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Online fury erupts as conservatives recall ’insane’ COVID-19 lockdown policies after Fauci takes the Fifth

July 30, 2026 12:56pm EDT / Fox News

The former health official refused to answer any questions from senators, including what color tie he was wearing

By Peter D’Abrosca Fox News

Senator Ted Cruz alleges Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly lied to Congress and the public, evidenced by private diaries from the COVID-19 pandemic. Cruz claims Fauci knew the virus did not originate in a wet market and was covering his involvement in gain-of-function research.

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Conservatives aren’t willing to forgive and forget the COVID-19 lockdowns — a fact made clear online as fury erupted during and after Dr. Anthony Fauci’s appearance before Congress on Wednesday where he repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Those who opposed the lockdowns, which Fauci bragged about helping implement in his now-infamous diary but extensively denied implementing publicly, had a field day online recalling the policies pushed by the one-time White House health advisor.

“Reminder how insane the world was in 2021,” Dr. Mollie James, a trauma surgeon and internet personality, said on X. She was commenting on a video of professional golfer Jon Rahm, who was forced to withdraw from a PGA Tour event while holding a six-stroke lead because he tested positive for the virus while he was on the golf course.

The winner of that tournament earned north of $1.6 million.

A man wearing a protective mask crosses the Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan, deserted because of the city lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, April 6, 2020. (iStock)

FAUCI PRIVATELY TOOK CREDIT FOR COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS DESPITE PUBLIC DENIAL, NEWLY EXPOSED DIARY ENTRIES REVEAL

“Never forget that California arrested a man for paddleboarding alone to keep him safe from COVID,” recalled conservative activist Alex Lorusso, who goes by @alx on X. “Most retarded time period in human history.”

The Malibu paddleboarder, who was alone on the water, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of disobeying a lifeguard after allegedly violating Los Angeles’ lockdown orders.

“Dr. Fauci isn’t the only guilty one,” Rep. Lance Gooden, D-Texas, said on X. “Democrats went as far as filling outdoor skate parks with sand to enforce their draconian COVID-19 lockdowns. Americans should never forget what they did.”

Along with the post, he added a viral video showing a backhoe shoveling sand into a Venice Beach skate park.

Dr. Anthony Fauci listens during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on July 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Fauci declined to answer questions, asserting his Fifth Amendment right.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

LEGACY MEDIA COVERS ANTHONY FAUCI DIARY BY CRITICIZING DONALD TRUMP INSTEAD OF FAUCI’S DISHONESTY

Kelly McCarty, a very outspoken critic of lockdowns and mRNA vaccines, posted a video of Ohio mother Alecia Ketts being tased and arrested by a school resource officer after refusing to wear a mask while watching a football game outside.

Ketts was with her children at the time. She later pleaded no contest to a trespassing charge.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, referenced Ketts during his Wednesday grilling of Fauci, who was ordered to appear before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Moreno attributed his run for Senate to COVID-era government restrictions.

A person passes a storefront with a sign posted that masks are required on Oak Street in Copiague, New York on May 18, 2022.(Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FAUCI’S HEARING: PAUL BOOTS LAWYER, MORENO ERUPTS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS

During the Senate hearing, Fauci pleaded the Fifth 111 times. He refused to answer a single question posed by the senators, including what day of the week it was and what color tie he was wearing.

Podcast host Alex Lace noted to his nearly 58,000 X followers the time when high school track runners were forced to wear masks during meets.

“I s— you not. During COVID they forced high school track teams to run outdoors… in masks,” he said, later adding, “Never forget what they did.”

Demonstrators protest lockdown measures during the COVID-19 outbreak at the New York State Capitol in Albany, April 22, 2020.(Reuters/Bryan R Smith)

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Popular X user Chaya Raichik, who runs the LibsOfTikTok account, also posted an image of news headlines detailing politicians and public figures who broke their own lockdown rules.

Examples include Democrat Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer apparently bucking her own rules to party at a dive bar; Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom attending a party at swanky Napa Valley restaurant French Laundry while his own lockdown orders lingered; and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser officiating an indoor wedding without a mask mere hours after issuing an indoor mask order.

