Trump promotes Freedom Haulers Initiative to fast-track military veterans into trucking jobs

July 30, 2026 4:09pm EDT / Fox News

The program streamlines CDL licensing for veterans with heavy vehicle experience and removes drivers in the country illegally

By Peter D’Abrosca, Brittany Miller, Fox News

Trump promotes Freedom Haulers Initiative to fast-track veterans into trucking jobs

Program streamlines CDL licensing for veterans with military driving experience as administration touts crackdown on illegal immigrant commercial drivers.

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President Donald Trump on Thursday formally kicked off an administration initiative designed to fast-track military veterans into trucking jobs while removing illegal immigrant commercial drivers from America’s roadways, arguing the effort will improve highway safety and create new employment opportunities for former service members.

Speaking at the White House alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and trucking industry leaders, Trump promoted the “Freedom Haulers Initiative,” which streamlines the commercial driver’s license (CDL) process for veterans with heavy vehicle experience gained during military service.

“Today, we’re taking action to get illegal alien truck drivers off the American roadways and replace them with proud American veterans,” Trump said. “It’s about time.”

TRUMP TAPS VETERANS TO FIX ILLEGAL ALIEN TRUCKING PROBLEM PLAGUING US ROADWAYS

President Donald Trump speaks during an event promoting the Freedom Haulers Initiative at the White House, alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, left, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, on July 30, 2026.(Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)

Under the initiative, qualified veterans with heavy-vehicle experience gained during military service can apply to waive the CDL road-skills test, allowing them to avoid duplicating training they received in the military. Certain veterans in participating states may also qualify for a waiver of the written knowledge test. Veterans without military truck-driving experience will be eligible for expedited training that administration officials said could be completed in several weeks.

Trump said 34 states have joined or are working to implement the Even Exchange Program, including Indiana, Wyoming, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida and Maryland, and called on the remaining states to participate.

The president paired the promotion with his administration’s ongoing crackdown on commercial drivers who do not meet federal English-language requirements or who were issued licenses while in the country illegally.

OUT OF CONTROL, UNQUALIFIED ILLEGAL ALIEN TRUCKERS ENDANGERING KIDS ON US ROADS, INSIDER WARNS: ‘JUST MADNESS’

Veterans, trucking industry representatives and administration officials attend a White House event announcing the Trump administration’s Freedom Haulers Initiative.(Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)

Trump said the administration has removed more than 24,000 non-English-speaking commercial drivers from behind the wheel and worked with states to cancel more than 28,000 commercial driver’s licenses he said were unlawfully issued to illegal immigrants. He also pointed to several fatal crashes allegedly involving illegal immigrants while arguing for the policy change.

Duffy said the initiative eliminates unnecessary barriers for veterans transitioning into civilian careers while prioritizing highway safety.

“These are great-paying jobs. They’re anywhere from $80,000 to $100,000-plus a year,” Duffy said. “…illegals are out. American patriots are in.”

ILLEGAL TRUCKER CASES FUEL GOP PUSH TO CRACK DOWN ON CDL MILLS AS DEMS LARGELY SILENT

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a White House event announcing the Freedom Haulers Initiative alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.(Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)

Collins said the Department of Veterans Affairs will also expand access to CDL training by allowing eligible veterans to use GI Bill benefits and by accelerating enrollment in existing training programs.

“Let’s put veterans in the seats, making jobs safer and better for all Americans,” Collins said, noting that roughly one in 10 truck drivers nationwide already are veterans.

Werner Enterprises President Nathan Meisgeier announced his company will hire 1,400 veterans over the next year as part of the Freedom Haulers Initiative, calling military veterans a natural fit for the trucking industry.

“This administration’s Freedom Haulers campaign will have a direct and powerful impact on our ability to bring even more veterans into our workforce,” Meisgeier said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks as President Donald Trump listens during a White House event announcing the Freedom Haulers Initiative, which aims to expand trucking opportunities for military veterans.(Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)

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Army veteran Ricky Washington, who transitioned into commercial trucking after serving for three decades in the Army and Army National Guard, said the profession offers former service members another opportunity to serve the country.

“The trucking industry is more than just a sector of our economy — it’s the backbone of our commerce,” Washington said. “It is a place where service members, veterans [and] military spouses can find a purpose, a community and a way to continue keeping our great nation moving forward.”

Peter D’Abrosca is a politics reporter at Fox News Digital.

