U.S. troops were seen unloading what Fox News Digital is told was China’s only aid flight sent to Venezuela so far as the country continues to reel from last month’s back-to-back earthquakes.

Photos provided by the U.S. government show an Air-China-branded plane landing at Simon Bolivar Airport on July 6, nearly two weeks after the quakes hit on June 24.

The supplies from the Chinese government were then taken off the aircraft by U.S. soldiers, who have been leading the disaster response and aid distribution efforts.

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In the photos provided to Fox News Digital, U.S. service members were seen lifting large packages out of shipping containers, using large vehicles to move and organize pallets on the tarmac and loading boxes into trucks for transport.

«Secretary Rubio promised the Trump Administration’s response to the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela would be big, fast, and effective. We continue to deliver on that commitment,» State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

«While some countries say they’ll deliver aid — weeks after natural disasters occur — America shows up, unloads the aid, and ensures that assistance reaches the hands of those who truly need it thanks to our close coordination with the Department of War and the great public-private partnerships our Department has spearheaded,» he added.

The U.S. has moved more than 1.5 million pounds of assistance into Venezuela since the earthquakes struck on June 24, according to the State Department.

A big part of that was repairing Simon Bolivar Airport, which sits just outside the capital city of Caracas, after its runways were seriously damaged in the natural disaster.

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U.S. soldier directs a wheel loader as it moves pallets of aid brought by the Chinese government on July 6, 2026. (United States Government)

«The U.S. military was able to repair that airfield and get it up and running to allow for C-17 and other large aircrafts to land there. And that’s very important as we continue to obviously get international relief supplies in,» a senior State Department official told reporters in late June.

Currently, one runway is operational at the airport, and one of the first American flights into the airport was carrying forklifts to help get supplies unloaded off future flights, according to the State Department official.

Florida-based Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), one of the leading nonprofits gathering and sending aid to Venezuela, said it aims to deliver 100,000 boxes of supplies monthly for the next three to six months, according to The Associated Press.

U.S soldier drives a wheel loader full of supplies on the Simon Bolivar Airport tarmac on July 6, 2026. (United States Government)

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According to GEM’s website, it has shipped nearly 1 million pounds of aid. This includes over 38,000 hygiene kits, more than 27,000 tents and tarps and 48 generators.

GEM founder and president Michael Capponi told the AP that delivering aid to Venezuela now is a «whole different animal» compared to when he tried to send supplies during the reign of Nicolás Maduro.

Maduro, who was captured and deposed during a U.S.-led raid on Jan. 3, did not allow Capponi into the country.

A U.S. soldier undoes wrapping on Chinese aid to Venezuela on July 6, 2026. (United States Government)

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«We land a private plane, it gets unloaded by U.S. soldiers, it goes in a truck we pay for and to a warehouse that we completely control. It doesn’t touch the hands of the Venezuelan government,» he said.

The State Department said on July 9 that the U.S. government has committed more than $386 million for financial assistance to Venezuela flowing through trusted partner groups. Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign minister announced in late June a $14.72 million commitment for financial and material aid to Venezuela, according to Chinese state-run media.

Nearly two weeks after the earthquakes struck, Chinese state media reported about what they called the first batch of aid arriving to Simon Bolivar International Airport on July 6. State media said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil and Chinese Ambassador to Venezuela Lan Hu received the shipment, said to include tents and generators, at the airport.

In late June, the U.S. also mobilized more than 300 search and rescue personnel throughout the country. The Miami Herald reported last week that those teams left after they «completed their mission.»

Relatives of missing people search for victims amid the rubble of a collapsed building in Caraballeda, La Guaira State, Venezuela on July 13, 2026, following the June 24 twin earthquakes. (Martin Bernetti / AFP via Getty Images)

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As of Tuesday, 4,734 people have died from the earthquakes, according to figures released by the Venezuelan government, cited by Reuters. Additionally, there are at least 16,740 people injured, while nearly 18,000 people are homeless.

The earthquakes have destroyed 190 buildings and damaged over 850, Venezuelan officials told the AP.

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Of the many political crusades the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., undertook, few were as front of mind for him than crippling Russia’s war machine in its conflict with Ukraine.

Yet during the last year-and-a-half of President Donald Trump’s second term, momentum behind a bone-crushing sanctions package against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin would start and stop, with hopes rising and falling for its proponents every few months.

Earlier this year, Graham had similarly gotten a green light from the White House for a different iteration of the package.

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«It’s never going back on the shelf because President Trump believes he needs it,» Graham told Fox News Digital at the time. «I think he needs it.»

Hours before his death, he again got confirmation that the White House supported his and Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s, D-Conn., latest offering.

«Senator Graham and I were told, very authoritatively, literally just a couple of hours before his death, that the White House was OK with this,» Blumenthal said. «We were exalted, he was as exuberant and as over the moon as I’ve ever seen him.»

And on Tuesday, the same day that Graham’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., was sworn in, Blumenthal and a bipartisan group of over a dozen senators unveiled the long-awaited Russia sanctions package.

«I guess I’m going to begin by channeling my inner Lindsey Graham to say, ‘This is a big effing deal,’» Blumenthal said.

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The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 is the culmination of more than a year of work and closed-door negotiations across the aisle and with 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It’s one that this time many senators believe it can pass.

Many of the core aspects of the legislation are the same: direct sanctions on Putin, Russian officials and Russian military leaders, up to 500% tariffs on Russian imports, tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian energy, like China and India, and allowing Trump flexibility for when to turn off some aspects of the sanctions.