“It’s insane that any of these people were ever taken seriously again after this,” the post was captioned.

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

War powers resolution fails as Senate Republicans stand by Trump on Iran

July 30, 2026 1:19pm EDT / Fox News

Sen Kirsten Gillibrand’s effort to force withdrawal failed as only a small cohort of GOP senators crossed the aisle

By Alex Miller Fox News

Despite reports of waning munitions, spiking gas prices and concerns of no clear objectives moving forward, Senate Republicans are still giving President Donald Trump wiggle room in the war in Iran.

Republicans again blocked another war powers resolution to force an immediate withdrawal of America’s military might from Iran on Thursday. Senate Democrats have tried and failed to convince enough of their Republican colleagues to consistently buck the war over a dozen times as it stretches into its fifth month.

The latest effort from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., failed along similar lines as last week’s effort, where only a small cohort of Senate Republicans crossed the aisle to end the war.

REPUBLICANS FALL IN LINE WITH TRUMP ON IRAN WAR DESPITE RISING COSTS AND US DEATH TOLL

President Donald Trump during an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 29, 2026.(Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

One Republican who did join Democrats, but has since reversed course, is Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who got into a shouting match with Trump and demanded a briefing on the situation in Iran.

He got that briefing and has since flipped his vote, which he acknowledged was used as “leverage to get some information.” Still, he doesn’t totally support what’s going on, but used “All the King’s Men” as an example to show that the situation and the politics of it are not black and white.

“It is a gradation,” Cassidy said. “What we’re doing here is a gradation, a murkiness, a vagueness, but we’re trying to see our way through it. And I’m trying to see my way through it.”

WATCH: SCHUMER’S ANTI-CORRUPTION SPEECH DERAILED AFTER HECKLER BRANDS HIM ‘GENOCIDAL MANIAC’

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But he drew a hard line on ground troops entering Iran.

“If there are ground troops, by definition, there needs to be a declaration of war from Congress on this, period,” Cassidy said.

The latest votes come as reports of munitions continuing to dwindle have reverberated through Congress, and as the Pentagon and War Secretary Pete Hegseth plead for more defense funding.

HEGSETH DISMISSES ‘FOOLISH’ US STOCKPILE CONCERNS AS IRAN CONFLICT TESTS MUNITIONS

The THAAD missile defense system is shown here being tested in Kodiak, Alaska, in July 2017.(Leah Garton/Missile Defense Agency/Reuters)

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who has been wary of the war but has so far not broken with Trump to back Democrats’ resolutions, said, “Obviously, it’s concerning” that the nation’s munitions stockpile is dropping, but countered that a closed-door debriefing on the matter could sate concerns.

“And of course, if they are chronically low and affecting war strategy, then we should make it a priority,” Tillis said.

When asked whether he had been adequately briefed, Tillis said, “No.”

Munitions have been a concern throughout the war in Iran, and with renewed strikes starting last week, they are again back at the forefront of the conversation about the strategy in the region.

A report released Monday from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found, for example, that renewed fighting in the Middle East found that Patriot and THAAD interceptor missiles, which are used to thwart incoming projectiles and drones, had dwindled from prewar inventories of 2,330 and 452, respectively, to 759 and 234 missiles.

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“I think there’s pretty solid information that our military is short on munitions, not their fault,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. “Trump launched this war impulsively, without a clear set of achievable objectives, and planning for how to conduct it.”

“The basic failure to plan the amount of munitions that would be necessary is a fatal failing that is directly the responsibility of the commander in chief,” he continued.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

House panel demands classified briefings on non-citizen voting, alleged Chinese election interference

July 30, 2026 3:36pm EDT / Fox News

Chairman Bryan Steil cited Trump’s claim that DHS discovered 278,000 non-citizens registered to vote across the country

By Elizabeth Elkind, Fox News

A “Fox News Sunday” panel examines the controversy surrounding non-citizens found on New Jersey’s voter rolls, with over 400 reported to have cast ballots.

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The House committee charged with overseeing American elections is demanding more information on allegations of non-citizens voting in federal races.

The Committee on House Administration is requesting classified briefings on foreign interference in U.S. elections after President Donald Trump raised such concerns during a speech earlier this month.

