INTERNACIONAL
Four plead guilty in massive bribery scheme at agency Democrats fought to protect from DOGE

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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency essentially dismantled by DOGE amid complaints from Democrats that cutting waste would harm impoverished countries, is at the center of a massive bribery scandal.
A federal contracting officer and three businessmen have pleaded guilty in a scheme involving bribes like cash, NBA tickets, and a country club wedding in a scandal the Department of Justice (DOJ) said was part of a $550 million scam, Fox News Chief Washington Correspondent Mike Emanuel reported Friday.
Roderick Watson, 57, worked as a USAID contracting officer, according to a DOJ press release, and pleaded guilty to «bribery of a public official.»
According to the DOJ, Watson sold his influence starting in 2013, with contractors Walter Barnes, owner of Vistant, and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, funneling payoffs through subcontractor Paul Young to hide their tracks.
RISCH URGES ‘TOP TO BOTTOM’ USAID SPENDING REVIEW AFTER WASTE, FRAUD EXPOSED
Demonstrators and lawmakers rally against President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk as they disrupt the federal government, including dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, in Washington on Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
«During the scheme, Britt and Barnes paid bribes to Watson that were often concealed by passing them through Young, who was the president of another subcontractor to Apprio and Vistant,» the press release explained.
«Britt and Barnes also regularly funneled bribes to Watson, including cash, laptops, thousands of dollars in tickets to a suite at an NBA game, a country club wedding, downpayments on two residential mortgages, cellular phones, and jobs for relatives. The bribes were also often concealed through electronic bank transfers falsely listing Watson on payroll, incorporated shell companies, and false invoices. Watson is alleged to have received bribes valued at more than approximately $1 million as part of the scheme.»
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Former employees of USAID leave the headquarters building in Washington on Feb. 27, 2025. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)
Vistant was awarded in November 2023, as part of a joint venture, a contract worth up to $800 million with one of the focuses of that contract being to address «a variety of issues affecting the root causes of irregular migration from Central America to the United States,» an issue that President Joe Biden tasked then-Vice President Kamala Harris with during his presidency.
Several days later, that contract was canceled after USAID published a notice that said Vistant was excluded from government contracting due to «evidence of conduct of a lack of business honesty or integrity.»
The joint venture then successfully sued the government over being put on that exclusion list and was re-awarded the contract and given a $10,000 payment in August 2024.
«Corruption in government programs will not be tolerated. Watson abused his position of trust for personal gain while federal contractors engaged in a pay-to-play scheme,» Acting Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sean Bottary of the USAID Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG) said in the press release.
«USAID-OIG is firmly committed to rooting out fraud and corruption within U.S. foreign assistance programs. Today’s announcement underscores our unwavering focus on exposing criminal activity, including bribery schemes by those entrusted to faithfully award government contracts. We appreciate our longstanding partnership with the Department of Justice in holding accountable those who defraud American taxpayers.»
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Protesters hold placards as Pete Marocco, deputy administrator-designate at the USAID, attends a meeting with members of Congress to discuss foreign assistance on Capitol Hill in Washington on Mar. 5, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/REUTERS)
USAID was one of the public faces and most drastic examples of DOGE’s efforts to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in government, and the effort resulted in the agency’s programs being cut by 83%, while the programs deemed vital were moved to the State Department.
USAID’s website went dark, and employees were barred from entering its headquarters on Feb. 3, while others had their work put on hold. The Trump administration then announced that all USAID direct-hire personnel would be put on administrative leave.
The agency came under fire for many funding choices, including allocating $1.5 million for a program that sought to «advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities» and a $70,000 program for a «DEI musical» in Ireland.
During DOGE’s sweep, it was revealed that U.S. dollars were ending up in the hands of terror-linked groups, such as funds reportedly providing «full funding» for al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki to attend college in Colorado, Fox News Digital previously reported.
As DOGE was dismantling USAID, many Democrats and media outlets blasted the cuts, claiming they would harm impoverished recipients of aid across the globe and some, including U2 frontman Bono, who said the cuts would lead to over 300,000 deaths.
Several House and Senate Democrats protested outside of USAID’s headquarters in early February, expressing outrage over the layoffs and cuts, The Hill reported.
«Anybody who cares about good and effective government should be concerned about the waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, including USAID,» Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said in the DOJ’s press release.
Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
Una joven quedó paralítica después de que un hombre se tirara de un tercer piso y cayera sobre ella

