2AM ET 03/13/2026 Newscast

Summary

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Fox News Hourly Update: 2AM ET 03/13/2026 Newscast

Date: March 13, 2026
Host: Chris DiMaio (with reports from Garrett Tenney, Kevin Cork, Tom Brigatti, and Ainsley Earhart)

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Overview

This edition of the Fox News Hourly Update provides listeners with critical developments in national security, crime, international affairs, and ongoing litigation regarding school vouchers, as well as a notable diplomatic gesture from Cuba. The episode swiftly covers major breaking news stories and legal updates, focusing on security incidents at both a synagogue in Michigan and a university in Virginia, military operations in Iraq, as well as policy and legal battles in Texas, and an unexpected move by the Cuban government.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Michigan Synagogue Attack

• Incident: A man, Aman Mohammed Ghazali, drove a truck into Temple Israel Synagogue in Michigan while over 100 children were inside for daycare (00:02–00:54).
• Details:
  • Ghazali, a 41-year-old Lebanese-born US citizen, had lost his family in a recent airstrike during the Iran war.
  • Entered the synagogue armed with a rifle and incendiary device, setting the truck on fire.
  • Armed security guards on site shot and killed him before he could cause further harm.
• Notable Quote:
  • Garrett Tenney (00:26): “...he drove a truck right through the doors of the Temple Israel Synagogue while more than 100 kids were inside at a daycare...before he had a chance to do any more damage or take anyone’s life, he was shot by armed security guards who were already on site.”

2. Old Dominion University Shooting in Virginia

• Incident: Active shooting at ODU campus, resulting in one fatality and two injuries (00:54–01:42).
• Details:
  • Shooter: Muhammad Jalo, 36, with previous felony ties to ISIS.
  • Sought out an ROTC classroom, opened fire after confirming location, shouting “Allah Akbar.”
  • The class instructor, Colonel Brandon Shah, was killed before students subdued and killed Jalo themselves.
  • Shooter’s criminal background: pled guilty to supporting ISIS, previously incarcerated between 2017 and 2024.
• Notable Quote:
  • Kevin Cork (01:18): “He began to pull out a gun and start shooting, yelling ‘Allah Akbar.’ And he opened fire on the class, fatally wounding the class’s instructor, Colonel Brandon Shah, before students in that class subdued him and ultimately killed him.”

3. Earthquake in Turkey

• Event: A moderately strong, 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck central Turkey (01:42–01:59).
• Impact: Emergency responders report no significant damage, though residents rushed into the streets for safety.

4. U.S. Military Plane Crash in Iraq

• Incident: American military refueling plane KC135 crashed during operations over Iraq (02:40–03:22).
• Details:
  • Crash not due to hostile or friendly fire.
  • One KC135 landed safely, another was lost.
  • Marks the fourth U.S. aircraft lost in ongoing operations against Iran.
  • Prior week: Friendly fire from Kuwaiti allies brought down three American fighter jets.
• Notable Quote:
  • Tom Brigatti (02:54): “CENTCOM says two aircraft were involved. One landed safely and the other went down in western Iraq. CENTCOM described the latter as a loss.”

5. Lawsuit in Texas over School Vouchers

• Issue: Muslim families and three Islamic schools are suing Texas for exclusion from the state voucher program (03:22–04:13).
• Details:
  • Federal lawsuits contend the exclusion is religious discrimination.
  • Governor Abbott’s law allows public funds for private schooling but Texas Attorney General claims state can block schools “illegally tied to terrorists or foreign adversaries.”
  • Lawsuits emphasize there’s no evidence of unlawful activity by the excluded schools.
• Notable Quote:
  • Ainsley Earhart (03:44): “Those lawsuits argue the Islamic schools blocked from joining the program meet the voucher program’s eligibility requirements and have no actual connection to terrorism or unlawful activity.”

6. Cuban Prisoner Release Gesture

• Action: Cuba announced plans to release 51 prisoners as a goodwill gesture in coordination with the Vatican (04:13–04:37).
• Details:
  • No names released, but all prisoners have served significant portions of their sentences and displayed good conduct.
• Notable Quote:
  • Chris DiMaio (04:22): “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it stems from a spirit of goodwill and close relations with the Vatican.”

