To address these challenges, prioritizing social support and patient-centered care is crucial. Systemic issues like lack of health insurance and high medication costs must also be tackled to improve treatment adherence and reduce hypertension-related morbidity and mortality.

As mentioned, excessive salt consumption is a significant risk factor for high blood pressure, and reducing salt intake to less than 5g per day is recommended by the World Health Organization. Seasoning smart involves gradually reducing salt in favorite recipes and exploring flavorful alternatives like herbs, raw spices, garlic, ginger, chilli, and lemon. When shopping, reading labels and opting for low-sodium options is a good idea – consider joining the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa webinar to learn how to decode food labels and spot the Heart Mark logo, a seal of approval. Breaking the salt habit means ditching the salt shaker and encouraging others to do the same. It’s also important to be mindful of hidden salt in everyday foods like bread, cereals, and processed meats. Cooking meals at home using fresh ingredients can help control salt intake. A diet rich in nutrient-dense foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lentils, beans, and low-fat dairy can support healthy blood pressure.

In conclusion, prioritizing heart and brain health is crucial in the fight against hypertension. By adopting simple yet powerful habits – reducing salt intake, increasing physical activity, getting regular blood pressure checks, adhering to medication regimens, and knowing your family medical history – individuals can significantly reduce their risk of developing heart, brain, and other circulatory conditions. Given that CVD remains a leading cause of death in South Africa, claiming one in every seven lives, collective action can drive meaningful change. By supporting one another in embracing healthier habits, we can save thousands of lives, reduce CVD morbidity and mortality, and improve overall well-being.

On Wednesday, Judd Devermont published a personal reflection on the significant challenges in strategic planning on national security and foreign policy in the United States government. The essay presents his analytic judgments about what has gone wrong with formulating and implementing these kinds of strategic plans. 

Some serve as brutally honest indictments of the current state of national security and foreign policy planning in the US government. For example, Devermont observes that the US policymakers often do not know what they want out of their own strategies and strategic plans. 

The essay has solicited responses from a few well-known commentators on African Affairs. One of the criticisms is that Devermont fails to answer the provocative question that inspired the essay. In other words, he never says what exactly went wrong with the Africa Strategy of the Biden Administration. 

That criticism is valid. But, it belies the full story. The essay may dance around that important question, but it still provides insights that mark a valuable contribution to the literature on applied foreign policy.

Who is the author?

Devermont has a long record of public service. Under the Obama Administration, Devermont served as the National Intelligence Officer for Africa at the National Intelligence Council. Under the Biden Administration, he served as the Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. In that role, he was the primary author of the US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa. He is now an operating partner at Kupanda Capital and a non-resident senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, an American think tank based in Washington. Given that work history, Yinka Adegoke, editor of Semafor Africa, suggests that it is safe to assume that Devermont is “one person who has thought a lot about US-Africa policy over the years”.

“This is the most important consideration: what is the point? When you factor in all the consultations, interagency meetings, and hours it takes to put pen to paper, you should really know why you are doing all of this.” — Judd Devermont

What is the strategy?

The US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa was a “strategy” that was formulated under the Biden administration. Effectively, it was a formal document that articulated a set of whole-of-government objectives for advancing US national security, foreign interests and trade interests. It was released in 2022, a few months before the US-Africa Leaders Summit. In response, commentators said:

• “The strategy document lacks new ideas and basically restates the Obama administration’s 2012 strategy.” (Alex Thruston, University of Cincinnati)
• “The new US-Africa strategy is a departure from previous Africa strategy documents and a novelty in US engagement in Africa, which has evolved little since the colonial era and the Cold War.” (Catherine Nzuki and Mvemba Dizolele, CSIS)
• “In contrast with the Trump administration’s approach to the region, which largely saw the continent as a “great power” battleground between Russia, China, and the United States, the Biden approach is considerably more balanced and recognises that Africans live increasingly globalised lives.” (Witney Schneidman and Landry Signé, Brookings)
• “Although somewhat comparable to recently launched initiatives for Latin America and the Indo-Pacific, the Africa strategy stands out as an uniquely elaborate effort at a moment when the administration is working to revamp US relations across the globe.” (Zainab Usman, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
• “The new US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa is a good first step in improving America’s position on the continent.” (Komlan Avoulete, Foreign Policy Research Institute)

“If you aren’t changing the policy in demonstrative ways, what’s the rationale for writing a strategy at all? There is nothing inherently wrong with continuing with the status quo – just don’t waste everyone’s time by suggesting you are embarking on something new.” — Judd Devermont

What did it promise?

