FOX NEWS – Politics | Politics & Government

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration suspended a U.S. territory's housing-finance authority from receiving further federal funding after the Department of Housing and Urban Development cited years of alleged financial mismanagement, dire audit findings and the conviction of a former executive in a disaster-recovery contracting scheme.The suspension over alleged waste and abuse at the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (VIHFA) comes as HUD Secretary Scott Turner, a member of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, ramps up the administration's scrutiny of federal grant recipients following a series of high-profile investigations nationwide."The Trump administration is changing the game when it comes to who we entrust with taxpayer dollars. Organizations riddled with corruption, mismanagement and crime will no longer be allowed to squander billions," Turner, a former NFL cornerback, told Fox News Digital.TIM WALZ BECOMES GOP PUNCHLINE IN SWEEPING NEW WAR ON WELFARE FRAUD"[VIHFA] officials cannot be allowed to prioritize kickbacks over helping families recover from disasters. I promised that HUD would be a faithful steward of the American people’s hard-earned money, and we are keeping that promise."Turner said the suspension is "effective immediately," as the HUD chief's deputy Andrew Hughes fired off a 13-page letter to VIHFA official Dayna Clendinen laying out HUD’s findings and alerting that they are barred from future federal procurement while an investigation takes place.When approached for comment, a representative who picked up the phone at VIHFA on Monday directed Fox News Digital to a full voicemail box. Fox News Digital then reached out via VIHFA's contact page for comment.Fox News Digital also reached out to Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., and Democratic Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan's office for additional comment.VANCE REFERS TIM WALZ, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL TO DOJ FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OVER STATE'S ALLEGED FRAUDIn the letter, HUD claimed the nearly-$2 billion appropriation to VIHFA was intended for recovery after Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the American archipelago in 2017 – calculated to about $20,000 per USVI resident."Nine years later, because of VIHFA’s blatant mismanagement of these critical disaster funds, USVI citizens still do not have the housing and electrical power they were promised nearly a decade ago," the agency said, citing the prevalence of blue-tarped roofs and shoddy infrastructure, including a teetering power grid in the time since.HUD said audits found disaster recovery spending lagged badly while administrative spending consumed a disproportionate share of available funds. The agency also cited the former COO's… [TheTopNews] Read More.

President Donald Trump has made his pick to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., but several Republicans eyeing his seat don’t care.A handful of hopefuls vying to win the Republican nomination in August to take the reins from Graham have already announced their intent to jump into the race, despite Trump throwing his endorsement power behind Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., Graham’s sister who many believed to be a placeholder for the remainder of his term.Trump on Friday, after meeting with Graham in the Oval Office, announced his "complete and total endorsement" for her to get into the race.TIM SCOTT SAYS HE'D 'LOVE TO SEE' FOX NEWS HOST REPLACE LINDSEY GRAHAM"I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026," Trump said. "I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey."She has not yet committed, and the coveted Trump endorsement has not stopped Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., businessman Mark Lynch or the latest to jump in, Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., from entering the fray.Fry, in particular, was just last week lauded by Trump as someone to watch. He also had spent time speaking with White House operatives about launching a bid, and a Trump endorsement seemed all but guaranteed.GRAHAM'S DEATH IGNITES GOP SCRAMBLE FOR SENATE SEAT AS TRUMP HINTS HE ALREADY HAS A FAVORITEA source in Fry’s political orbit told Fox News Digital that the lawmaker has "accomplished more than all the potential candidates combined," having passed three bills in his first four years in Congress."This is really about giving voters a choice and not a coronation," they said.Still, Fry is not running away from Trump. In his campaign announcement, Fry noted, "Of the many things Lindsey Graham believed in, standing with President Trump and advancing the Republican agenda were among his defining principles.""There is no other way to put it: Lindsey Graham was one of a kind," Fry said. "There is no replacing him, but I believe the best way to honor his legacy is to fight alongside the president just as steadfastly as he did."During this cycle, at least, the Trump endorsement has not proven a sure bet.South Carolina-based Republican consultant Dave Wilson told Fox News Digital, "South Carolina voters want to have a choice and not be told who they… [TheTopNews] Read More.