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Swift action by security guards and students in both the Michigan and Virginia attacks prevented mass casualties.
• Repeated concerns over ties between terrorism and policy measures—from school vouchers to violent individuals.
• International focus: Both in ramifications of the war with Iran and the rapid response to both natural disasters and accidents abroad.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:02] Synagogue Attack in Michigan (Garrett Tenney)
• [01:02] Old Dominion University Shooting (Kevin Cork)
• [01:42] Earthquake in Turkey (Chris DiMaio)
• [02:45] US Military Plane Crash in Iraq (Tom Brigatti)
• [03:30] Texas Voucher Program Lawsuits (Ainsley Earhart)
• [04:13] Cuba to Release Prisoners (Chris DiMaio)

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Overall Tone

• Concise and urgent reporting, focused on national security, public safety, legal battles over religious inclusion, and international developments.
• The language is straightforward, maintaining the serious and immediate tone of breaking news.

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This summary covers the major news items and key insights as presented, omitting advertisements and promotional material.

Transcript

[Chris DiMaio]

Synagogue attacked I'm Chris Dimaio, Fox News. A man is killed after he attacked the synagogue in Michigan.

[Garrett Tenney]

The Department of Homeland Security tells us the man behind this attack is Aman Mohammed Ghazali. He's a 41 year old man born in Lebanon who became a US citizen in 2016. Sources close to the investigation tell our local Fox affiliate that Ghazali's family in Lebanon was was killed in an airstrike this past weekend during the war with Iran, which may have prompted him to carry out this attack where he drove a truck right through the doors of the Temple Israel Synagogue While more than 100 kids were inside at a daycare. The attacker had a rifle and some kind of incendiary device that set the truck on fire inside the building. But before he had a chance to do any more damage or take anyone's life, he was shot by armed security guards who were already on site.

[Chris DiMaio]

Fox's Garrett Tenney in West Bloomfield, Michigan. One killed and two injured after a shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

[Kevin Cork]

Police received calls about an active shooter on ODU's campus. It was about that time that 36 year old Muhammad Jalo was reportedly walking around asking if he'd arrived at an ROTC classroom and when told yes, that's when sources tell law enforcement he began to pull out a gun and start shooting, yelling Allah Akbar. And he opened fire on the class, fatally wounding the class's instructor, Colonel Brandon Shah, before students in that class subdued him and ultimately killed him. Previously, Jalo pled guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS. He also spent time behind bars between 2017 and 2024.

[Chris DiMaio]

That's Fox's Kevin Cork. A moderately strong earthquake striking central Turkey on Friday. Emergency responders said it sent some rush residents rushing into the streets, but no damage has been reported. It was a magnitude 5.5 quake. America's Listen to Fox News.

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[Chris DiMaio]

Rescue efforts are underway after an American military refueling plane went down over Iraq.

[Tom Brigatti]

US Central Command says the KC135 aircraft was part of the operation against Iran, but the crash was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire. CENTCOM says two aircraft were involved. One landed safely and the other went down in western Iraq. CENTCOM described the latter as a loss. A US official says the other plane involved was also a KC135 tanker. The tanker is the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft to crash as part of the US Military's operations against Iran. Three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire last week and all six crew members safely ejected. Tom Brigatti, FOX News.

[Chris DiMaio]

Muslim parents and three private schools are suing Texas leaders for excluding Islamic private schools from participating in the state's voucher program.

[Ainsley Earhart]

The two federal lawsuits ask the court to block the voucher program from discriminating on the basis of religion. This comes after Governor Greg Abbott signed a new law creating a statewide program that allows families to use public funds to pay for their children's private school. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton releasing an opinion in January stating his belief the state has the authority to block certain schools from participating in the program if they are, quote, illegally tied to terrorists or foreign adversaries. Those lawsuits argue the Islamic schools blocked from joining the program meet the voucher program's eligibility requirements and have no actual connection to terrorism or unlawful activity. Angelo Bavaro, Fox News.

[Chris DiMaio]

Cuba's government says it'll release 51 people from the island's jails in an unexpected move. The Ministry of Foreign affairs says it stems from a spirit of goodwill and close relations with the Vatican. The government didn't identify who it would release except say that all have served a significant part of their sentence and have maintained good conduct while in prison. I'm Chris DiMaio. This is Fox News.

[Ainsley Earhart]

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[Garrett Tenney]

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