Trump admin pressures law enforcement groups to support controversial cryptocurrency legislation

2026-07-30T20:29:23.489Z / CNN

The Trump administration in recent weeks has pressured current and former US law enforcement officials to help corral support for a milestone cryptocurrency law that critics say could be exploited by narcotraffickers, terrorists, and other criminal groups, according to multiple people briefed on the matter.

The pressure comes as the legislation has faced headwinds in the Senate, including from lawmakers who say it allows President Donald Trump to continue to benefit from his cryptocurrency earnings while in office.

The campaign on law enforcement groups is part of a broad push led by White House officials, Republican lawmakers and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to rebut concerns raised about parts of the proposed Clarity Act.

The administration and cryptocurrency industry groups say, if passed, the law would bring regulatory certainty to the digital currency industry and ensure the sharing of information about illicit activity with law enforcement. At the urging of Democrats, the White House agreed to new ethics provisions that ban government officials, including Trump, from issuing new digital currency.

Some critics, though, are focused on a part of the bill that allows Trump to keep benefiting from his cryptocurrency ventures, including $TRUMP memecoin, which was launched days before he took office. The proposed legislation wouldn’t prohibit those earnings. Those lawmakers also say the bill includes “loopholes” that leave room for Trump to enter new ventures and does not include an enforcement mechanism if he is found to be in violation in the restrictions that are included in the legislation.

Supporters of the bill are hopeful it can pass before the Senate recess in August, but Senate leaders have warned about challenges ahead.

Trump campaigned on promises to make the US the “crypto capital of the planet,” and since taking office in his second term, his administration has embraced the crypto industry. Trump issued an executive order to reduce regulatory burdens on the industry and to establish a national cryptocurrency reserve. At the Justice Department, Blanche shut down some cryptocurrency criminal investigations and disbanded a group of prosecutors and investigators who focused on cryptocurrency crimes as part of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team.

Some law enforcement groups, including the National District Attorneys Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, have warned that the proposed law does not do enough to ensure transparency and accountability among crypto companies. Their public safety concerns have complicated efforts to pass the legislation.

Patrick Witt, a Pentagon official and executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, leaned on officials at the FBI and other agencies to try to join the effort in support of the Clarity Act, one US official briefed on the discussions told CNN.

The outside agencies who represent current and former law enforcement and wield influence on legislation say they got a full court press. “Everybody in the law enforcement got hammered to support that legislation,” says an official with one law enforcement group who received calls from Trump administration officials and supporters of the bill.

Reached on the phone, Witt declined to speak to CNN other than to point to law enforcement groups that have come out in support of the bill. These include the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and National Fraternal Order of Police, according to letters the groups have made public.

The White House didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

Crypto industry supporters say the legislation is needed because it helps companies better comply with legal requirements and keep criminals from using their platforms.

“Nobody can say the bill doesn’t advance law enforcement’s ability to go after illicit activity,” Faryar Shirzad, chief policy officer for Coinbase, a cryptocurrency platform, told CNN in an interview.

The critical groups took issue with possible gaps the law could leave in preventing the use of crypto to finance terrorism.

“Several provisions throughout the bill will reduce transparency, limit accountability, and create gaps in the anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism framework that law enforcement relies upon to identify criminal activity, protect victims, and safeguard national security,” a slate of law enforcement associations said in a joint letter to Blanche last month.

In recent days, one influential law enforcement group expressed support for the legislation after new changes that they said would broaden the ability of state and local police to thwart money laundering and other illicit transactions.

“The inclusion of these provisions represents a meaningful step toward improving the ability of law enforcement to investigate financial crimes involving digital assets,” Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said in a letter Wednesday to lawmakers.

The Trump administration’s embrace of crypto rewards an industry that boosted his election campaign millions of dollars in donations. Trump has since reported making more than $1.4 billion from cryptocurrency ventures in his first year back in office, according to the president’s most recent financial disclosures.

Despite bipartisan support in the House, which passed a version of the legislation last year, the proposed bill has run into obstacles in the Senate. As some Democrats have used Trump’s own crypto profits to raise ethical questions about the law, the banking industry has assailed the bill as a giveaway to competitors.

At issue are many of the anti-money laundering and know-your-customer regulations that banks and money service companies have to abide by. The US government has for years used those regulations to try to stop the flow of money to terrorist groups and narcotraffickers.