A new State Department report argues that Cuba has cultivated a network of American activist organizations that can be mobilized against U.S. policy, citing a publicly posted plan for protests at U.S. military bases, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities and federal buildings as a recent example.The June "National Rapid Response Plan" was distributed by the National Network on Cuba, a U.S. coalition of more than 60 organizations. The State Department links the coalition to the Cuban government through its relationship with the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, or ICAP, a government entity sanctioned in June for allegedly supporting Cuban intelligence activities.The plan calls for "coordinated nationwide actions" within 24 hours of a U.S. military attack — or the "imminent threat" of one — and says its goal is to make it "politically and materially costly for the U.S. government to wage war on Cuba."The plan already has been made publicly available. The State Department report presents it as evidence of what it describes as a broader Cuban effort to cultivate and mobilize sympathetic organizations inside the U.S.The National Network on Cuba's "materials reveal the continuing reach, coordination and sophistication of Cuba’s subversive capabilities on American territory," the State Department report claims.TRUMP EXPANDS CUBA SANCTIONS BEYOND US COMPANIES IN MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON FOREIGN ENABLERSThe rapid-response plan calls for demonstrations and establishes a timeline for activating supporters nationwide. If U.S. military action begins before 3 p.m. Eastern time, demonstrations would start at 6 p.m. local time that day. If it begins later, activists would mobilize at 6 p.m. the following day.Organizers are instructed to gather at federal buildings, courthouses and post offices; military bases and recruiting offices; or ICE detention centers and field offices. The plan also lists sports arenas during high-profile events as optional locations.The State Department’s focus on the plan comes amid escalating U.S. pressure on Havana and discussion of possible military intervention or regime change. Trump has floated a "friendly takeover" of Cuba and, when asked in May about intervening, said "it looks like I’ll be the one that does it." Rubio has said the administration prefers diplomacy while leaving military action on the table.FBI ARRESTS PROTESTER WHO THREATENED TO KILL ICE OFFICER'S FAMILY AT NJ DETENTION CENTER PROTEST, BLANCHE SAYSThe plan says demonstrations at immigration facilities would "connect Cuba solidarity to anti-ICE/immigrant defense work happening nationwide."It also directs activists to a Black Alliance for Peace… [TheTopNews] Read More.

Minnesota's flagship paper came under fire over the weekend after a columnist defended Democrat Gov. Tim Walz reasoning for pardoning an illegal immigrant just before the convicted child rapist was set to be deported."The Minnesota Star Tribune is cheering on Tim Walz protecting an illegal alien monster who raped a 10 year old girl. No one should read this depraved rag. They are sick," said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., on X.Minnesota's Board of Pardons is composed of Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. They voted on June 10 to grant clemency to Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national who between 2002 and 2004 repeatedly raped a child. Lue was set to be deported from the United States before the clemency was issued.WALZ, MINNESOTA BOARD OF PARDONS CLEARS CONVICTED ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILD SEX OFFENDER FACING DEPORTATIONIn a section of the column called "Cheers to Gov. Tim Walz," writer Rochelle Olson praised the governor and failed vice presidential candidate for his decision to defend the pardon."The governor refused to back down from his vote to pardon a Hmong man convicted of felony sexual assault in 2006. It’s significant that Tou Lue Vang needed only two of three votes from the state Board of Pardons, but he received unanimous support," the column states.Olson did not mention that Vang's rape victim was a minor, or that Vang raped the child several times over the period of two years. She did reference a letter from the victim addressed to the pardon board supporting Vang's clemency.A spokesperson for the paper told Fox News Digital, "The Minnesota Star Tribune regularly publishes a wide range of opinions across the political spectrum.""In this case, our opinion columnist agreed with a unanimous pardon by the Minnesota state board of pardons, including Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson," they added.FORMER INDIANA REP STEPHEN BUYER RECEIVES FULL PARDON FROM TRUMP FOR 2023 INSIDER TRADING CONVICTIONOlson launched into a tirade about Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters in her column, likening their actions to that of the foreign child rapist."Vang’s actions 20 years ago were awful, but so were the violent protests at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and those folks received presidential pardons," the author wrote.Author Dennis Neale slammed that comparison in a post on X, writing: "The Star Tribune likens repeatedly raping a 10-year-old girl to protesting… [TheTopNews] Read More.

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., accused War Secretary Pete Hegseth of "bloodlust" after the Pentagon chief posted about fallen U.S. service members amid the ongoing Iran war."Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve," Hegseth wrote on X when sharing a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) post about the deaths of American troops in Jordan.Greene shared Hegseth's post and wrote, "Sacrifice?? What the f--- are you talking about?? They did not willingly sacrifice themselves. They were killed because of the war you, Trump, and the admin, are waging on behalf of a FOREIGN COUNTRY, Israel. You mean their deaths fuel your bloodlust for a senseless war."EX-COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL JOE KENT CONTINUES CALLING FOR US MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM MIDDLE EASTFox News Digital reached out to the White House and the War Department on Monday.CENTCOM declared in part of a Saturday statement, "On July 17, two U.S. service members in Jordan were killed in action as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks." The post also noted that a service member was missing.US SERVICE MEMBER KILLED IN IRAQ AS TROOPS RECOVER UNIDENTIFIED REMAINS IN JORDAN: CENTCOM"I’m praying for the families and friends of those two fallen soldiers and for the third missing soldier," Greene wrote in a Saturday post on X when sharing CENTCOM's announcement. "This should not be happening. President Trump needs to bring our troops home and stop this senseless America LAST war!!!"In an update on Sunday, CENTCOM noted, "Yesterday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the passing of two U.S. service members and the missing status of one in Jordan following an Iranian attack on July 17. After a thorough search, U.S. military personnel found unidentified remains at the location earlier today. An examination process to verify the remains is ongoing."The post stated: "Separately, a U.S. service member in northern Iraq was killed in action July 18 during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. A second service member was wounded and continues to receive medical treatment for a minor injury."LOW TESTOSTERONE? HEGSETH SPARKS CONVERSATION AS DOCTORS REVEAL WARNING SIGNS EVERY MAN SHOULD KNOWGreene and President Donald Trump had a falling out last year. In early January she departed Congress, resigning in the middle of a two-year term. [TheTopNews] Read More.