Grace Spence Green sufrió un accidente que cambió su vida por completo. En 2018 un hombre saltó desde el tercer piso de un shopping de Londres con la intención de suicidarse y cayó sobre ella provocándole lesiones irreversibles en la columna que le impidieron volver a caminar.
Todo pasó el 17 de octubre cuando su amiga pasó a buscarla por su casa y la acercó hasta el centro comercial, se despidieron junto a la escalera mecánica y ella se fue rumbo a la facultad. Estaba en cuarto año de la carrera de medicina. En aquel entonces tenía 22 años y muchas metas por cumplir. Sin embargo, de repente sintió un golpe y cuando despertó ya nada fue igual.
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Cuando recuperó el conocimiento estaba tendida en el piso, rodeada de gente y a su lado el hombre que había provocado el accidente. “Recuerdo gritar y no poder sentir mis piernas“, relató en un artículo publicado por la BBC.
Ella no entendía nada, pero la gente le explicó que la habían golpeado y al hombre le decían que se había caído. Más tarde se enteraría de que en realidad había saltado voluntariamente desde 40 metros de altura y había aterrizado sobre su espalda.
El hombre se tiró desde el tercer piso y cayó sobre ella. (Foto: Farid Qureshi a través de BBC)
Grace fue trasladada al hospital donde atendieron la emergencia y minutos más tarde estaban allí sus papás, su pareja y sus amigos. Los médicos le explicaron que en el impacto su columna vertebral se se había quebrado en varios puntos, provocándole la parálisis.
Como estudiante de medicina, tenía conocimiento sobre ese tipo de lesiones, pero el shock que atravesaba le impedía asimilar lo que estaba sucediendo. “No soy discapacitada, no voy a estar en una silla de ruedas. Esa no soy yo”, se repetía a sí misma constantemente.
Lo que le tocó vivir le hizo darse cuenta de que tenía un enorme prejuicio hacía las personas con discapacidad. “Pensaba que las personas discapacitadas tenían menos calidad de vida porque eso era lo que me habían enseñado”, reveló. El shopping de Londres donde ocurrió todo. (Foto: Reuters)
Cuando vio las imágenes de la resonancia, fue un golpe de realidad. Al observar ese estudio con ojo médico, entendió que la pesadilla que estaba viviendo era una realidad. Entonces, asimiló que a partir de ese momento iba a necesitar una silla de rudas para tener autonomía.
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“Comencé a seguir a personas discapacitadas en las redes sociales y fue muy importante para mí verlos publicando sobre su vida normal y pensar que yo podría tenerla también”, contó y dijo que la verdadera revelación fue cuando conoció a un médico que era usuario de silla de ruedas, porque le hizo ver que ella podía serlo también. Grace fue a sesiones de rehabilitación y aprendió a usar la silla de ruedas. (Foto: Instagram/@gracesg)
Así fue como retomó sus estudios después de mantenerlos un año en pausa: “Tener esta cicatriz tan visible me ayuda en mi trabajo porque es obvio que he sido una paciente, y me doy cuenta de que los pacientes son mucho más abiertos conmigo”, dijo sobre sus experiencias en el consultorio.
Qué pasó con el hombre que cayó del tercer piso del shopping
Grace sabe muy poco del hombre que cayó sobre ella y aseguró que no tiene interés en averiguar más. “Creo que la gente busca algún tipo de justicia restaurativa o ver si lo perdoné. Pero no lo perdoné porque no existía ningún enojo, para empezar”, señaló.
“Me dijeron que había saltado, luego fue a la cárcel y más tarde fue deportado. Y eso me molestó porque no quería que hubiera más ramificaciones de este hecho”, relató y contó que si bien muchas personas esperan que ella sienta algún tipo de resentimiento contra él, ella no lo experimenta. “La aleatoriedad de lo que pasó fue tal que me ayudó a no sentir ninguna ira. Pero la gente a menudo no lo entiende”, relató.
“Pasé por muchos ‘qué hubiera pasado si…’. ¿Qué hubiera pasado si hubiera estado allí dos minutos antes o dos minutos después? ¿Qué hubiera ocurrido si…? Me di cuenta de que probablemente él estaría muerto si no hubiera frenado su caída” reflexionó y concluyó: “También me hizo pensar: ¿y qué tal si me hubiera muerto ese día?“.
Accidente, paralítica
INTERNACIONAL
Federal judge partially blocks law banning adults from helping minors get out-of-state abortions