Some cryptocurrency industry companies already register with regulators and follow some of the same rules. But in recent years, during the first Trump administration and the Biden administration, prosecutors have targeted some crypto-industry companies for running afoul of some registration requirements. The lack of regulations specific to the cryptocurrency industry has been a major problem, critics and supporters of the Clarity Act agree. Whether the proposed law goes far enough is another matter.

Blanche, who is trying to win votes for his nomination as attorney general, has also spent time briefing outside groups to urge their support and seeking to assuage concerns, according to people involved in the discussions.

A Justice Department spokesperson rejected some claims in the critical letter from the law enforcement groups.

“The Administration works tirelessly to champion law enforcement through policy, funding, and legislation. The letter from these groups contains factual inaccuracies and mischaracterizes Administration policy,” the Justice spokesperson said. “The bill does not restrict DOJ’s ability to investigate or prosecute criminal activity involving digital assets, including drug trafficking, human smuggling, and terrorism financing.”

At a Capitol Hill event this week, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, highlighted the testimony of Americans who said they lost tens of thousands of dollars after investing in Trump cryptocurrency launched before the president’s second inauguration.

Blumenthal cited the examples to call for more ethics safeguards in the Clarity Act.

Scott Greytak, deputy executive director of Transparency International U.S. echoed Blumenthal and criticized new ethics provisions made to the bill, which ban the president from issuing new cryptocurrency. The provision applies only until the end of Trump’s term.

“I’ve never seen ethics language that was cast so clearly only to accommodate a politician, President Trump,” he said.

Among other issues, Greytak finds fault with the law’s exemptions for certain so-called decentralized financial transactions, which allow people to trade assets using software that doesn’t go through a third-party such as a bank.

“You are legitimizing the ability of criminals to use this medium of value to commit crimes,” he said.

This story has been updated with additional details.

特朗普：哈马斯同意全面解除武装 和平计划迈出“关键一步”

2026-07-31 07:11 / 联合早报

美国总统特朗普星期四宣布，由美国主导的“和平委员会”就哈马斯及加沙其他武装组织全面解除武装达成了历史性协议，为加沙结束冲突、建立新政府迈出“关键一步”。 （彭博社）

美国总统特朗普星期四宣布，由美国主导的“和平委员会”就哈马斯及加沙其他武装组织全面解除武装达成了一项历史性协议，为加沙结束冲突、建立新政府迈出“关键一步”。

特朗普星期四（7月30日）在社媒发文称，这是落实美国为结束加沙战争提出的“20点计划”的重大里程碑。

根据协议，哈马斯等武装组织将按照“精心规划的阶段”进行解除武装；随着解除武装完成，以色列部队将撤出加沙，国际稳定部队将与新的巴勒斯坦警察部队接管当地安全事务。

他指出，加沙未来将由新的巴勒斯坦政府管理，并与和平委员会（Board of Peace）合作，为当地民众提供治理，同时确保以色列不再面对来自加沙的恐怖袭击威胁。

特朗普感谢埃及、卡塔尔和土耳其等斡旋方的努力，并特别感谢美国谈判团队，称正是他们“不懈的努力才促成了这一历史性突破”。

特朗普强调，哈马斯于2023年10月7日突袭以色列，并引发冲突的威胁“绝不允许再度出现”。

他也称，加沙最终将由“服务人民的新巴勒斯坦政府”管理。最后，他祝贺各方达成这项“许多人认为不可能实现”的协议。

两名不愿具名的哈马斯高级官员星期五（31日）告诉法新社，证实哈马斯已就结束以哈冲突达成协议。

Judge sentences peptide vendor to nearly 6 years in prison for “an incredible trail of harm”

2026-07-30T16:51:00-0400 / CBS News

SOUTH BEND, Ind.– A federal judge on Thursday sentenced the owner of a peptide company to nearly six years in prison after finding he built a massive business by deceiving customers and selling products that were adulterated with steroids.

Matthew Kawa, who ran Paradigm Peptides, pleaded guilty last year to selling unapproved drugs and illegally importing them from abroad. His sentence marks a rare criminal penalty for a seller of peptides that are labeled “for research use,” a largely unregulated marketplace that has become a go-to source for many people who look beyond established medical channels for ways to boost their health.

“You focused on what you wanted to build instead of thinking about the people,” U.S. District Court Judge Cristal Brisco said in sentencing Kawa to 70 months in prison, adding that Kawa ignored “numerous warnings” from regulators and left “an incredible trail of harm.”

Prosecutors estimated that Paradigm had 54,000 unique customers in all 50 U.S. states and in 80 countries. Kawa, 48, agreed to forfeit $5 million in proceeds from the business.