“Reports of non-citizens casting illegal ballots continue to emerge, undermining election integrity and public confidence in American elections,” wrote Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis.

“To inform potential legislative reforms, the Committee therefore requests a Member-level, classified briefing from DHS on the number of non-citizens registered to vote across the country and cyber vulnerabilities present in current voting systems. Please contact the Committee by August 13, 2026, to set up a briefing to be held in the month of September. The Committee also requests that any relevant documents be provided alongside the briefing.”

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CONFRONT NJ GOVERNOR OVER 6,600 NON-CITIZENS REGISTERED TO VOTE IN ALLEGED SOFTWARE FAILURE

Inside the Fairfax Government Center in Fairfax, Va., a voter is seen at a polling station during a referendum on redistricting.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

The classified briefing requests were sent to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Bill Pulte.

In the letters, Steil cited Trump’s claim that DHS discovered roughly 278,000 non-citizens registered to vote as well as recent revelations that New Jersey mistakenly added 6,600 non-citizens to its voter rolls in 2023 and 2024.

TRUMP ACCUSED CHINA OF AN ‘ELECTION SECURITY NIGHTMARE’ BUT THEN UNDERCUT HIS OWN WARNING

Steil also pointed to Trump’s comments in his speech on Chinese-led “cyberattacks on election infrastructure.”

President Donald Trump during a primetime address to the nation in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 16, 2026.(Saul Loeb/AFP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The committee’s release said there were “serious concerns about the security of American elections.”

The briefing requests come less than 100 days before the November midterm elections, which will decide which party controls both houses of Congress for the latter half of Trump’s final term in the Oval Office.

Republicans have long raised concerns about the security of American elections, which Democrats have argued are attempts to undermine people’s faith in those elections.

House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., holds a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 10, 2025.(Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

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It is already a federal crime to vote in elections as a non-citizen, but the GOP is pushing for further guardrails such as proof of citizenship in the voter registration process and a federal voter ID standard at the polls.

To date, no evidence has been found that non-citizens have swayed the outcome of any federal election.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

Spain deploying military to border with Morocco after thousands of migrant crossings

July 30, 2026 3:47 PM EDT / AP

Spain will deploy its military to restore order at its border with Morocco in Ceuta after thousands of migrants streamed into the tiny Spanish territory.

The announcement comes after local authorities in Ceuta had asked the central government in Madrid for reinforcements to manage a border crisis that had been building up before boiling over on Thursday with large crowds of people breaching the border fence.

Spain’s government said Thursday evening it would send the Armed Forces to help the Civil Guard “to maintain security in the city of Ceuta.” It also announced that Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez would join Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and visit Ceuta Friday.

“The situation is absolute chaos,” Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain’s Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, who police the border, told The Associated Press. “It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing,” he said, adding that the border had “totally collapsed.”

Achraf Maimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in northern Morocco, described the situation as “exceptional.”

“The Tarajal border was opened under unusual circumstances this morning and people crossed,” he said.

Migrants cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Thursday, July 30, 2026. Antonio Sempere

Video footage showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach onto local roads. While the majority appeared to be young men, there were also families with women and small children.

“Viva España!” some shouted to a freelance photographer working for the AP. It was not immediately clear what prompted so many migrants to cross to Ceuta.

The escalation at the frontier between Spain and Morocco comes after a surge in migrants attempting to reach the small exclave, mainly by swimming, on Wednesday. At least three people died yesterday attempting to reach Ceuta by sea, Sbihi and activists in both Morocco and Ceuta reported.

Moroccan authorities have not publicly commented on the crossings, and the interior ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said the Moroccan government was “closely cooperating” with Spain to handle the situation and that Moroccan police are stopping “numerous people” who are trying to cross the border. Both countries agreed to work together “for the return, as soon as possible, of all the people who entered Ceuta illegally.”

Spanish police officers respond as migrants cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Thursday, July 30, 2026. Antonio Sempere

Spain’s interior ministry earlier said it would guarantee the safety of citizens and the integrity of the nation’s border but that the government could not declare a national emergency — as local authorities had asked — over migration concerns.

