Military families want DOJ to distribute nearly $800M from French cement company found guilty of bribing ISIS
In November 2017, Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy was injured in Raqqa, Syria, while clearing the second floor of a hospital that ISIS had booby-trapped with explosives. Now a quadriplegic, Stacy, his wife Lindsey and their four children are part of a lawsuit brought by military families against the French cement company Lafarge recently found guilty by a French court of paying millions of dollars in bribes to ISIS to keep their factory open in ISIS-controlled territory in Syria. “I mean, they were essentially funneling money to fund terrorists and ISIS and all these heinous crimes and evil acts,” Lindsey Stacy told Fox News while standing by the side of her husband, the former Navy Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialist, who just had another surgery to deal with injuries sustained in Syria nine years ago. “It’s very overwhelming, Kenton struggles mentally and physically with his own battles and the kids and I, we have our own struggles,” she said. “It’s hard to juggle, especially when our oldest son has cerebral palsy and he requires his own 24-7 care.” President Donald Trump praised Stacy’s service to the nation in his 2018 State of the Union Address to Congress. Army Staff Sgt. Justin Peck bounded into a booby-trapped building to rescue Kenton and then gave him more than two hours of CPR while medics worked to save his life. 9/11 FAMILIES CELEBRATE ‘HISTORIC, LANDMARK DECISION’ IN LONG-RUNNING SAUDI ARABIA LAWSUIT “Kenton Stacy would have died if not for Justin’s selfless love for a fellow warrior. Tonight, Kenton is recovering in Texas. Raqqa is liberated… All of America salutes you,” Trump said. In a landmark ruling in April, a French court convicted Lafarge, the world’s largest cement manufacturer, of providing material support to a terror group and sentenced its former CEO to six years in prison. Eight former Lafarge employees were found guilty. Lafarge is appealing. The company acknowledged the court’s finding describing the issue as a “legacy matter,” which was “in flagrant violation of Lafarge’s Code of Conduct.” Nearly 1,000 plaintiffs, most of them military families, are part of earlier litigation in the Eastern District of New York. “They were killed, in Syria, by a gruesome terrorist organization that was funded in part by Lafarge. And that’s not an allegation. That is undisputed fact. Lafarge [pleaded] guilty to doing that in 2022,” said Todd Toral, the lawyer from Jenner & Block representing Stacy and about 25 other families. Toral, who is also a U.S. Marine, is seeking compensation for those families from the $777 million Lafarge paid to the Justice Department as part of the settlement. The Justice Department has had that money since October 2022. AMERICAN VICTIMS OF TERRORISM COULD SOON SUE INTERNATIONAL ORGS IF CRUZ’S BILL PASSES “I think the ruling by the court in France is significant generally, because it’s the first time in many, many years that a corporation, and not just the corporation, but executives at a corporation have been held to account for their misconduct in aiding terrorism,” Toral said in an interview with Fox News. In order to operate in ISIS-controlled areas of Syria, Lafarge paid more than $6.5 million to ISIS from 2013–2014 through its Syrian subsidiary to keep production facilities running. The cement produced at its factory in Jalabiya, a factory which was bought for $680 million months before the Syrian uprising began in 2011, was also used for tunnels and bunkers, which helped the terrorist group. The lawsuit is significant because it marks the first time a company has faced U.S. charges for supporting a terrorist group. In October 2022, Lafarge settled with the U.S. Justice Department before the French ruling, paying more than $777 million into an asset forfeiture fund currently controlled by the DOJ, funds which are supposed to compensate victims of the ISIS attacks, many of them American Gold Star families like Hailey Dayton, whose father was the first American killed by ISIS in Syria on Thanksgiving Day 2016. “I was 15 when my dad was killed,” Hailey Dayton told Fox News from her home in Florida. “I saw six guys in Navy white step out of the van. I got so excited because I thought my Dad came back to surprise us. I remember opening the door, huge smile on my face, and I was looking at the men, trying to find my dad and I didn’t find, I didn’t see him, but instead I saw six guys with tears in their eyes.” The Biden Justice Department denied requests to distribute the Lafarge funds while the case was still pending before a French court. Lafarge was found guilty by that court in April. In February, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., pressed then-Attorney General Pam Bondi on when the DOJ planned to release the funds to the families. FEDERAL JUDGE ISSUES $20M VERDICT AGAINST SYRIA FOR TORTURE OF US CITIZEN TAKEN CAPTIVE IN 2019 “In February 2025, my colleagues and I sent you a letter urging the department to review the petitions for remission submitted by the families of those fallen service members, including several of my constituents. The previous administration ignored these victims and our requests and left their petitions unresolved,” Biggs said to Bondi during a congressional hearing. “Congressman, we are aware of that and we’re committed to doing everything we can to support the victims and work with you. Thank you for that question,” Bondi replied. That was more than a year ago and still DOJ has not distributed the compensation funds. Now the plaintiffs, most of them military families, say the decision to release the funds rests with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “I don’t know why. I don’t know why they’re ignoring us. To me, it feels like being a pawn. My dad, he went in when he was 19, he served 23 years,” Dayton, the Gold Star daughter of Chief Petty Officer Scott Dayton, said. “To the current Department of Justice, I would, say, make things right.” Lindsey Stacy says she and her family
DOJ, Treasury investigate nonprofits and leaders allegedly coordinating with Cuba in influence campaign