Kawa, wearing a gray suit, acknowledged that Paradigm’s customers relied on his false statements about the company’s products.

“I’m deeply sorry I betrayed that trust,” he told the court. “I should have asked harder questions and made sure what we did followed the law.” Kawa declined to comment to CBS News after the sentencing.

Matthew Kawa, who ran Paradigm Peptides, pleaded guilty to selling unapproved drugs and illegally importing them from abroad. CBS News

Before it was shut down in March 2024, Paradigm Peptides looked like many vendors on the internet today: advertising its offerings as made in America, of 99% purity, tested by third-party labs — and with the disclaimer that they were “for research use only.” But its business, prosecutors say, was built on lies.

Paradigm imported its products from China, India and other countries, court filings show. Kawa admitted they forged laboratory certificates to lend credibility to their peptides. And when the government tested six compounds designed to mimic the effects of testosterone, prosecutors said that all of them contained actual testosterone — a steroid hormone subject to strict regulation because of the risks involved in taking it.

For years, Paradigm maintained that its products were only for research use, but Kawa admitted in his guilty plea that this was false. “I knew that Paradigm’s products were being marketed and sold for human consumption,” his plea deal states.

Brisco also sentenced Jennifer Stechkober, Kawa’s 32-year-old sister and main employee at Paradigm, to 16 months in prison after she too pleaded guilty. The judge found she was “not the mastermind” but “played an integral role” in Paradigm’s business and false statements.

“These individuals are taken out of circulation,” Adam Mildred, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, said in an interview. “Hopefully this sends a deterrent message that this sort of behavior is not acceptable, to be lying to the American public.”

Peptides are chains of amino acids that deliver a set of instructions to the body — to store or burn energy, or to release more of a hormone — that have become wildly popular with people hoping to lose weight, gain muscle or even live longer. Such compounds are increasingly migrating into mainstream use despite a lack of FDA approval, with licensed physicians prescribing them and even New York bodegas getting in on the action.

“I would hope it’s a wake-up call for a lot of the other research-use-only companies out there because this is actual prison time, not just maybe a cease-and-desist or slap on the wrist,” said David Holt, an attorney who founded a boutique healthcare law practice. “That’s a whole different world.”

A life disrupted

In addition to peptides, Paradigm also sold products known as SARMs — or selective androgen receptor modulators — which can help build muscle but also come with a range of dangerous side effects, from elevating the risk of heart attacks to psychosis, the FDA has warned.

Paradigm labeled its SARMs as dietary supplements, and that made some customers, like Dan Murphy, comfortable that they must be safe.

“It’d be no different than taking vitamin D,” Murphy, a 32-year-old marketing consultant, said in an interview.

Murphy started taking SARMs from Paradigm in 2023. He was a believer in alternative, holistic medicine and comfortable with the biohacking ethos promoted by peptide vendors that, like Paradigm, tacked on a research-use disclaimer to their products. He had recently lost a lot of weight and was looking for a supplement to help build muscle.

“When I started taking the product, right away I felt an increase in energy,” he said. “I was really happy with that.”

Murphy found he could push his body more than ever before and began working out obsessively, he recalled. But as he took more SARMs from Paradigm over several months, he began having trouble sleeping. His sense of his business acumen became grandiose. He developed cystic acne on his back so acute that it was painful to put on a shirt.

He began suspecting his wife was conspiring to hold him back, and became paranoid that his mother-in-law was going to kill him, he said. Murphy had never before experienced mental illness and testified he didn’t recognize what was happening as he lost touch with reality and repeatedly thought about killing himself, he said.

“I lost friends, family, colleagues, clients and almost lost my life,” Murphy said. “I had gotten so detached from reality that I could not make any connection to the supplements as the cause.”

Dan Murphy, seen here with his wife Laura, is suing Paradigm Peptides over SARMs that he says tested positive for testosterone. Courtesy of Murphy family

He was at a low point when, in February of 2025, he received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice with the subject line: “Federal Investigation of paradigmpeptides.com.” Investigators had determined that many of Paradigm’s products that were marketed as SARMs “in fact contained testosterone.”

Initially Murphy thought it might be a scam. But soon, it became his Rosetta stone for understanding what had happened to him: He wasn’t a monster, he thought. He was a victim.

“It was this lightning rod of clarity,” Murphy said.

Murphy and his wife, Laura, found a bottle of a SARM he had ordered and had it tested by an independent lab. It came back positive for testosterone, according to Murphy and court records.