Ceuta authorities had previously linked the spike to a Spanish Supreme Court decision earlier this month that migrants who arrive by sea cannot be immediately pushed back across the border without due process, unlike those who cross into Spain by land — by climbing over the border fence, for example.

But some activists in Morocco expressed doubt that the ruling was behind the surge, arguing most migrants would have been unaware of such legal decisions.

Spain is a main point of arrival into Europe for migrants seeking better economic opportunities or an escape from violence in their home countries.

To reach Ceuta, located on the northern African coast, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 3.1 miles to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.

The scenes of people streaming across the frontier recall the border crisis of May 2021 when more than 8,000 migrants poured into Ceuta in just two days.

Migrants go around a fence and cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Thursday, July 30, 2026. Antonio Sempere

At the time, Morocco was accused of easing border controls and allowing migrants to cross into Ceuta after Spain allowed Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali to receive treatment at a Spanish hospital, triggering a diplomatic crisis between Rabat and Madrid. The pro-independence Polisario Front for decades has claimed to be the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people of the Western Sahara, disputed with Morocco.

Juan Jesús Vivas, the head of Ceuta’s regional government, called for the national government to declare an emergency on grounds of national security, asking for more police and for the army to be deployed on the border “to guarantee the inviolability of the frontier and citizen safety.”

He had warned Wednesday that migrant reception centers were overwhelmed with hundreds of people sleeping on the streets after more than 1,500 migrants entered the territory in the past week. But thousands more crossed overnight and Thursday.

Spain’s Interior Ministry, which tracks irregular migration, would not confirm the number of migrants who had made it to Ceuta in the last few days but said it would publish its next migration report on Aug. 3. As of July 15, nearly 3,000 migrants had entered Ceuta by land or sea this year, according to ministry figures.

Legislation covering a declaration of national emergencies does not consider migration flows as a risk to national security, according to the ministry, which said government administrations are “coordinating to respond with speed and efficacy to the situation in Ceuta.”

Ceuta, which is perched on a historical isthmus, has been a Spanish possession since 1580. Its mixed population of Christians and Muslims, Spanish and Moroccan residents and day workers live in relative harmony behind a border fence that many desperate migrants from across Africa attempt to cross for a better life in Europe.

‘Worst of the Worst’ judges are sabotaging Trump’s immigration agenda, top DHS official says

July 30, 2026 2:54pm EDT / Fox News

James Percival accuses a small group of district judges of acting in ‘open defiance’ of the Supreme Court

By Charles Creitz Fox News

DHS Chief Counsel James Percival said a group of federal district judges—not the judiciary as a whole—are repeatedly blocking deportations and Temporary Protected Status rollbacks despite SCOTUS rulings, calling it “naked political activism.”

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DHS General Counsel James Percival says Americans deserve to know which federal judges are repeatedly blocking the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, accusing a small group of district judges of acting in “open defiance” of the Supreme Court and engaging in “naked political activism.”

Percival has begun posting on X identifying federal district judges while accusing them of obstructing key portions of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. Critics have argued the campaign improperly targets members of the judiciary.

“The American people hear about these terrible acts of judicial activism. I think what they don’t often understand is this is not some epidemic that sort of crosses the entire judiciary,” Percival said. “There are particular judges who are a problem in case after case after case.”

Percival told Fox News Digital the effort is intended to educate the public — not intimidate judges — and highlights what he described as a handful of repeat offenders acting in “open defiance” of the Supreme Court or reaching outside their Article III authority.

DHS EVISCERATES MEDIA FOR ‘ABSOLUTE ABSURDITY’ OVER CONCERN ABOUT ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ACTIVIST JUDGES LIST

Homeland Security General Counsel James Percival.(DHS official portrait)

Percival stressed that he does not believe the federal judiciary faces a systemic problem of defiance against the Supreme Court or the separation of powers, but said activist plaintiffs are adept at “forum shopping.”

“They file in these locations, often with very sort of dubious arguments to [have their case heard] in that venue. And they do it to get the same judges over and over and again.”