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A federal judge has blocked a portion of a Tennessee law that made it a crime for adults to help minors obtain out-of-state abortions without parental consent.
Known for prohibiting «abortion trafficking of a minor,» the law, enacted in 2024 by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, with support from the GOP-controlled legislature, criminalizes certain behavior toward pregnant, unemancipated minors by adults who are not their parents or legal guardians who help them receive abortions – even if the abortion is legal in another state.
U.S. Circuit Judge Julia Gibbons, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, took issue with the law’s «recruitment provision,» which criminalizes giving information to minors about how to receive an abortion out of state or helping minors make travel plans. In a summary judgment Friday, Gibbons agreed the provision violates the First Amendment because it «prohibits speech encouraging lawful abortion while allowing speech discouraging lawful abortion.»
FEDERAL JUDGE SLAPS TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER ON MISSISSIPPI DEI BAN
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti leaves a press conference discussing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision that upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender transition treatments for minors in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (The Tennessean )
«That is impermissible viewpoint discrimination, which the First Amendment rarely tolerates – and does not tolerate here,» Gibbons, who sits on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, wrote.
Gibbons permanently blocked enforcement of the provision banning encouraging a minor to seek a legal out-of-state abortion.
«The recruitment provision targets speech because of its message – that abortion is safe, common and normal – and available in certain states – and is presumptively unconstitutional,» the judge added.
Gibbons noted that she was brought in to hear this lower court case after four judges from the Middle District of Tennessee recused themselves. If Tennessee appeals the decision, the case will advance to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
The Tennessee attorney general has already appealed a November decision by U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger that temporarily blocked the recruitment provision. That appeal remains pending in the Sixth Circuit Court.
The case was brought by Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn, who is a licensed social worker, and Rachel Welty, a Nashville attorney and pro-abortion advocate.
«Because plaintiffs wish to speak about legal abortions and seek to help minors obtain legal, out-of-state abortions, their intended speech is protected under the First Amendment,» Gibbons wrote.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the anti-abortion trafficking law last year. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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In response to the decision, Welty and Behn’s lead counsel, Daniel A. Horwitz, said Gibbons’ «thoughtful and well-reasoned opinion protects the right of all Tennesseans to share truthful information about abortion without fear that crusading prosecutors will try to punish them criminally for doing so.»
«It also affirms that the government has no authority to enact overbroad laws that criminalize pure speech based on the government’s disagreement with a speaker’s point of view,» he added in a statement. «This is a major victory for Ms. Welty, Representative Behn, and all Tennesseans who believe that the government has no right to prosecute citizens for sharing truthful information.»
In the final decision, Gibbons, however, rejected the plaintiffs’ claims that the law is too vague to be constitutional under the Due Process Clause. The judge sided with the state on that matter, saying the law is sufficiently specific in what behavior is forbidden. Gibbons did not block portions of the law criminalizing physically transporting minors across state lines to receive an abortion or harboring a minor for the purpose of helping them receive an abortion.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, left, with Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, look on during a press conference discussing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision which upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender transition treatments for minors at the state capitol on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (The Tennessean )
«The court grants summary judgment for the plaintiffs on their free speech claims and enjoins enforcement of the recruiting prong of the statute,» Gibbons wrote. «The statute is not, however, void for vagueness. The court therefore grants summary judgment for defendants on plaintiff’s vagueness claim.»
The law does not apply to the minor’s parent or legal guardian, licensed media providers acting in emergency situations, or law enforcement acting within official duties.
Violations constitute a Class A Misdemeanor punishable by up to 11 months and 29 days in jail or a fine of up to $2,500. The statute provides that violators «may be held liable in a civil action for the wrongful death of an unborn child who was aborted.»
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After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Tennessee enforced a «trigger law,» effectively banning abortions in most cases, with limited exceptions.
INTERNACIONAL
Delta plane aborts takeoff in Mexico City after plane nearly lands on top of aircraft

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A Delta Air Lines passenger jet aborted takeoff this week in Mexico City after its flight crew observed another plane landing in front of it on the same runway.
The incident Monday involving Delta Flight 590 happened just days after a pilot of a SkyWest Airlines flight operated by Delta Air Lines was forced to perform an «aggressive maneuver» to avoid a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber. Another Delta flight also experienced an apparent engine fire shortly after departing from Los Angeles last week, forcing it to turn around.
«Because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, Delta will fully cooperate with authorities as the circumstances around this flight are investigated,» a Delta spokesperson told Fox News Digital regarding the Mexico City incident. «We appreciate the flight crew’s actions to maintain situational awareness and act quickly – part of Delta’s extensive training.»
The spokesperson said the Boeing 737-800 plane, carrying 144 passengers, two pilots and four flight attendants, was initiating its takeoff process for Atlanta Monday morning when the flight crew spotted another plane landing in front of them. That plane was identified in media reports as an Embraer E190 operated by Aeromexico.
B-52 WAS ON FAA-APPROVED FLIGHT PATH BEFORE DELTA REGIONAL JET NEAR MISS, AIR FORCE SAYS
A Delta Air Lines airplane is seen at Benito Juarez international airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on Jan. 19, 2023. (Reuters/Henry Romero)
The flight crew safely stopped the takeoff and returned to a gate at the airport, according to the spokesperson.
Then after taking on additional fuel and consulting with Delta safety and flight operations officials, the plane left Mexico City for Georgia about three hours later.
The Delta spokesperson also said the airline filed reports with aviation authorities in Mexico as well as the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
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A Delta plane approaches for landing at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City on July 22, 2025. (Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)
Officials said Delta Flight 590 and Aeromexico Flight 1631 were just 200 feet apart at the time of the incident, with the Delta aircraft only reaching speeds of about 60 mph before braking, according to WSB-TV.
Aeromexico did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday from Fox News Digital.

Video shows flames shooting from a Delta Air Lines plane as it departed Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, July 18. (LA Flights)
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«We are working closely with the corresponding authorities to conduct a detailed investigation,» a spokesperson told Simple Flying. «At Aeromexico, the safety of our customers and employees is, and will always be, our highest priority.»
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