In his guilty plea, Kawa said he “did not test the SARM products that my business sold to customers.” He didn’t know that they contained testosterone, according to a memo by prosecutors, who argued that the lack of testing “demonstrates the recklessness” of his actions.

Murphy was ultimately evaluated by a medical expert, Erik Messamore, who diagnosed him with “steroid-induced psychosis.” Murphy hired a lawyer and is suing Paradigm Peptides, which Kawa is contesting.

“A game of whack-a-mole”

Prosecutors hope that the sentence will deter others involved in the booming peptide industry from similar conduct, but legal experts say the impact remains to be seen. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, has talked up the benefits of peptides and urged the FDA to make them more widely available to consumers.

Just last week, an independent advisory committee to the agency recommended — over the objections of agency staff — to broaden access to six peptides. One of them, BPC-157, was among the unapproved drugs that Kawa was charged with selling.

“You go on these podcasts and listen to the secretary of Health and Human Services talk about peptides and wanting to expand availability to consumers,” George Karavetsos, a former FDA lawyer and federal prosecutor, said. Prosecuting bad actors, he said, is “a game of whack-a-mole.”

Even after Paradigm’s website went offline, similarly named websites have sprung up to offer the same products, sometimes with the same labels. One such site, paradigmpeptides.is, also promotes “research-grade peptides in the USA” that are “independently verified to 99%+” purity. The bottles featured on its site use what appears to be the same font, colors and design as Kawa’s company.

“We would like to clarify that we have no affiliation whatsoever with the previous Paradigm Peptides website, its former owner Matthew Kawa, or any related business,” the company said in an emailed response. The email stated that the company was “not aware that certain design elements could be perceived as resembling those used by the previous Paradigm Peptides,” adding “if any aspect of our labels or branding creates concern, we are fully willing to redesign and replace them.”

State Department says it made ‘an unfortunate error’ when it mislabeled countries on map of Africa

2026-07-30T21:33:06.788Z / CNN

By Jennifer Hansler

PUBLISHED Jul 30, 2026, 5:33 PM ET

A screen shows a US government map of Africa with mislabeled countries during a State Department presentation at a global conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 26, 2026, in this picture obtained by Reuters.

From Reuters

The US State Department on Thursday said its use of a map that incorrectly labeled all the countries it identified on a map of Africa at an international conference this week was “an unfortunate error.”

The map was shown during an event at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro. It highlighted six countries on the continent: Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, Malawi, and Cameroon. Not one of them was correctly identified by lines pointing from the names to the positions on the map. It showed coastal Nigeria as landlocked. Mozambique, which is in the southeast of the continent, was shown in the Horn of Africa. Cote d’Ivoire was shown on the wrong side of the continent.

A photo of the errant map was shared in a Substack post from AIDS expert Emily Bass. According to an analysis from Reuters, the map contained “an artificial intelligence watermark that ⁠signals it was made with OpenAI tools.”

A State Department spokesperson said Thursday that “this was an unfortunate error caused by a team member who hastily altered the slide deck immediately before the presentation at the AIDS 2026 Conference.”

“We take full responsibility for the confusion and misrepresentation it caused for attendees, including our African partners,” the spokesperson said.

Since President Donald Trump took office again, the State Department has significantly cut its global health funding and underwent a restructuring which has seen a significant number of career experts lose their jobs.

Cameron Hudson, a former State Department and NSC official on Africa, said that the mistake is “a reflection of what happens when you fire ⅓ of the State Department, eliminate multiple layers of bureaucracy and have too junior staff performing work under-supervised.”

“There isn’t just a cost savings when eviscerating staff and expertise. There’s a real cost in reputation and effectiveness,” he posted on X. “I suspect many people don’t actually care because they say it’s Africa, but the same thing is happening with teams trying to negotiate nuclear deals with Iran. That should concern everyone.”

Explainer: Could Fauci face criminal charges for refusing Senate COVID questions?

2026-07-30T21:43:01.841Z / Reuters

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) – Anthony Fauci could face criminal prosecution after refusing to answer more than 100 Senate questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, setting up a confrontation with Republican lawmakers that could test the limits of congressional power to compel testimony.

Fauci, the former top U.S. infectious disease expert, testified this week before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee whose Republican chair, Rand Paul of Kentucky, a longtime Fauci antagonist, has said he will call a vote to refer Fauci for contempt of Congress.