GOP SENATOR UNVEILS BOASBERG ACT TO STOP ‘ROGUE’ JUDGES FROM HANDPICKING TRUMP CASES

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy has temporarily blocked key Trump administration decisions to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS)(United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary/ REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

He pointed to one such case in which Biden-appointed Judge Brian Murphy in Boston stopped a deportation flight until the Supreme Court intervened.

Murphy issued a 2025 order limiting the federal government’s ability to deport illegal immigrants to receptive “third countries.”

A flight bound for South Sudan was grounded in Djibouti, where the criminal illegal immigrants were taken to a U.S. military base.

“I think we had eight aliens on this flight to South Sudan. One of them had raped a child. One of them had raped a mentally-disabled person. These were very bad people that should not be in our country. And this Judge Brian Murphy was stopping us from doing this.”

SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRUMP EFFORT TO TERMINATE TEMPORARY PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIAN, SYRIAN MIGRANTS

This still from video from July 22, 2015 show Paula Xinis from US Senate Judiciary Committee(US Senate Judiciary Committee)

DHS petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene. Percival said the incident drew support from liberal Justice Elena Kagan, who sided with the Trump administration in the case.

“She said, ‘Even though I disagreed the first time, I do agree that Judge Murphy can’t defy the U.S. Supreme Court’,

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European soccer’s UEFA boycotts FIFA over plan to sell World Cup stake to investors led by Joshua Kushner

July 30, 2026 / 12:40 PM EDT / CBS News

Every major European national soccer team threatened Thursday to collectively boycott competitions organized by global soccer’s nonprofit governing body FIFA over plans by the federation to sell off a minority stake in the World Cup tournament to private investors.

A source close to Joshua Kushner’s company, Thrive Capital, dismissed criticism over the firm’s involvement in the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) investment plan to CBS News on Thursday, hours before UEFA, the European soccer federation, announced its boycott.

Kushner is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s close relationship with Mr. Trump drew scrutiny throughout this summer’s World Cup, which was hosted jointly by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

“I think the first assumption is that Trump was involved in FFE in any capacity, which is just not accurate,” the source told CBS News on Thursday. “Josh himself does not have any links with the administration, he does not have any political roles, he has not donated to them, he is not involved in any capacity. If you look at his donation record, all of the causes he has donated to are Democrat … it’s kind of unfair to assume a lot about somebody just because of what their brother does.”

President Trump holds the FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy as FIFA President Gianni Infantino looks on in the Oval Office on Aug. 22, 2025. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File

“Thrive is a pretty big investment firm. Thrive now has $60 billion assets under management,” the source told CBS News when pressed about whether the Kushner family name had carried weight in getting the deal with FIFA done, adding that Joshua Kushner is “a pretty successful business person in his own right.”

The proposal, which would allow a group of private investors to purchase up to a 20% minority stake in a FIFA-controlled company that would manage the commercial side of the World Cup, including broadcast rights, sponsorships, ticketing, and licensing, has sparked global outrage in the soccer world. FIFA has confirmed that Kushner’s Thrive Eternal, a subsidiary company of Thrive Capital, would lead the proposed investor group.

UEFA declares a boycott

UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, has slammed the FIFA proposal and on Thursday the association said all of its national members would boycott FIFA competitions unless and until it was “abandoned in its entirety.”

“We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors,” UEFA said in a statement, calling the proposal “both irresponsible and indefensible.”

“As a result of today’s discussion, no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership,” UEFA said.

Multiple national soccer associations have expressed their own deep concern about the lack of consultations from FIFA regarding the plan.

The U.K.’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, added his voice to the criticism this week.

“Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine,” the British leader said in a social media post on Tuesday. “The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.”

FIFA has said the new $20 billion company, called FIFA Forward Enterprise, would generate revenue that would be reinvested in the development of soccer globally. The proposal is subject to a vote by FIFA’s 211 member states in September, and FIFA has said the plan would not affect the body’s governance of soccer as an international sport.

A document shared with FIFA member states and obtained by CBS News on Thursday said the federation hoped to have all investment funds raised by the end of October, if the plan is approved.

“Too little of football’s growing commercial value reaches the parts of the game that need it most … we believe that the FFE proposal would unlock the sport’s potential in every corner of the world across men’s, women’s and youth football,” Infantino said in a video statement released Wednesday.