This article is Part I of a Fox News Digital investigative series examining allegations that the communist government of Cuba built an influence network inside the United States that federal authotiries are now investigating. Part I focuses on the network’s rapid response following the indictment of Cuban leader Raúl Castro. Just nine minutes after U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced murder charges against Cuban leader Raúl Castro for the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft flown by exile group Brothers to the Rescue, a coordinated rapid response network was already mobilizing across the U.S. to defend Castro and the Communist Party of Cuba. At 1:54 p.m. on Wednesday, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a Marxist political organization deeply embedded in a “Hands Off Cuba” campaign, published six pre-produced graphics denouncing the indictment as a “BASELESS INDICTMENT OF RAUL CASTRO” and “A PRETEXT FOR ANOTHER WAR.” Hours later, at 3:18 a.m. early Thursday morning, Vijay Prashad, executive director at Tricontinental, a Marxist think tank, wrote on X, “Cuba is not a menace to the world. The United States is a menace to the world. The world stands with Raúl Castro, hero of the Cuban Revolution. The world turns its back on Donald Trump, clown of human destruction.” Manolo De Los Santos, executive director of the People’s Forum, a New York-based nonprofit, shared the message without a word, as did leaders from CodePink, another leftist organization. Then, 24 hours after Blanche’s announcement, at 1:46 p.m. on Thursday, BreakThrough News, a media platform aligned with the same activist ecosystem, published a video featuring defiant Cubans, with one man declaring, “We won’t hand over Raúl.” Fox News Digital has learned that Justice and Treasury Department officials are investigating U.S. nonprofits and activist groups for allegedly coordinating lobbying, messaging, fundraising, delegations and political organizing efforts with Cuban government officials as part of a possible foreign influence campaign operating inside the United States. A Fox News Digital investigation has identified 145 nonprofits, labor groups, advocacy organizations and activist collectives across the U.S. that are mobilizing in support of the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba. Together, the organizations report about $1 billion in combined annual revenue. LAWMAKERS RAISE ALARM OVER NEVILLE ROY SINGHAM’S $278M NETWORK SPREADING CCP PROPAGANDA IN THE U.S. To U.S. national security officials examining the influence of foreign governments in the U.S., the rapid-response messaging campaign offers a striking example of how quickly the nationwide Cuba “solidarity” infrastructure synchronizes political messaging across nonprofits, media platforms, labor organizations and activist coalitions following major geopolitical developments involving the Cuban regime. Making the alleged influence campaign even more complicated, the ANSWER Coalition, Party for Socialism and Liberation, BreakThrough News, CodePink, People’s Forum and Tricontinental are all part of a network funded by American expatriate tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, who lives in Shanghai, supporting the Chinese Communist Party and its global agenda, including its defense of the communist regime in Cuba. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokeswoman for the Embassy of Cuba in Washington denied any improper activity and said the country’s diplomats operate within the bounds of the Vienna Convention, where Article 41 states that diplomats “have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs” of a state. “Cuban diplomats strictly comply with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” the embassy spokeswoman said, noting that “part of diplomatic work” is to “promote friendly relations” and “interact with organizations and institutions of civil society in the State to which one is accredited.” The embassy added that “it is neither extraordinary, nor a violation of any international or U.S. law, for Cuban diplomats to engage with civil society,” and said it doesn’t encourage Americans “to overthrow or act against the constitutional order of the United States.” Sources familiar with the probe said investigators are also examining the activities of several prominent activists and organizers connected to the Cuba solidarity movement, including Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin and CodePink D.C. coordinator Olivia DiNucci. DHS, WAR DEPT JOIN PROBE INTO SINGHAM NETWORK ALLEGEDLY SOWING DISCORD IN US Federal investigators are also probing about 40 Americans who allegedly coordinated with Cuban government officials to bring goods and supplies to Cuba in “convoys” and “flotillas” earlier this year, sources told Fox News Digital. The organizations under scrutiny span labor unions, activist nonprofits, solidarity campaigns, travel networks, socialist political groups and media operations. The pro-communist Cuba ecosystem includes seven clear communities: 600 GROUPS WITH $2B IN REVENUE MOBILIZE 3,000 MAY DAY PROTESTS IN A ‘RED-BLUE’ ALLIANCE, PROBE FINDS Investigators are also scrutinizing travel and delegation infrastructure tied to the network, including organizations coordinating labor trips, educational exchanges, people-to-people tours, activist brigades and humanitarian convoys to Cuba. Under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Americans who engage in political activities in the United States at the direction or control of a foreign government may be required to register with the Justice Department. Advocacy itself is protected under the First Amendment, and registration under FARA doesn’t prohibit political activity. Investigators are examining whether any organizations crossed the line from independent activism into coordinated activity directed by Cuban government officials. Investigators are examining whether some organizations and activists are coordinating lobbying, messaging, delegations, fundraising and political organizing efforts with Cuban government officials without registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, known as FARA, according to sources familiar with the inquiry. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, enforces the decades-old U.S. sanctions regime against Cuba, including restrictions on financial transactions, material support, shipping and the transfer of goods and services to the island. While humanitarian exemptions and licensed travel categories exist, investigators are examining whether some activists and nonprofit groups coordinated shipments, fundraising, “convoys,” flotillas and aid campaigns in ways that may have violated sanctions regulations or evaded reporting requirements. CHINA SLAMS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER US SANCTIONS ON CUBA Investigators are also scrutinizing whether organizations used intermediary nonprofits, fiscally sponsored projects or generic donation language in ways that obscured Cuba-related transactions that