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Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Diseases and became the face of the U.S. pandemic response, has condemned Paul for what he has described as a campaign to have him imprisoned.

Here’s a look at where the dispute stands and what could come next:

WHAT IS CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS?

U.S. law makes it a crime for anyone summoned to appear before Congress to refuse to hand over documents or answer questions.

Congress does not have the authority to initiate criminal prosecutions on its own so it instead refers potential cases to the Justice Department. A contempt referral must first be approved by a congressional committee and then by the full Senate or House of Representatives.

A referral for Fauci in this instance would likely need a 60-vote majority, which would require Democratic support in a closely divided 100-member Senate.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington then reviews the referral and decides whether to seek a criminal indictment before a grand jury. The office is run by Jeanine Pirro, a close ally of President Donald Trump.

WHAT WILL PROSECUTORS HAVE TO PROVE?

Prosecutors would have to prove that Fauci willfully declined to answer questions relevant to a Senate inquiry.

Fauci will likely not be able to argue that his refusal was based on legal advice. Judges barred Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro from raising that defense when they faced criminal contempt charges for refusing to cooperate with the House committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Both Bannon and Navarro were convicted and imprisoned.

WHAT DEFENSES COULD FAUCI RAISE?

A criminal case against Fauci faces several obstacles, legal experts say.

If the Senate votes to support the referral and the Justice Department decides to seek charges, an indictment would still need to be approved by a grand jury. Grand jury panels in Washington have refused to sign off on charges in multiple politically charged cases during the Trump administration.

If Fauci is indicted, his lawyers will likely argue that he cannot face contempt charges for exercising his right under the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment to refuse to answer questions that could expose him to criminal liability.

Then-President Joe Biden pardoned Fauci for any offenses he may have committed from 2014 until January 2025.

The pardon does not cover any conduct that has happened since Biden left office, but it could complicate Fauci’s ability to rely on the Fifth Amendment defense.

Courts have not decided whether a witness who has received a presidential pardon can refuse to answer questions before Congress about the conduct covered by that pardon, legal experts say. That question would likely need to be resolved before Fauci could face trial.

Reporting by Andrew Goudsward. Additional reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Howard Goller

Hamas agrees to complete disarmament under ‘historic’ Gaza agreement: Trump

July 30, 2026 6:43pm EDT / Fox News

Trump said the agreement will pave the way for a new Palestinian government

By Bonny Chu, Fox News

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President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a historic agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza.

The diplomatic breakthrough, brokered by the Board of Peace alongside mediators Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, will pave the way for a new Palestinian government in Gaza, Trump said.

“Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza. This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

“This agreement is a critical step toward Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people.”

HAMAS SAYS IT WILL DISSOLVE GAZA GOVERNMENT, BUT ISRAEL WARNS GROUP STILL SEEKS HEZBOLLAH-STYLE CONTROL

FILE – Trump unveiled a Gaza peace agreement calling for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The agreement represents a “major milestone” in implementing Trump’s 20-Point Plan, a framework introduced last year aimed at ending the war in Gaza by demilitarizing Hamas and securing the release of hostages.

Under the multi-phased disarmament agreement, Gaza will transition to a new Palestinian government with the support of the Board of Peace and will no longer be “used as a base for terror attacks.”

A new police force will also be established in Gaza with the support of the International Stabilization Force, aimed at keeping the region “safe for its residents and its neighbors.”

ISRAEL’S MILITARY ELIMINATES HAMAS TERRORIST WHO HELPED ABDUCT AMERICAN-ISRAELI HOSTAGE, 3 OTHERS

FILE – Trump said Thursday’s deal marks a major step toward lasting peace, with Gaza no longer serving as a base for terror attacks.(AP/Alex Brandon/Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Israeli forces will also withdraw from the region as the disarmament process moves forward through the structured phases.

Trump praised the progress his administration has accomplished since Hamas-led militants carried out a deadly assault on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023.

“One year ago there was a violent raging war, humanitarian crisis and hostages kept in brutal captivity. We have made historic progress and there is still much work to do,” Trump said.

“The threat that emerged from Gaza on October 7 will NOT be allowed to rebuild!”

“Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE.”

FILE – Hamas member looks on during a parade of the terror group in Gaza on January 25, 2025.(TPS-IL)

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Trump further thanked all the parties involved in the historic agreement.