Joshua Kushner’s involvement in the deal came to light amid ongoing political backlash in the U.S. over Infantino’s relationship with Mr. Trump.

On Tuesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democratic lawmaker on the House Judiciary Committee, announced that he would launch an investigation into the ties between the FIFA chief and the president.

The investigation will focus on “mounting evidence of a potential quid pro quo with the Trump Administration and deceptive World Cup ticketing practices that gouge consumers,” according to a post on the official House Judiciary Democrats’ account on X.

CBS News has sought comment from FIFA on the allegations made by Raskin and the House Democrats.

During the World Cup, FIFA drew outrage when the suspension of the U.S. national team’s star striker Folarin Balogun was lifted for a crucial game against Belgium, after Mr. Trump called Infantino personally to ask for a review of the ban.

Trump admin’s push to scrap DEI in federal government takes landmark step with new hiring rule

July 30, 2026 12:15pm EDT / Fox News

OPM’s final interim rule eliminates references to 1978 Uniform Guidelines that encouraged race-conscious employment decisions

By Andrew Mark Miller , Kiera McDonald

Trump’s OPM director details merit-based overhaul of federal hiring

Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor outlines how the Trump administration is transforming the federal government by prioritizing merit over DEI. He details the elimination of self-attestation, implementation of skills-based assessments and efforts to boost accountability for underperforming employees. These reforms aim to cut waste and restore performance across the 2.2 million-strong federal workforce.

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FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration on Wednesday took another step in its sweeping campaign to eliminate DEI policies from the federal government, removing decades-old hiring guidelines that officials say encouraged race-conscious employment decisions in favor of a renewed emphasis on merit-based hiring.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a final interim rule on Thursday that removes references to the 1978 Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, which govern employee selection standards, citing a recent Justice Department legal opinion that found the guidelines unconstitutional in the way they encouraged race-conscious decision-making.

The move affects how federal agencies approach hiring by eliminating references to long-standing guidance centered on “disparate impact,” the idea that hiring practices that could produce unequal outcomes among racial groups can be legally problematic even absent intentional discrimination.

Administration officials argue those guidelines pressured employers to focus on racial outcomes rather than qualifications, while supporters of the guidelines contend they help guard against subtle forms of discrimination.

DEI HIRING BOOST FOR ONE BLUE STATE’S MUSLIM COMMISSION INITIATIVE FLIES IN FACE OF TRUMP’S ANTI-WOKE PUSH

President Donald Trump takes questions from the media during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on July 21, 2026.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“Federal hiring should be based on merit, qualifications, and the ability to perform the job,” OPM Director Scott Kupor said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“This rule ensures OPM’s regulations reflect legal guidance while preserving the rigorous, job-related standards that help agencies recruit and hire the most qualified workforce in service to the American people.”

The rule took effect immediately after it was published in the Federal Register on Thursday but will remain open for public comment for 60 days before OPM decides whether to make it permanent.

COAST GUARD ENDING RACE-BASED ADMISSIONS FOR OFFICER COMMISSIONING PROGRAM UNDER TRUMP DEI CRACKDOWN

Hundreds protest outside a rally held by President Donald Trump at Macomb County Community College in Warren, Mich., on April 29, 2025.(Getty Images/Dominic Gwinn)

OPM serves as the federal government’s human resources agency, setting hiring, personnel and workforce policies for roughly 2 million civilian federal employees across executive branch agencies. It oversees the rules governing how federal agencies recruit, hire, promote and manage their workforces.

This move serves as the latest example of the administration moving beyond simply shutting down DEI offices or ending diversity training and now targeting the legal and regulatory framework that critics argue enabled DEI policies in the first place.

KEY TRUMP AGENCY PUTS TOP UNIVERSITIES IN CROSSHAIRS OVER ALLEGED RACE-BASED DORM PROGRAMS

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management building in Washington June 5, 2015. (Reuters/Gary Cameron)

Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, the administration has highlighted hundreds of colleges that have rolled back DEI initiatives, along with policy changes involving transgender athletic participation, parental rights, race-conscious programs and merit-based admissions.