‘Moderate’ Dem’s unearthed ‘deconstruct’ law enforcement comments draw fire from GOP critics
FIRST ON FOX: Vulnerable border Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., is being slammed for “hypocrisy” on his pro-law enforcement stance after a Black Lives Matter post and interview calling to “deconstruct” and “defund” the police resurfaced. Vasquez, who is widely reported as a “moderate Democrat” and is a self-described “bipartisan player,” also recently voted against a House resolution expressing support for law enforcement officers and condemning defund the police efforts and sanctuary policies. With Republicans currently holding a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, every congressional seat considered competitive is critical to both parties in this midterm election. Vasquez’s New Mexico swing district in particular is considered highly vulnerable and is a top target for the GOP this cycle. This week, Vasquez published an opinion piece in the Las Cruces Sun News in which he argued police officers “deserve thanks, support and funding.” In the piece, Vasquez pointed to the funding streams he helped secure for local law enforcement and wrote that “no amount of public recognition can ever fully express the gratitude they deserve.” However, a National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman said, “Defund the police Gabe Vasquez’s shameless hypocrisy isn’t fooling anyone.” TEXAS DEM TALARICO’S ‘CULTURE OF VIOLENCE’ REMARKS RESURFACE AS HE DENIES DEFUND POLICE TIES On June 1, 2020, exactly a week after the death of George Floyd and in the midst of widespread anti-police riots, Vasquez, a Las Cruces city council member at the time, posted on social media, “Black lives matter. Until we deconstruct and rebuild the systems of oppression that keep black people in perpetual harm, justice will not be served.” He added, “that includes law enforcement, the economy, and the disgusting wealth inequality that keeps white rich men in power.” Further, a 2022 article published by The Washington Free Beacon resurfaced a local news interview with a masked man resembling Vasquez but named “James Hall” at a 2020 George Floyd protest. In the interview, the man says, “We need serious police reform in this country,” and “it’s not just about defunding police, it’s about defunding a system that privileges white people over everyone else.” The outlet reported that deleted screenshots of social media posts showed Vasquez present at that same rally. The Free Beacon wrote that a Vasquez spokesperson confirmed he was the man who made those statements, saying, “the name was attributed to him by the news station when he declined to give his name as he wanted the focus to be on the organizers.” DEM CANDIDATE’S ZIONIST CASTRATION RANT SPARKS FIRESTORM AS PARTY LEADERS REWRITE NARRATIVE TO TARGET GOP More recently, during National Police Week last week, Vasquez voted against a resolution expressing support for law enforcement officers. The measure praised police officers’ service and sacrifice, condemned “defund the police” rhetoric, criticized sanctuary city policies, and credited Trump-era “law and order” policies with helping reduce violent crime. Democrats argued the resolution was overly partisan and politicized. This week, Vasquez published an opinion piece in which he detailed recent visits with local law enforcement leaders and wrote, “I will always stand with our law enforcement officers.” He also touted a $250,000 cutout he secured for the Carlsbad Police Department, as well as a $1.06 million investment for Albuquerque’s Real Time Crime Center and a $500,000 investment for technology and training upgrades at the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Vasquez emphasized in his opinion piece that “in addition to our thanks and admiration, they also need and deserve resources, investments, and funding.” A Vasquez campaign spokesperson responded to the new criticisms by telling Fox News Digital, “If you want to know where Vasquez stands on public safety, look at the receipts.” “This year alone, Vasquez singlehandedly brought $1.8 million home for local police departments from Albuquerque to Carlsbad to pay for technology, station upgrades and facilities for more officers to keep themselves and New Mexicans safe,” the spokesperson said. The campaign also pointed to a recent speech Vasquez delivered on the House floor honoring Doña Ana County Deputy Sheriff Antonio Aleman, who was killed in the line of duty in 2025. MAMDANI-STYLE DC MAYORAL HOPEFUL DRAGGED OVER ‘EXACTLY BACKWARDS’ RESPONSE TO VIOLENT TEEN MOBS His critics, however, believe his prior statements will come back to haunt him this November. Richardson told Fox News Digital that “New Mexicans know Vasquez is firmly anti-law enforcement, which is why they’ll elect long-time Albuquerque Police Officer Greg Cunningham to replace him this fall.” A Marine veteran and 20-year New Mexico law enforcement officer, Cunningham is running unopposed in the GOP primary for the seat. In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Cunningham asserted that Vasquez “wants New Mexicans to forget who he really is.” “He spent years parroting the same anti-police rhetoric that gutted morale and hollowed out departments across this country. Now, six months out from an election, he writes a love letter to law enforcement and hopes nobody remembers the rest,” he said. “I remember. So do the officers I served alongside for years on the streets of Albuquerque. I know what it’s like to work a drug case at three in the morning. I know what these drugs are doing to New Mexico families, because I spent my career going after the people pushing them. And I know the difference between a politician who shows up for a Police Week photo op and a leader who has his officers’ backs the other 51 weeks of the year.” He added that “when I get to Washington, the men and women wearing the badge in NM-02 will finally have something they have not had in this seat. One of their own.”