Key changes to the newly unveiled package include adding a «national interest certification» for Trump’s sanction waiver authority and incorporating sanctions on the myriad ships and tankers that comprise Russia’s «shadow fleet» hauling energy exports under the radar.

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Hours before Lindsey Graham’s death, the White House backed his Russia sanctions package. (Al Drago/Getty Images)

A source familiar with the negotiations to craft the package noted that «this is the only product that currently has buy-in from everybody.»

«And it’s likely the only product that is going to move forward and put pressure on Russia the way we would all like to see it,» they said.

Still, the political winds in Washington, D.C., can shift at a moment’s notice.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital that he believed «anything is a candidate» to fall victim to external political fights, like Democrats blocking the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) over the Iran war or Republicans fearing another shutdown.

Then there’s the question of what could happen to the package in the House.

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«Anything you send to the House right now probably has the possibility of other things getting attached to it, but I’m hoping, at least over here, there’s some critical mass behind this,» Thune said.

Meanwhile, lawmakers who support the tranche of sanctions view it as a lasting mark of Graham’s legacy in the Senate, and one of the key pieces of work that he left unfinished after his sudden passing on Sunday.

«I’ve known this man for 32 years, and I’m willing to say this is Lindsey Graham’s greatest achievement when it comes to saving lives,» Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said.

American mother Jamey Carney was remembered at her funeral as a devoted parent who had built a happy life in Ireland before her life was violently cut short.

Carney, 43, a New York native who moved to Ireland in 2021 with her teenage daughter, was violently beaten and suffocated in her home in Killarney, County Kerry, last week. A Jordanian failed asylum seeker who was living in Ireland and was romantically involved with Carney was arrested in relation to the case in his home country after fleeing Ireland via Istanbul after her death, according to Irish media.

Mourners gathered at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney to pay their final respects during a service celebrating Carney’s life. The service was livestreamed, allowing friends and family around the world to join in mourning before a private cremation.

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«Today we don’t dwell on Jamey’s death, but we dwell on her life,» Fr. Kieran O’Brien told mourners.

During the service, O’Brien reflected on Carney’s life growing up in New York alongside her sister, Devon, before recalling her «big decision» to move to Killarney—a choice he described as «the best decision of her life.»

He said she and her daughter, Michaela, had found a place they proudly called home, with Michaela settling into school and becoming actively involved in Irish sports.

The priest described Carney as a woman whose «joy radiated» from her, saying she had built a close circle of friends after moving to Killarney and found happiness in simple things. He recalled her love of country music, travel, shopping, going to concerts and spending time with friends.

«She was happy in life and she was happy with life because life was good to her,» he said.

«But her real love in life was you, Michaela,» he added, addressing Carney’s daughter.

«We thank God for Jamey’s life, remembering at all times her joy, and the ray of sunshine that she brought to all of your lives,» he added.

Jamey Carney’s sister Devon, is consoled at the funeral for the 43 year-old at St Mary’s Cathedral, Killarney, Kerry, Ireland, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. The New York native was found dead in her home on July 7. (Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision for Fox News Digital) ( )

Family members carried a series of personal items to the altar celebrating Carney’s life, including photographs of her daughter, Michaela, and her dog, Penny. A cowboy hat symbolizing her love of country music, the passports she and Michaela used to start their new life together in Ireland and an angel statue were also brought forward.

A framed photograph of Carney rested atop her coffin, which was positioned before the altar and draped in a white pall.

As Carney’s coffin departed St. Mary’s Cathedral following the funeral mass, young members of Dr. Crokes GAA Club formed a guard of honor outside the church. Carney’s grieving sister, Devon, wearing a Kerry GAA jersey and clutching a sunflower, was distraught as family members gathered around the hearse.

The service centered on celebrating Carney’s life, her family and the community she built in Ireland rather than the disturbing circumstances surrounding her death and subsequent murder investigation.

Detectives believe Carney was killed around 11 p.m. Monday, roughly 14 hours before her 13-year-old daughter discovered her body at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. By then, the man had traveled roughly 200 miles by bus to Dublin Airport and boarded a flight to Istanbul, according to the Irish Independent.

Irish police have yet to publicly identify the person they want to question in the investigation or release his name, photograph or any physical description.

Irish police confirmed to Fox News Digital they were aware «of the arrest of a male in Jordan by the Jordanian authorities,» but did not identify the man or confirm he was the person of interest in the investigation. Police also confirmed they «have not made any request to the Jordanian authorities for the arrest of any person at this time.»

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Irish media have widely identified the man as the person of interest in the investigation, though Irish police have not publicly confirmed his identity.

Ireland does not have an extradition treaty with Jordan, where the man is being detained, according to the Irish Independent.

Fox News Digital asked Irish police and Ireland’s Department of Justice to confirm reports that the man had previously been refused asylum while appealing that decision. Neither agency confirmed the reports.

The man had been living in state-run accommodation for asylum seekers in Killarney before spending increasing amounts of time at Carney’s home after they became romantically involved, according to the Irish Mirror.

American citizen Jamey Carney, left, was found dead at her home in Killarney, County Kerry, last week. Irish police have launched a murder investigation into her death. (Jamey Carney/Facebook | iStock)

He first arrived in the United Kingdom before traveling through Northern Ireland and eventually settling in County Kerry, according to the Irish Mirror.

His social media accounts contain posts from the United Kingdom and Turkey in recent years.

Meanwhile, the FBI told Fox News Digital it stands ready to assist Irish authorities if requested.

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«Through our Legal Attaché in London, we have strong, established relationships and stand ready to assist in any way that the Irish government may request,» the FBI said in a statement.

The State Department told Fox News Digital it is providing consular assistance to the family.