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They also dismantled federal DEI programs, terminated DEI-related grants and contracts, cut ties with companies embracing DEI policies, required federal contractors to comply with the administration’s requirements, and warned schools they could lose federal funding over certain DEI practices.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

Want to save on student loan payments? Here’s how to get a discount.

2026-07-30 2:09 PM EDT / CBS News

By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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People with federal student loans may be eligible for a break on their monthly payments — if they act before an upcoming deadline.

Student loan borrowers can earn a stepped-up interest rate discount of 1%, compared to the usual 0.25%, if they enroll in the U.S. Department of Education’s automatic payment feature before Sept. 30.

“This interest rate reduction will help borrowers as they consider new, affordable repayment plans and work to repay their loans on time,” Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said in a statement when the enhanced discount was adopted last month. “We expect this temporary incentive to drive up repayment rates and significantly improve the overall health of the federal student loan portfolio.”

Here’s what to know.

What is auto pay?

When enrolled in the optional feature, student loan borrowers’ payments are automatically deducted from their checking or savings account every month. Enrolling in the service is free of charge.

Currently, only about 40% of student loan borrowers are registered for automatic repayments. The Education Department would like to double that to roughly 80%, the figure before the pandemic.

Who is eligible?

Borrowers with government loans issued after July 1, 2012, are eligible for the interest rate discount.

People who are already enrolled in automatic student loan payments, as well as borrowers who sign up before the September deadline, are eligible for the discount. That rate relief, which is available only to borrowers enrolled in autopay before the Sept. 30 deadline, is scheduled to remain in effect until June 30, 2028.

The autopay discount means an undergraduate borrower with a loan charging, for example, 6.39% interest would see that reduced to 5.39% until mid-2028.

How do I enroll?

Borrowers can sign up for free on their loan servicer’s website and will need to provide their bank account information to enable automatic monthly payments.

People should sign in to their loan servicer account, select “auto pay” from the navigation menu, enter their banking details and confirm the payment amounts, according to guidance from the Education Department.

Are there any drawbacks?

People who enroll in automatic loan payments could face overdraft fees if they exceed their account balance.

“Automatic payments can help you avoid late fees on your bills. But if you forget to track your account balance and it’s too low when a payment is due, you might have to pay overdraft or nonsufficient funds fees,” the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) warns.

The Urban Institute also notes that the financial benefits of an interest-rate cut on student loans may be minor. For instance, over 10 years, a 1 percentage point interest rate reduction for a borrower with $5,000 in loans at a 6.39% rate would save only $2 per month on their payment, according to the nonpartisan think tank.

The savings could be significantly higher for larger loan amounts, however. The average federal student loan borrower owes roughly $40,000, according to research firm Education Data Initiative.

Roughly 9.5 million Americans, or 1 in 5 federal student loan borrowers, are in default, meaning they are more than nine months behind on their payments.

Edited by Alain Sherter

Sen Darline Graham drops campaign video on heels of brother’s funeral services amid tight primary timeline

July 30, 2026 2:55pm EDT / Fox News

Sen Darline Graham is running for election with President Donald Trump’s support

By Alex Nitzberg Fox News

Sen. Darline Graham, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister, shared a campaign video as she runs in the South Carolina special GOP U.S. Senate primary. (X/@DarlineGrahamSC)

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U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died earlier this month, posted a campaign video Thursday in which she described herself as a “conservative Republican” and declared that she is “ready to serve.”

“Thank you all for your prayers. They provided strength through an incredibly difficult time. I’m honored to serve South Carolina and grateful for President Trump’s endorsement. And I’ll work hard every day to earn it,” she said in the video.

“I’m a conservative Republican, and I believe this: Every life is precious. Men don’t belong in women’s sports. And only American citizens should vote in our elections. I’m Darline Graham. I approve this message, and I am ready to serve,” she added.

DARLINE GRAHAM REVEALS WHAT TRUMP TOLD HER INSIDE OVAL OFFICE AFTER BROTHER LINDSEY’S DEATH

The video release Thursday came on the heels of funeral services to honor the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in Washington, D.C., Tuesday and in South Carolina on Wednesday. A press release explained that, after the service on Wednesday, July 29, there would be “a private family burial in Pickens County, South Carolina.”