Inside the rise of hardship politics as wealthy Democrats eye 2028
Wealthy Democrats eyeing higher political aspirations are leaning into stories of childhood hardship and family trauma as privilege becomes a political liability on the left, according to J.P. De Gance, founder of the nonprofit Communio. “Privilege is one of the worst things you can have within progressive ideology,” De Gance told Fox News Digital. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has become one of the clearest examples of that tension, DeGance explained. In his recent memoir and media profiles, Newsom has framed his upbringing as a study in contrasts: elite access through his family’s close ties to the Getty fortune, but also a childhood marked by divorce, dyslexia, financial strain, odd jobs and his mother taking in foster children to help pay the rent. GOV GAVIN NEWSOM: FROM PRIVILEGE TO HEARTBREAK, MY LIFE BEHIND THE HEADLINES “They really were leaning into family trauma, resentment, arguments from their childhood background. These are guys trying to introduce themselves on a national stage and traditionally, you would have a candidate introduce himself by telling you his hardscrabble story and maybe being a busser,” he said. De Gance said that kind of personal storytelling could become more common as Democrats with elite backgrounds try to connect with voters shaped by economic strain, family breakdown and addiction – most notably as the nation inches closer to the next presidential election in 2028. A spokesperson for Newsom defended the book as an effort to tell the “complete and unvarnished story” of the governor’s upbringing. “Governor Newsom’s book was a chance to tell the complete and unvarnished story about his family and upbringing, which he has repeatedly acknowledged spanned two worlds: one in which his father worked for a family with a great fortune and the other with a ‘rock star’ mom who raised two children and worked multiple jobs,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “He’s not running from any one narrative nor favoring another — this is the accurate and complete story of his childhood.” De Gance, whose nonprofit works with churches to strengthen marriages and families, collaborated on a new study from the nonprofit Austin Institute, and argued that figures such as Newsom or Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, another Democrat who comes from a wealthy family, reflect a broader shift in Democratic political messaging toward emotional struggle and childhood trauma that resonates with more voters. “This reflection on childhood resentment, childhood trauma and I think in a certain sense we should expect more of this because I think in a sense Pritzker, Newsom and others are reflecting what they’re seeing in a lot of in a lot of the electorate,” he added. BILLIONAIRE JP PRITZKER SAYS HE’S HAD TO OVERCOME HIS WEALTH, WOULD BE ‘OBSTACLE’ IN 2028 Voters whose parents stayed continuously married were 67% more likely to identify as conservative or very conservative compared to those whose parents never married, while only 46% of Americans under 30 grew up in an intact family, according to the Austin Institute’s 2025 Relationships in America Survey. “A majority of Americans now under age 30 … have grown up in a home where mom and dad didn’t stay married through childhood,” said De Gance. De Gance said the survey found former Vice President Kamala Harris performed better among 2024 voters whose parents did not remain married during childhood, while President Donald Trump performed better among voters whose parents stayed married. NEWSOM’S GETTY DYNASTY TIES COLLIDE WITH HIS CLAIMS OF A STRUGGLING CHILDHOOD Newsom has spoken publicly about his parents’ divorce, dyslexia and difficult upbringing – including eating Wonder Bread sandwiches and mac and cheese — despite his elite political connections. “By relating themselves as victims of past family resentment and trauma, it’s also a desire to associate with elements of victim groups,” said De Gance. Newsom’s father, Bill, was a longtime close friend and adviser to billionaire Gordon Getty, helping manage parts of the Getty family fortune, while the Getty scion brought a young Gavin Newsom and his sister on vacations to Kenya and Canada, the New Yorker reported in 2004. NEWSOM PAC BOUGHT THOUSANDS OF MEMOIR COPIES ABOUT HIS HARDSHIPS, JUICING SALES A Vogue profile of Newsom, published in February ahead of the release of his memoir, renewed backlash over characterizing his childhood as financially difficult despite cozy ties to one of the most prominent and wealthy families in the world. “People assume Newsom comes from money. He doesn’t. Access, yes. Privilege, yes. Money, no. The most compelling aspect of Newsom’s biography is his schizophrenic upbringing, vis-à-vis wealth,” said the profile published in Vogue. “After his parents’ divorce, his father seems not to have provided much financial support. Tessa Newsom, née Menzies, scrambled to keep the family afloat.” “Young Gavin chipped in, picking up a newspaper route and a job as a busboy. They took in foster kids because the government stipend helped pay the rent. Meanwhile, there were the Gettys,” Vogue continued before launching into the Newsom family ties to the powerful Getty family, an American dynasty built on oil. Pritzker, another wealthy Democratic governor viewed as a possible 2028 contender and heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, has also spoken publicly about early family trauma, including the death of his father when he was a child, his mother’s alcoholism and the sense that he was “robbed” of a normal childhood. Pritzker has compared himself to an orphan, saying he has grown up faster and that life as an orphan feels like “a sense of being robbed,” he said to The New Yorker. Pritzker has touted his hard work beginning as a busboy at one of his family’s hotels as a teenager. “The hotel business had made the family wealthy enough that Pritzker and his siblings would never have to have real jobs, but [Pritzker’s mother] had gone out of her way to instill in them the value of work,” the New Yorker reported of Pritzker in a 2023 profile. “When Pritzker was a teenager, he had been a busboy at Rickey’s Hyatt House, the
Fraudsters abused Biden’s lax policies to steal billions, financial watchdog claims