The US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa was intended to declare a new vision for African affairs. That included reframing the importance of African affairs for US national security, foreign policy, and trade interests. Overall, the document was light on structure. It articulated a set of four strategic objectives: 1) fostering openness and open societies; 2) delivering democratic and security dividends; 3) advancing pandemic recovery and economic opportunity; 4) supporting conservation, climate adaptation and just energy transition. Reflecting on the content, commentators have said:

• “The strategy was very status quo.” (Joshua Merservy, Hudson Institute)
• “The release of the Sub-Saharan Africa strategy is a demonstration of the Biden administration’s commitment to re-engage with the African continent.” (Brownstein)
• “This document laid out for the first time a modern, strategic, and comprehensive vision of Africa — not one defined by charity or geopolitics.” (Cameron Hudson, CSIS)
• “The most exciting aspect of the strategy, by far, is its articulation of Africa’s climate challenge in a way that acknowledges the continent’s concerns and realities.” (Zainab Usman, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
• “The administration hasn’t learned from past mistakes, is overly focused on great power competition, and can’t quit the counterterror lens.” (Alex Thruston, University of Cincinnati)
• “The challenge lies in the implementation of the strategy, as it presents current initiatives that have not always delivered on their promises.” (Catherine Nzuki and Mvemba Dizolele, CSIS)
• “Whether that influence will be positive or negative from a US perspective depends on whether in implementing its new strategy, the US matches actions with words.” (Komlan Avoulete, Foreign Policy Research Institute)
• “Biden must prove his Africa strategy is no ‘tick the box’ exercise.” (Julian Pecquet, The Africa Report)

“The final marker of a sound strategy is whether it has presidential support. It is not enough to have received interagency sign-off or to be announced by a secretary of state or national security advisor. It needs to have the president behind it and, eventually, the resources to fund it.” — Judd Devermont

Did it meet expectations?

Despite all of the rhetoric, critics have argued that the US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa failed to significantly change the trajectory of US-Africa relations. Some point out that US government programmes remained heavily focused on traditional policy issues such as major power competition, counterterrorism and critical minerals access. Others claim that the Biden administration failed to take the actions required to achieve a number of the strategic objectives, including severing ties with African autocratic leaders or making game-changing climate adaptation investments. Commentators have remarked:

• “Anyone expecting major changes or big new programs will be disappointed — but also missing the point. White House strategies are not plans or roadmaps, but rather a top-line set of objectives, a signal to our partners, and a North Star for the direction of government policy.” (Todd Moss and Katie Auth, Energy for Growth Hub)
• “Commentary on the strategy has praised its lofty ambitions and purposeful rhetoric, while also underscoring the challenge of translating this into actionable and sustainable policy.” (Natalie Colbert, Harvard Belfer Center)
• “We argue that there has been a mismatch between the rhetoric and practice of an equal partnership. For example, African leaders or the African Union were not consulted about the agenda of the 2022 US-Africa Leaders Summit. This was also the case with the US’s Africa strategy.” (Christopher Isike and Ruth Kasanga, University of Pretoria)
• “My fundamental philosophical critique of the strategy and the approach is that it was a lot of doubling down on policies that we have already been using that haven’t really protected the US position in Africa.” (Joshua Merservy, Hudson Institute)
• “It’s clear if you look at US strategy from about 2011 through the Biden administration that the guiding principle has been the pursuit of regional security and economic integration.” (Jim Ryan, Middle East Research and Information Project)
• “US-Africa strategy has not received the attention and resources needed to manage deteriorating political and security developments on the continent. America’s current Africa policy is being overtaken by events and is ill suited to adequately address the coup pandemic.” (John Chin and Haleigh Bartos, Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology)
• “In the United States Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa, the Biden administration declared transcending geographic seams to be a national security priority. However, this declaration does not appear to have spurred systematic changes in the production of research studies and expert commentary on African affairs within the United States think tank community.” (Michael Walsh and Stephen Porter, Foreign Policy Research Institute)
• “The Biden administration engaged the continent more than the previous Trump administration, but left several diplomatic engagement opportunities on the table.” (Corey Holmes, New York University)
• “Biden’s binary ‘democracies vs. autocracies’ ideology, defining a complex world by regime type, is fostering an intellectually lazy, yet familiar, landscape of antagonistic alignments.” (Robert Manning and Mathew Burrows, Stimson Center)
• “The Biden strategy document fails to take a ‘whole of Africa’ approach that Africans themselves embrace and instead reverts to the Obama-era billing of a “Sub-Saharan Africa” focus.” (J. Peter Pham and Samuel Millner, Atlantic Council and Institute for National Security Studies)
• “The US hasn’t had a coherent strategy for Africa since the George Bush era.” (Jahara Matisek, Payne Institute for Public Policy )
• “There’s absolutely nothing new with the new approach.” (Krista Johnson, Howard University)

“What’s my problem? Well, for starters, we usually don’t know what we want out of a strategy and what we are really trying to achieve by crafting it in the first place.” — Judd Devermont

What really was the problem?