The new senator, who is running to win a full six-year Senate term, is facing a tight election schedule. The Aug. 11 South Carolina GOP U.S. Senate primary is less than two weeks away, and early voting begins Wednesday,

Aug. 5.

U.S. Senator Darline Graham, R-S.C., sister of late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, mourns by his casket during a congressional tribute in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on July 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Nathan Howard/Pool/Getty Images)

Her social media posts featuring the campaign video said, “I’m ready to serve and I humbly ask for your support on August 11th.”

At the end of the video, a notice appeared at the bottom of the frame that says, “PAID FOR BY NRSC AND AUTHORIZED BY DARLINE FOR SENATE.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died July 11, had won the June 9 Republican U.S. Senate primary in the Palmetto State while running for a fifth term.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, announced July 13 the appointment of Graham’s sister to fill the remainder of her brother’s Senate term. She was sworn in the next day.

DARLINE GRAHAM FOCUSES ON KITCHEN TABLE ISSUES AS SHE ANNOUNCES FULL-TERM SENATE BID

Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, R-S.C., after she was sworn in on the Senate floor July 14, 2026(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump issued a Truth Social post July 17 in which he declared he had asked the new senator to run in the upcoming August special Republican U.S. Senate primary contest.

“Darline, who comes from an absolutely incredible family, has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement in the Special Election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina — SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN. RUN, DARLINE, RUN!” he declared in part of the post.

Graham told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity during an interview July 20 that she would run.

“I’m in,” she said.

SEN DARLINE GRAHAM REVEALS WHETHER SHE WILL RUN FOR A FULL-TERM DURING ‘HANNITY’ EXCLUSIVE

Sen Darline Graham reveals whether she will run for a full-term in the fallhttps://www.foxnews.com/video/6401658933112

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“It’s official. I’m running to represent South Carolina in the United States Senate,” she said in a July 20 post on X. “Today, I’m stepping forward to carry my brother Lindsey’s legacy on behalf of the people of South Carolina. President Trump told me, ‘Run, Darline, Run.’

“With his support, I’m running all the way through the finish line in November. I hope you’ll join me,” she noted, adding a link to her campaign site.

Darline Graham faces a crowded GOP primary with candidates including U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, former Gov. Mark Sanford and businessman Mark Lynch. Lynch challenged Lindsey Graham in the June primary and lost to the late senator.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

Nearly two-thirds of kids have caffeine in their diet, the CDC says. It’s not all coming from soda.

July 30, 2026 / 2:45 PM EDT / CBS News

By Alex Sundby

Alex Sundby is a senior editor at CBSNews.com. In addition to editing content, Alex also covers breaking news, writing about crime and severe weather as well as everything from multistate lottery jackpots to the July Fourth hot dog eating contest.

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A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly two-thirds of American children aged 2-19 have caffeine in their diet.

On any given day, kids consume an average of 19.4 milligrams of caffeine, which is about two-thirds of what’s in a can of Coke, according to the report released Thursday.

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder said on “CBS Mornings” that health experts don’t know how much caffeine is considered to be too much for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that childrenshouldn’t consume any caffeine.

Researchers also found that sodas aren’t the only way caffeine is getting into kids’ diets.

For kids aged 2-11, goodies like brownies, cookies and pastries — called “sweet bakery products” in the report — were the top source of caffeine.

“It’s the chocolate that has the caffeine,” Gounder said.

The baked goods were followed by flavored milk, candy, soda and tea, respectively, for that age group. For those aged 12-19, soda was the top source, followed closely by sweet bakery products and then tea, coffee and candy.

blob:https://www.cbsnews.com/85048885-ca7c-4a0c-ae98-af657ae7c463

Gounder noted that caffeine can affect how some children sleep.

According to a 2021 study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, 3% of kids aged 13-15 who consumed a low amount of caffeine got less than six hours of sleep a night. That increased to 24% for those in that age group who had a high amount of caffeine.

“Some of this also depends on timing, if they’re having the caffeine in the evening,” Gounder said. “So it’s not just you don’t want to have coffee in the evening. If you’re a kid, you may not want to have that cake and cookies in the evening either.”