“I want to thank the mediators—Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye—for their important efforts, and especially my outstanding team, whose tireless work made this historic breakthrough possible.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Bonny Chu is a Breaking and Trending News Writer for Fox News Digital

智利与委内瑞拉恢复外交关系 将分阶段实现关系正常化

2026年7月31日 07:36 / 联合早报

智利与委内瑞拉星期四宣布，启动双边关系正常化路线图，恢复两国外交关系。智利总统卡斯特（右）说，智利与委内瑞拉关系“今天起进入新阶段”，左为委内瑞拉代总统罗德里格斯。 （法新社）

智利与委内瑞拉星期四宣布，启动双边关系正常化路线图，恢复两国外交关系，并将首先重启领事合作，为双方侨民提供领事服务。

综合法新社和新华社报道，根据两国星期四（7月30日）发表的联合声明，双方将分阶段推进关系正常化，首阶段恢复领事关系，未来逐步全面恢复双边关系。

声明说，这一进程将建立在历史友谊和拉丁美洲团结精神基础上，并遵循相互尊重、互惠及严格遵守国际法等原则，通过建设性对话推进合作。

智利总统卡斯特说，智利与委内瑞拉关系“今天起进入新阶段”，双方将携手应对安全、移民及经济发展等共同挑战。

卡斯特政府计划遣返约33万名无证移民，而过去因与委内瑞拉缺乏外交关系，遣返工作一直面临困难。

2024年7月，委内瑞拉总统马杜罗在总统选举中宣布胜选后，智利等七国要求重新审查选举结果。委内瑞拉随后要求包括智利在内的七国撤回外交人员，两国外交关系中断。

今年1月，美国政府派兵抓拿马杜罗夫妇，马杜罗政权随后被推翻，多国陆续恢复与加拉加斯的外交关系。

Dem senator swipes credit for bill he opposed amid heated reelection bid: ‘Disturbing pattern’

July 30, 2026 3:28pm EDT / Fox News

An Ossoff spokesperson claimed it is ‘undeniable’ that Georgia’s massive military construction budget was a result of his work

By Leo Briceno, Fox News

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth testifies before the Senate, defending the administration’s 1.5 trillion dollar budget request as a “generational investment” crucial for military readiness and troop welfare. Hegseth states that training will be curtailed without urgent funding, blaming previous administrations for “funding shortfalls” and “deferred maintenance.” He argues the budget is necessary to “catch up and get ahead” for soldiers and sailors.

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Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is touting his advocacy for federal investment in Georgia military infrastructure despite having ultimately voted against the bill that secured the improvements.

Most recently, Ossoff highlighted new construction for an elementary school at Fort Benning, improved conditions at Fort Stewart, pay raises for military personnel and improvements to Georgia’s foster care system — all a part of the annual military funding bill known as Military Construction and Veteran Affairs (MilCon-VA).

At the time of its initial passage, Ossoff quickly released a press statement.

FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE GEORGIA SENATE RACE

(Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)(Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“U.S. Senate passes Sen. Ossoff’s Bipartisan Bill that provides most funding for Georgia military construction in 15 years,” his website announced.

When reconsidering it for final passage, Ossoff opposed the package.

Notably, Ossoff, as the ranking member on the Senate Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veteran Affairs, voted in favor of the bill in committee and as a standalone bill, but opposed its final passage later that year when it was bundled together with other government funding legislation.

When asked about the voting record, his office reaffirmed the federal support secured in Georgia.

“Let’s be clear: Georgia’s massive 2026 military construction budget, the highest in 15 years, is a direct and undeniable result of Senator Ossoff’s work as the senior Democrat on the Military Construction subcommittee,” an Ossoff campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“Senator Ossoff makes no apology for having tried to stop Mike Collins from doubling premiums for more than a million Georgians and throwing 300,000 off their health insurance,” they added, referring to Ossoff’s Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., and caps on federal health subsidies Republicans had championed at the time of MilCon-VA’s passage.

Like many Democrats, Ossoff has struggled to oppose legislation championed by President Donald Trump while at the same time making his case for reelection in one of the country’s most competitive Senate seats. Ossoff won in 2021 with a 50.6% to 49.4% victory over Republican incumbent Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga.

In the case of the elementary school, Ossoff said he had been calling for those investments for years.

“I have been working for years now for a replacement for Dexter Elementary. That’s really important for those families down there in Columbus,” Ossoff said. “I’m just a bit concerned by the lack of attention in this year’s base budget, so we’ll work together on that.”

Ossoff made similar remarks about improvements to Fort Stewart, citing concerns in press releases about lead exposure affecting newborns’ health on the base, mold contamination and flooded living areas.