The essay only scratches the surface of what actually went wrong with the US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa. However, it offers some clues that merit further investigation. One is the observation that the US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa was never a strategy in the first place. That merits further scrutiny. The US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa may have expressed some big ideas. But, it never clearly articulated a winning aspiration, where to play, how to win, capabilities, and management systems. Absent those strategic choices, it is not surprising that there was so much incongruence, incoherence, inconsistency, and non-responsiveness in US-Africa relations under the Biden administration. Following Deloitte, one might hypothesise:

• The document was based on some faulty underlying beliefs at home and abroad. As a consequence, the strategic narrative that emerged was fundamentally misaligned with the realities of domestic and international politics.
• The strategic narrative was never adequately translated into lower-level action plans and strategic initiatives that would have promoted strategic integration between the higher-level goals and on-the-ground actions.
• The key stakeholders were never fully aligned with the intended strategic direction. Some actors even went so far as to undercut the agenda. 
• The National Security Council failed to adequately respond to major changes in the internal and external environments following the release of the document. As evidence, no new version was released after the October 7 Attacks.

“During the Biden Administration, the strategy shifted U.S. rhetoric about Africa. Its ideas framed the US-Africa Leaders Summit in 2022 and almost 30 trips to the continent by senior leaders, including the president’s visit to Angola in December 2024. We had message discipline, but it proved more challenging to meet the strategy’s ambition with commensurate resources as well as consistent senior-level time and attention.” — Judd Devermont

Why should we care?

The US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa was one of the major deliverables for African Affairs under the Biden administration. The admission that things “went wrong” by a senior official is therefore likely to have knock-on effects. For Devermont, those are likely to be positive. The initial reactions suggest that there is admiration for his willingness to engage in public reflection on what went wrong under his watch. The same cannot be said for the rest of the Biden administration. There is already a live debate over whether the US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and other senior officials have depicted their “foreign policy achievements in terms that exaggerate its legacy”. The essay could very well reinforce that perception in the eyes of their critics. On why that matters, one analyst has argued:

• “What Biden’s legacy is most likely to be measured against are his own sentiments and aspirations for Africa as expressed in his 2022 Africa Strategy.” (Cameron Hudson, CSIS)

“Judd Devermont’s reflection of the Biden Administration outlined an ambitious approach to US-Africa relations – centered on strategic investment, regional connectivity, and expanded diplomatic engagement.” — Johanna Leblanc

What are experts saying?

The essay has caught the attention of both the media and analysts. Here’s what some have had to say:

• “A thoughtful essay by Judd Devermont on why Biden’s strategy for Africa failed. The problem wasn’t the ‘strategy’ [in my opinion] but the lack of leadership from the top – deliberate in Obama’s case, inevitable in Biden’s case. ‘America First’ > ‘leading from behind.’” (Joel Pollak, Breitbart)
• “Dervermont’s reflections on strategy, especially his admonishment to not write if you don’t have anything to say, ring true today. However, it also neglects the reality that one cannot put together a regional strategy without a global strategy, as regions are just theaters of a broader struggle in international relations. From the point of view of Africa, it did not really matter what the Biden administration wrote about its goals, with strategies elsewhere in shambles (Afghanistan, Ukraine), the best laid plans in Africa were never going to come to fruition.” (Christopher Hartwell, Zurich University of Applied Sciences)
• “Initiatives like the US Africa’s Leaders Summit and support for infrastructure corridors marked important steps toward elevating Africa on the global agenda. However, as Judd noted, it reflects a sobering reality that the administration at times struggled to match rhetoric with sustained action. As global competition intensifies, President Biden’s legacy on Africa will be defined less by the symbolism of high-level summits and more by the permanence of institutional commitments and the extent to which U.S. policy truly advanced African priorities.” (Joanna Leblanc, Howard University)
• “In truth, (Devermont) doesn’t really say what was wrong with the Biden Africa policy, but rather looks at the challenges of announcing a strategy in the first place — going all the way back to the Eisenhower administration to examine whether this is the most effective way of implementing US-Africa policy.” (Yinka Adegoke, Semafor Africa)
• “Devermont offers a dual critique of Biden’s Africa policy: while it successfully shifted from Trump-era negative rhetoric through strategic messaging and diplomatic engagement, despite good intentions, the policies lacked focus and consistent senior-level commitment.” (Corey Holmes, New York University)

“The personal reflection emphasizes the importance of clarity and purpose while challenging the idea that having a strategy is equivalent to providing a sound policy.” (Akofa Burce, HBCU-Africa Correspondents Corps)

Michael Walsh is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (US), visiting researcher at the University of Granada (Spain), and visiting research fellow at LMU Munich (Germany). He is also the author of the Consilium Strategicum Blog.