As pervasive fraud schemes continue to sweep across the U.S., a group that seeks to preserve economic freedoms at the state level says that former President Joe Biden‘s policies were a main driver for the proliferation of the issue. OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, said “relaxed controls” during the last administration opened the door to widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars. And state treasurers are now leading the fight to strengthen oversight and reclaim funds for the American people. “This isn’t a partisan statement, but it is a true statement to say that this kind of exploded during the Biden administration,” Oleka told Fox News Digital. “A lot of the controls were turned off. A lot of states who have the philosophy that ‘more government is good’ just simply turned on the spigots and allowed anybody to get access to any benefit.” Speaking from SFOF’s annual conference in Clearwater, Florida, Oleka said fraud has become so deeply embedded in government programs that it’s now “a feature in the system, not a bug.” BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION FAILED TO RECOUP $200B IN FRAUDULENT COVID LOANS, HOUSE COMMITTEE SAYS SFOF’s first-ever Oversight Report for 2025 found that affiliated state financial officers protected and returned $28 billion to taxpayers last year, uncovering $5.7 billion in waste, fraud and abuse. They, meanwhile, generated or returned another $22.3 billion through investment earnings and unclaimed property programs. “We say that fraud actually has an industry in this country,” Oleka said. “What we’re trying to do is root out the fraud industrial complex that exists within our government programs. That’s the biggest challenge.” He pointed to weak eligibility requirements during Biden’s time in office — and sometimes no requirements at all — exploding the instances of fraud. “Then practically anybody can have access to the benefits — people who don’t need them, people who don’t deserve them, people who aren’t even eligible for them,” he lamented. President Donald Trump this year tapped Vice President JD Vance to lead a nationwide “War on Fraud.” It stemmed from the highly scrutinized Minnesota “Feeding Our Future” scheme, which allegedly defrauded the government out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Oleka praised the Trump administration’s anti-fraud efforts, and in a February letter to the White House told Vance that SFOF members are “allies already on the battlefield” ready to help protect taxpayer dollars. “The beauty of what’s happening now is you’ve got the Vice President and the task force and our state financial officers rooting to get this stuff out,” he said. “That’s the goal: you get it out root and branch, you stop it from being in the system, and you make a benefit system that actually works again for the American people.” But, he said, future administrations need to continue the crack-down if Americans want to see lasting change. COMER TO SAY TIM WALZ ‘ENABLED FRAUD,’ FAILED WHISTLEBLOWERS IN BOMBSHELL MINNESOTA HEARING The SFOF is also working directly with members of Congress, including House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and state officials to ensure fraud is addressed beyond the Trump administration, according to Oleka. He also would like to see some of the changes cemented through executive order. “You’ve got a system that is allowing you to do the things that you’re doing, but it’s clearly unethical, it’s clearly wrong, and you saw a lot of this actually take off during the Biden-era,” Oleka said. Massive fraud was recently exposed in California, Maine and Ohio, where he said Democratic leaders failed to act because they “don’t have the political will to stop the fraud.” A multi-million dollar hospice fraud scheme in California was uncovered, while a Maine health services company was accused by a whistleblower of misusing millions in Medicaid funds in December. In Columbus, Ohio, hundreds of home health companies that shared the same addresses and operated out of vacant or poorly maintained properties were found to have billed the federal government more than $250 million in Medicaid spending. HOUSE GOP LAUNCHES NEW TASK FORCE, PROBES ALLEGED $250B MEDICAID FRAUD IN OHIO “We’ve seen it in Minnesota, we’ve seen it in California, Maine and Ohio, all across the country,” Oleka said. “But what you also see are state financial officers who are standing up for the American people. What you also see is Chairman Comer standing up for the American people. You also see the Vice President and the task force and the President of the United States standing up for the American people.” He insisted that taxpayers should not be on the hook to foot the bill for fraud. “The American people do not benefit when there is a system that’s giving out their money to people who don’t deserve it and who don’t need it,” he said. Oleka argued that the push to end fraud goes hand-in-hand with lowering costs for Americans. “Our folks not only talked about fraud, but also about how they can help lead the fight to make things more affordable for the American people,” he said. “As a result, the tone of the conference was hopeful.” Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment.
Gas prices threaten Memorial Day road trips as pump costs hit historic highs
Americans traveling this Memorial Day weekend will face some of the highest gas prices in history. Despite the soaring costs due to the ongoing conflict in Iran causing shipping bottlenecks and blockades, AAA expects more than 39 million people to hit the roads over the holiday weekend. Meanwhile, the White House has attempted to build rapport with Americans ahead of the 2026 midterms by rolling out a series of extraordinary measures aimed at easing pain at the pump amid an economic squeeze causing rising prices and stubborn inflation. GAS SURGE TIED TO IRAN CONFLICT HITS SWING STATES, TESTING TRUMP’S LOW-PRICE PITCH The fuel cost surge persists amid renewed turmoil in global energy markets as escalating tensions in Iran have disrupted oil supplies and driven crude prices higher after the war broke out in late February. National gas prices are now hovering near record territory, eclipsing levels seen during previous summer travel seasons and raising fears of even higher costs ahead. President Donald Trump has released record amounts of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a way to ease prices and has called for a federal gas tax holiday. His administration also temporarily waived a century-old shipping law known as the Jones Act to move fuel more quickly between U.S. ports. Despite those efforts, drivers across the country are continuing to see sharp increases at the pump. West Coast drivers are facing the steepest costs, with gas hitting $6.14 per gallon in California and $5.70 in Washington state, according to data compiled by AAA. BBQ LOVERS BEWARE: MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT MIGHT DISRUPT YOUR SUMMER PLANS THIS YEAR On the East Coast, prices have climbed above $4.50 in several areas, including $4.67 in Washington, D.C., and $4.62 in Pennsylvania. In the Midwest, Illinois stands out at $5.01 per gallon, while much of the region remains in the mid-$4 range. Southern states continue to see comparatively lower costs, though prices are climbing there as well, reaching $4.03 in Georgia, $4.09 in Texas and $4.51 in Florida. Mississippi currently has the nation’s cheapest gas at $4.01 per gallon. Beyond gasoline, other fuel costs are rising even faster. Diesel has climbed to $5.65, up about $2.10 over the past year. As a key fuel for freight, shipping and public transportation, it is especially sensitive to supply disruptions and its rising cost can quickly ripple through the broader economy, pushing up prices on everything from groceries to goods. The surge underscores the broader economic risks tied to the standoff, as uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz continues to rattle energy markets. With midterm elections looming, rising gas prices are once again becoming a major political vulnerability as frustrated Americans watch the cost of filling up climb higher.