Ossoff released findings in a seven-page report about the base’s conditions.

SEN. BLUMENTHAL, REP. TAKANO: CONGRESS CAN FUND VETERANS’ CARE WITHOUT TAKING BENEFITS FROM DISABLED HEROES

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks during an interview at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Marietta, Georgia.(AP)

“Our military service members and their families make huge sacrifices for the country, and it’s a travesty how they’re being treated by privatized housing contractors in Georgia and nationwide,” Sen. Ossoff said.

“The stories in this report should shock our conscience, and I will continue exposing the mistreatment of military families in privatized housing and working to protect them and improve conditions.”

Notably, the package Ossoff ultimately voted against contained $8 million for Fort Stewart and $127.4 million to replace the Dexter Elementary School.

A veteran lawmaker ripped Ossoff for highlighting wins he didn’t participate in.

“Last year, he tried to take credit for my veterans housing bill, legislation he had absolutely nothing to do with. A politician who tries to erase a veteran’s work for political gain has forfeited the trust of the people he seeks to represent,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., said in a statement, referring to a bill he introduced last year.

Ossoff highlighted the bill on his website, calling it a “bipartisan bill backed by U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff” and announcing that “Sen. Ossoff brings Republicans and Democrats together to protect veterans from foreclosure.”

Ossoff was not a sponsor of the bill and, because it passed unanimously in a voice vote, did not cast a vote for it either.

DEM SENATOR ACCUSED OF BEING ‘NOWHERE TO BE FOUND’ ON CRUCIAL ISSUE IMPACTING KIDS IN SWING STATE

Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, during a news conference following the weekly Senate Democrat policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 9, 2025.(Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

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“Ossoff’s disturbing pattern of taking credit for work he didn’t do and claiming victories he didn’t support demonstrates both gross incompetence and a complete lack of integrity,” Van Orden said.

Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.

Judge Zahid Quraishi ruled Title III of the Civil Rights Act does not extend to the state’s computerized registration list

By Anders Hagstrom, Fox News

Published July 30, 2026 1:31pm EDT

NJ senator says motor voter scandal may be ‘tip of the iceberg,’ calls for federal intervention

State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon says New Jersey should halt its current automatic voter registration system, launch an independent investigation and consider federal oversight.

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A federal judge in New Jersey blocked the Justice Department from gaining access to the state’s unredacted voter rolls on Wednesday.

District Judge Zahid Quraishi, a Biden appointee, ruled that handing over the rolls could give rise to privacy concerns for voters. The ruling is the latest defeat for President Donald Trump’s administration after the DOJ sued Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia and New Jersey for access to their voter rolls earlier this year.

The administration argued that Title III of the Civil Rights Act granted federal authorities access to the lists, but Quraishi disagreed.

TRUMP-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE TOSSES DOJ LAWSUIT SEEKING ARIZONA VOTER DATA

Voting booths are set up during a primary election.(iStock)

“The plain text of Title III applies only to records ‘which come into’ election officers’ ‘possession’ and thus does not extend to New Jersey’s computerized VRL [voter registration list] – a document the State itself created,” Quraishi wrote.

Quraishi’s ruling also comes amid a statewide controversy related to noncitizen voting in New Jersey.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill admitted last week that a “serious software error” led to the mistaken registration of roughly 6,600 noncitizens through the state’s Motor Vehicle System, while the company that provides the identity-related security services denied any wrongdoing.

DEMOCRATS CONCEDE NJ VOTER-ROLL FAILURE WAS ‘HORRIBLE’ — BUT REJECT BROADER FRAUD FEARS

“In New Jersey, we absolutely need to have accountability for what happened,” Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said of the incident. “It was just horrible. There was a big problem with that computer problem that they had. We need to try to address that going forward.”

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill addresses a crowd in Middlesex County.(Michael Nagle/Getty Images)

Sherrill said she immediately ordered an investigation after the error was discovered and that the state’s Division of Elections is removing ineligible voters from the rolls. She said fewer than 400 of those improperly registered cast ballots.

A noncitizen on the New Jersey voter rolls used this removal form to request to be unregistered.(Obtained by the RNC and NJGOP)

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Reports also surfaced this week that roughly 75,000 noncitizens had been summoned for jury duty through state databases, according to multiple reports, broadening the controversy beyond the Motor Vehicle Commission and prompting additional Republican calls for a wider investigation.

Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events.