Platner’s brutal attacks on Army soldiers as ‘fat, lazy’ revealed in resurfaced posts
Graham Platner, the Democrat’s presumptive nominee for Senate in Maine, described the United States Army as “absolute trash” and “full of fat, lazy trash who would rather not be in uniform” in posts on his now-deleted Reddit account. “I spent another 4 in the Army after the Corps, and while I was very lucky to serve in some sh–t hot units with good dudes, as a whole the organization is absolute trash,” Platner wrote in April 2019. “I am not one to totally bad mouth the Army. It does have some squared away fighting units and good guys, as well as some better doctrine here and there. But it is absolutely lacking in the warrior ethos and leadership obsession that the Corps has, and generally attracts a lower standard of person.” The resurfaced posts include a separate 2019 comment about wounded Army veteran Teddy Daniels, who was shot by the Taliban and later awarded the Purple Heart. In that post, Platner criticized Daniels’ battlefield tactics and wrote that the “dumb motherf—er didn’t deserve to live.” Platner’s comments about Daniels and other now-deleted Reddit posts — including posts in which he used slurs, demeaned white rural Americans and identified as a Marxist — have become a major campaign issue in the Maine Senate race, where he seeks to unseat GOP incumbent Sen. Susan Collins. VETERAN WHO SERVED IN MIDDLE EASTERN WARS LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AGAINST SEN. SUSAN COLLINS Platner served in the Marine Corps and the Maryland Army National Guard, where he completed multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is not uncommon for members of one branch of the armed forces to be harshly critical of other branches. “The Army does things differently, and as a whole, they do things much worse,” Platner wrote in March 2019. “As an organization it’s awful. Full of fat, lazy trash who would rather not be in uniform.” Platner wasn’t exclusively negative, as he praised the Army for having “some solid light infantry, reconnaissance, and SOF units that are s— hot, as well as access to some great schools.” He was also open about the necessity of internal criticism within the armed forces. “Civilians can be as dumb f–k ret—ed as they want, but WE have a duty to be brutally honest,” Platner wrote in 2013. “I want civilians to think our ability to fight is unmatched, but I also want us to be brutal in our internal criticism.” DELETED POSTS URGING VIOLENCE HAUNT DEMOCRATIC SENATE HOPEFUL IN MAINE RACE The Washington Free Beacon first reported on Platner’s disparaging comments directed towards the Army. The posts were made under the Reddit account “P-Hustle,” which Platner has previously acknowledged as his. “I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am,” Platner said of his resurfaced Reddit posts back in October. “I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today.” In 2019, Platner reacted to a video of an American soldier being shot by the Taliban by stating that the “dumb motherf—er didn’t deserve to live.” Platner’s post criticized the soldier, who was later awarded the Purple Heart, for utilizing poor tactics. The Senate hopeful’s commentary has attracted criticism from some other veterans. DEM PRIMARY TURNS UGLY: MILLS UNLEASHES BRUTAL ATTACK ON SANDERS-BACKED PLATNER IN CRUCIAL SENATE SHOWDOWN “We don’t make jokes about our brothers and sisters dying, that’s not something we do, that’s not normal,” Adam Schwarze, a former Navy SEAL and Marine veteran running for Senate as a Republican in Minnesota, said of Platner. MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE CITES COMBAT TRAUMA WHEN CONFRONTED ON ‘TERRIBLE’ POSTS ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT Platner attributes his behavior to psychological trauma he developed from being deployed to the Middle East, as well as the “crude humor” he had gotten used to while in the Marines. The Senate hopeful’s controversial statements about the military haven’t been confined to Reddit. During a 2024 podcast interview, Platner implied that deceased Navy SEAL Chris Kyle killed civilians to inflate his numbers. “[Kyle’s] stories about how many people he was shooting certainly tracked with the behavior I witnessed,” Platner said. “It’s relatively easy to get high numbers like that if you’re a little less discriminating in your fire than, say, a more professional unit would be.” He also accused Navy SEALs of being generally incompetent on his Reddit account, though he had kind words for the Army Rangers. “Graham Platner’s vicious attacks on wounded service members and open contempt for the Army are disgusting and disqualifying,” National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital. “The more we learn about him, the more his top Democrat allies like Elizabeth Warren are forced to dodge questions on why they ever supported him in the first place.” The Platner campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
Havana regime in suspense after Castro indictment with Trump pressure on, says Cuban-born GOP Rep.
Cuban despot Raul Castro’s federal indictment is likely sparking paranoia inside the regime as officials look at what has happened to other despots this year, the one member of Congress who personally experienced the dictatorship’s terror told Fox News Digital. Though no longer Cuba’s formal leader since Miguel Diaz-Canel took over in 2021, Raul Castro still holds a tighter grip on the levers of power in Havana than the island’s established government, House Homeland Security Committee member Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said. Gimenez said the indictment, while long overdue, could bring some measure of justice to the families of Americans killed in the 1996 downing of two humanitarian aircraft in the Strait of Florida. Gimenez said Castro intentionally targeted a group that searched the sea almost daily for Cuban refugees attempting the 90-mile trip to the congressional district he now represents, spanning South Dade to the Keys. OBAMA’S BASEBALL OUTING WITH CASTRO REIGNITES FURY AFTER TRUMP DOJ DROPS HAMMER ON CUBAN LEADER “We have him on tape saying [he did it],” Gimenez said of Castro — indicted on Cuban Independence Day. “We cannot tolerate any regime murdering American citizens wherever they may be.” Asked whether Cuba may see a mission similar to the one in Venezuela, where U.S. forces extracted an indicted dictator, Gimenez said every situation is different even if the actors are ideologically and criminally similar. “I think that the president’s going to let this kind of percolate for a while and also continue the pressure on the regime that we’ve been exerting,” he said, agreeing with fellow Miamian Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the Castro/Diaz-Canel regime is collapsing under its own failure. The suspense — coming amid additional arrests of regime allies stateside and Castro’s charges Wednesday — is proverbially killing the Cuban government, he said. “The island goes dark for hours and so I think [President Donald Trump’s] going to let it percolate for a while. I’m sure that he is drawing up plans for every contingency. He now has the legal authority to come in and try to arrest him, but I don’t think he is going to do that right away.” Unlike Venezuela or Iran, America has a home base in Cuba — Guantanamo Bay. But Gimenez — who recently visited the compound, and therefore his homeland, for the first time in more than 60 years since fleeing at age 6 — said the geopolitics are such that Gitmo is helpful but not the end-all. CUBAN OFFICIAL REVEALS MILITARY ‘PREPARING’ FOR CONFLICT AFTER TRUMP CONSIDERS ‘TAKING’ ISLAND Guantanamo lies on the opposite side of Cuba from Havana, so U.S. assets would need to be positioned closer in the event of any incursion. “Just in case,” he said. “If something were to happen and the people rise up – so that Raul Castro doesn’t sleep very well at night; not knowing if our helicopters are coming for him.” He said the best idea at present is creating an environment of constant psychological pressure for the regime — so that they are “looking out and [not] inward as much – thinking that somehow, Uncle Sam is just outside there, floating in the water with a big aircraft carrier.” Gimenez said the U.S. government appears “actually serious this time – the first time any administration is taking the kind of action against one of the Castros.” In prior comments, Gimenez referenced an Orange Bowl event attended by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright shortly after the murders, where the Clinton administration promised a response. Therefore, protesters risking their lives in the streets may feel real change is afoot, Gimenez said, and that unlike in past administrations, the feds will “have their back.” RUBIO SAYS CUBA NEEDS ‘NEW PEOPLE IN CHARGE’ AS BLACKOUTS, UNREST GRIP ISLAND “[The regime doesn’t] wholesale kill thousands of people [like Iran] but they do put thousands of people in prison; torture them … Let’s see what’s going to happen inside the island with the Cuban people themselves.” The administration also has a vocal Havana hawk in Rubio, the son of Cuban emigres. Shortly after the interview, the feds in Miami detained the head of GAESA, Cuba’s public-private military-led entity that Gimenez said is the true lever of power in Havana. DHS then revoked Adys Lastres-Morera’s green card. Diaz-Canel is a figurehead, Gimenez said, noting Castro leads GAESA and therefore is the end-all. Gimenez quipped that his Miami colleague Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart made the point that “presidents” of Cuba essentially mean nothing – when he asked another interviewer if they had heard of a past president not named Castro. Diaz-Balart also noted that his brother, former Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., wrote to the Clinton administration in 1996 demanding action, but none came. POST-MADURO, PRESSURE BUILDS ON MEXICO OVER CUBA’S NEW OIL LIFELINE “So, in the case of GAESA, it is run by military officers under the control of [the] Castros [and] controls 70% of Cuba’s economy… It shows you that there is a government inside a government,” Gimenez said. He argued the estimated $16 billion held by GAESA self-enriches the regime while ordinary Cubans face economic collapse and private industry fails. In a Spanish-language statement, Rubio noted GAESA is the reason the island has been “plundered” by its government – not from any alleged U.S. oil blockade. As Gimenez and Rubio spoke, congressional support for the indictment was already building. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News military intervention in Havana should never be off the table. “Raul Castro – he’s killed Americans, and I’m so glad he’s indicted,” Scott said, adding that a 16-year-old was recently imprisoned for complaining his family lost electricity — agreeing an uprising may be in the offing. Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., who represents the U.S.-Cuban diaspora in Calle Ocho, said her community waited 65 years and 10 U.S. presidents to express this “message to the Castros.” “It’s time for you guys to go.” Now, with Castro’s indictment and the predictions of Gimenez, Diaz-Balart and others, Cuban Independence Day
WATCH: House Dems unload on Texas Democrat over ‘demented’ antisemitic comments
House Democrats publicly distanced themselves from Texas congressional candidate Maureen Galindo for her recent remarks calling for ICE detention centers to be turned into prisons for “American Zionists.” “Maureen Galindo is a moral disgrace who has no business running for, let alone holding, elected office,” Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “So she should withdraw from the race out of shame.” “That kind of rhetoric has no place in our politics and we should not accept that kind of antisemitism here in the House of Representatives,” Rep. John Olszewski, D-Md., said. “There’s no world in which I can support a candidate like that.“ “She must be crazy — something wrong with her,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y. said. “That’s demented.” MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: EL-SAYED’S TIES TO EXTREMIST FUEL ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH VOTERS The backlash comes after Galindo posted to her social media pledging to turn ICE detention centers into a “prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers,” which drew accusations of antisemitism from both parties. In the same Instagram post, she also said the prison will be used as a castration center for pedophiles, “which will probably be most of the Zionists.” Some House Democrats told Fox News Digital it was the first time they were hearing of Galindo’s controversy, or dodged giving their take on the matter. “I’m sorry, I’m late for committee,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said. “This is the first I’m hearing about it, but I think anyone saying that is problematic,” Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., said. “I have no idea about Texas,” Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said. Top Democrats have also accused Republicans of helping elevate Galindo’s candidacy in Texas’ 35th Congressional District. The seat is currently held by a Democrat, with Republicans hoping to pick up the seat in the November midterms. ARIZONA DEM TEARS INTO HER OWN PARTY OVER TREND THAT SHE DEEMS ANTISEMITIC: ‘SICK AND TIRED’ The attempt to shift the blame to Republicans comes after accusations have circulated that super PAC “Lead Left,” which has spent roughly $900,000 promoting Galindo, has ties to the Republican Party. No public proof has emerged showing Republican control of the PAC. Still, leading House Democrats were quick to call out the GOP for any potential ties. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a joint statement that “MAGA extremists should be ashamed of themselves.” “This is disgusting, and it absolutely has to be condemned — these comments,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said. “I think what also needs to be condemned is Republicans putting a million dollars behind her. Why do Republicans want her to win?” Galindo also said in the post that when elected into Congress, she will work to pass legislation that all Zionism and support of Zionism will be considered antisemitic. She herself has denied allegations of being antisemitic, but says she is opposed to “Zionist Jews.” “I think it’s very clear that we all have to take a stand against antisemitism,” Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., said when asked about Galindo’s comments. Since the firestorm that has come from these posts, Galindo has since posted a video to Facebook addressing the antisemitic accusations, claiming she never called for Jewish people to be imprisoned but that she wants to “put billionaire American Zionists who are funding the genocidal prison systems involved in trafficking into prison.” MAMDANI’S RISE, ‘VILE HATRED’ OF US JEWS THE FOCUS OF ‘CRITICAL’ CLOSED-DOOR CONGRESSIONAL HUDDLE “I’m against all internment camps and would like to see them all shut down ASAP, starting with the many in South Texas,” Galindo said, referring to ICE detention centers. Galindo will go face-to-face against congressional candidate Johnny Garcia on Tuesday in the Texas Democratic primary. “She won’t make it here,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said when asked if he would pursue moving to expel her from Congress if elected. “I’m confident that the people in that district, much of which I represented for a decade, will stand with Johnny.
Military families demand DOJ distribute nearly $800M from French cement company found guilty of bribing ISIS
In November 2017, Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy was injured in Raqqa, Syria while clearing the second floor of a hospital that ISIS had booby trapped with explosives. Now a quadriplegic, Stacy, his wife Lindsey, and their 4 children are part of a lawsuit brought by military families against the French cement company, Lafarge, recently found guilty by a French Court of paying millions of dollars in bribes to ISIS to keep their factory open in ISIS-controlled territory in Syria. “I mean, they were essentially funneling money to fund terrorists and ISIS and all these heinous crimes and evil acts,” Lindsey Stacy told Fox News while standing by the side of her husband, the former Navy Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialist, who just had another surgery to deal with injuries sustained in Syria 9 years ago. “It’s very overwhelming, Kenton struggles mentally and physically with his own battles and the kids and I. We have our own struggles,” she continued. “It’s hard to juggle, especially when our oldest son has cerebral palsy, and he requires his own 24-7 care.” SENATORS CALL ON BIDEN TO BRIEF UPPER CHAMBER ON EFFORTS TO RETURN AUSTIN TICE FROM SYRIA President Trump praised Stacy’s service to the nation in his 2018 State of the Union Address to Congress. Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck bounded into a booby-trapped building to rescue Kenton and then gave him more than 2 hours of CPR while medics worked to save his life. “Kenton Stacy would have died if not for Justin’s selfless love for a fellow warrior. Tonight, Kenton is recovering in Texas. Raqqa is liberated.…All of America salutes you.” In a landmark ruling in April, a French court convicted Lafarge, the world’s largest cement manufacturer, of providing material support to a terror group and sentenced its former CEO to 6 years in prison. Eight former Lafarge employees were found guilty. Lafarge is appealing. The company acknowledged the court’s finding describing the issue as a “legacy matter,” which was “in flagrant violation of Lafarge’s Code of Conduct.” Nearly 1,000 plaintiffs, most of them military families, are part of earlier litigation in the Eastern District of New York. “They were killed in Syria by a gruesome terrorist organization that was funded in part by Lafarge. And that’s not an allegation. That is undisputed fact. Lafarge pled guilty to doing that in 2022.” Todd Toral, the lawyer from Jenner & Block, is representing Stacy and about 25 other families. Toral, who is also a US Marine, is seeking compensation for those families from the $777 million Lafarge paid to the Justice Department as part of the settlement. The DOJ has had that money since Oct 2022. “I think the ruling by the court in France is significant generally, because it’s the first time in many, many years that a corporation, and not just the corporation, but executives at a corporation have been held to account for their misconduct in aiding terrorism,” Toral said in an interview with Fox. In order to operate in ISIS-controlled areas of Syria, Lafarge paid more than $6.5 million to ISIS from 2013–2014 through its Syrian subsidiary to keep production facilities running. The cement produced at its factory in Jalabiya, a factory which was bought for $680 million months before the Syrian uprising began in 2011, was also used for tunnels and bunkers, which helped the terrorist group. The lawsuit is significant because it marks the first time a company has faced U.S. charges for supporting a terrorist group. DOJ ACCELERATES SETTLEMENT OFFERS IN CAMP LEJEUNE WATER CONTAMINATION CASES In October 2022, Lafarge settled with the DOJ before the French ruling, paying more than $777 million into an asset forfeiture fund currently controlled by the DOJ, funds which are supposed to compensate victims of the ISIS attacks, many of them American Gold Star families, like Hailey Dayton, whose father was the first American killed by ISIS in Syria on Thanksgiving Day 2016. “I was 15 when my dad was killed,” Hailey Dayton told Fox from her home in Florida. “I saw six guys in Navy white step out of the van. I got so excited because I thought my dad came back to surprise us. I remember opening the door, huge smile on my face, and I was looking at the men, trying to find my dad and I didn’t find, I didn’t see him, but instead I saw six guys with tears in their eyes.” The Biden Justice Department denied requests to distribute the Lafarge funds while the case was still pending before a French Court. Lafarge was found guilty by that court in April. In February, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., pressed then-Attorney General Pam Bondi on when the DOJ planned to release the funds to the families. “In February 2025, my colleagues and I sent you a letter urging the department to review the petitions for remission submitted by the families of those fallen service members, including several of my constituents. The previous administration ignored these victims and our requests and left their petitions unresolved,” Biggs asked Bondi during a Congressional hearing. “Congressman, we are aware of that and we’re committed to doing everything we can to support the victims and work with you. Thank you for that question,” Bondi replied. That was more than a year ago and the DOJ has still not distributed the compensation funds. Now the plaintiffs, most of them military families, say the decision to release the funds rests with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “I don’t know why. I don’t know why they’re ignoring us. To me, it feels like being a pawn. My dad, he went in when he was 19, he served 23 years,” Dayton, the Gol Star daughter of Chief Petty Officer Scott Dayton, said. “To the current Department of Justice, I would, say, make things right.” Lindsey Stacy, who says she and her family have difficulty making ends meet given Kenton Stacy’s severe injuries, added, “There’s a lot of families out there that could benefit