INTERNACIONAL
Graham reportedly refused medical help before scheduled TV appearance
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a key GOP foreign policy voice, has died at 71. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, including Sens. Chris Coons and Cory Booker, along with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, remember his enduring legacy. South Carolina Rep. Sheri Biggs discusses his career and the upcoming special primary election to fill his seat.
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The late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., reportedly wanted to hold off getting medical assistance until after his scheduled appearance on NBC’s «Meet the Press.»
In what could have been his final conversation, Graham, who suddenly died at 71 years old after a «brief and sudden illness,» told a person that he was feeling unwell, Axios reported. When the person pushed the lawmaker to get medical attention, he reportedly said that he’d do so after his TV hit.
After he held a call with President Donald Trump, Graham, in what could have been his final conversation before his sudden passing, told an unnamed source that he was feeling unwell, Axios reported. When the source pushed the lawmaker to get medical attention, he reportedly said he’d wait until after his «Meet the Press» appearance on Sunday.
«I can’t die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization,» Graham said, according to the report.
LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS BOOKED FOR 64TH ‘MEET THE PRESS’ APPEARANCE BEFORE SUDDEN DEATH
Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks during the demonstration for human rights in Iran at Theresienwiese during the 62nd Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, 2026, in Munich, Germany. (Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images)
Graham’s office released a preliminary cause of death on Sunday evening that found the longtime lawmaker had died from «aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.»
Aortic dissection is when a tear occurs in the inner wall of the aorta, the body’s main artery, and is a life-threatening medical emergency.
«The death certificate will be PENDING until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,» Graham’s office said.
MEDICAL EXAMINER RELEASES PRELIMINARY FINDINGS IN LINDSEY GRAHAM’S DEATH AS DEATH CERTIFICATE REMAINS PENDING
President Donald Trump had believed he may have been the last person to speak with Graham before his death.
«I don’t know exactly, but I got a message about 1 in the morning from one of the people in his office that he had passed away. I said, ‘I just can’t believe it,’» Trump told NBC’s «Meet the Press.» «He was like a member of the family to me. It’s very tough, actually.»
One of Graham’s top priorities before his death was laying the groundwork to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel — one of his many forays into foreign affairs in the region.
GRAHAM’S DEATH IGNITES GOP SCRAMBLE FOR SENATE SEAT AS TRUMP HINTS HE ALREADY HAS A FAVORITE
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., traveled with Graham overseas. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
He had just come from Ukraine, and had renewed backing from the White House for one of his other top priorities — levying bone-crushing sanctions against Russia to cripple its war machine.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who traveled with Graham overseas, said in a statement on Saturday that his death should spur the passage of their Russia sanctions package.
«There can be no more fitting memorial to Lindsey, his legacy or the causes he fought for than to pass this legislation and realize his long-held dream of an independent and secure Ukraine,» Shaheen said.
With the Senate’s scheduled return on Monday, the lawmaker’s death leaves a power vacuum in the upper chamber and a scramble behind the scenes to replace him in South Carolina.
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Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., are both eyeing the seat and possible bids for the GOP nomination in the forthcoming special election. First, however, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has to appoint someone to fill the seat for the remainder of the year.
It also possibly jeopardizes elements of Trump’s agenda, including the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), nominations and his coveted SAVE America Act, which Graham strongly supported.
politics, lindsey graham, health, senate elections, ukraine
INTERNACIONAL
Fiscalía pide un año de prisión preventiva para hijos del narcotraficante costarricense “Pecho de Rata”
La Fiscalía Adjunta de Legitimación de Capitales y Persecución Patrimonial solicitó un año de prisión preventiva para 37 de los imputados en el caso Riverside, entre ellos cuatro hijos de Edwin López Vega, alias “Pecho de Rata”, señalado como el presunto líder de una organización criminal dedicada al tráfico nacional e internacional de drogas y al lavado de dinero.
La petición fue presentada luego de que el Ministerio Público concluyera la exposición de las pruebas durante la audiencia de medidas cautelares, un proceso que se ha prolongado por más de siete semanas debido a la magnitud del expediente y al elevado número de personas investigadas.
Ahora corresponderá a los abogados defensores presentar sus alegatos antes de que el Juzgado Penal de Limón resuelva si acoge o no la solicitud fiscal.
De acuerdo con la investigación, la organización criminal habría continuado operando incluso después de que López Vega fuera extraditado a Estados Unidos en marzo de este año, tras permanecer detenido desde mediados de 2025.
La Fiscalía sostiene que la estructura quedó bajo el mando de los hijos de “Pecho de Rata”, quienes habrían asumido funciones de coordinación dentro de la presunta organización dedicada al abastecimiento de marihuana y cocaína para diferentes grupos criminales del país, además de exportar cargamentos de droga y blanquear las ganancias obtenidas mediante esas actividades ilícitas.
Entre los imputados también destacan un hombre de apellido Spencer, quien presuntamente era el responsable de la logística marítima utilizada para el transporte de estupefacientes, y dos personas de apellido Botti, señaladas como supuestos encargados del tráfico de drogas.
La solicitud de prisión preventiva alcanza a personas de apellidos Calero, López, Vaz, Cameron, Mc Lean, Wray, Pizarro, Angulo, Martínez, Lara, Mena, Kelly, Scoby, Sojo, León, Marchena, Botti, Pinnock, Ardón, Coto, Romero, Gordon, Collado, Córdoba, Spencer, Marín, Corrales, Slack, Segura, Gutrie y Weir, entre otros.
Mientras tanto, otras 17 personas investigadas permanecerán en libertad bajo medidas cautelares. Entre las restricciones impuestas por la Fiscalía figuran la prohibición de salir del país, la obligación de firmar una vez al mes ante las autoridades judiciales, mantener un domicilio fijo y abstenerse de tener contacto con los demás integrantes de la presunta organización criminal.
El Ministerio Público explicó que esas medidas fueron determinadas luego de valorar los riesgos procesales y el nivel de participación atribuido a cada uno de los sospechosos.
Además, advirtió que cualquier incumplimiento de las condiciones impuestas podría provocar la revocatoria de esas medidas y el eventual dictado de prisión preventiva.
La audiencia se desarrolla en el auditorio del Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), debido a la cantidad de personas involucradas en el expediente. La utilización de ese espacio ha generado algunos retrasos, ya que el recinto también había sido reservado para otras actividades institucionales, como graduaciones y grabaciones, lo que obligó a realizar coordinaciones logísticas adicionales.
La diligencia es dirigida por la jueza Alejandra Rojas, del Juzgado Penal de Limón.
La operación Riverside, ejecutada el 23 de junio, es considerada por las autoridades como el mayor operativo realizado en la historia del OIJ contra una organización dedicada al narcotráfico y la legitimación de capitales.
Según las investigaciones, la estructura movilizaba cocaína y marihuana desde Colombia mediante embarcaciones que desembarcaban en la zona de Cahuita, en Limón, para posteriormente distribuir la droga dentro del país y enviarla a otros mercados.
Las pesquisas también permitieron identificar un patrimonio de aproximadamente ₡10,000 millones (USD 22 millones) que las autoridades consideran de origen presuntamente ilícito.
El expediente además incluye investigaciones por presuntos vínculos con el exmagistrado Celso Gamboa y menciona la supuesta participación de figuras públicas, entre ellas cantantes, exfutbolistas y modelos, aspecto que continúa bajo investigación.
Asimismo, el OIJ determinó que, pese a encontrarse privado de libertad antes de su extradición, “Pecho de Rata” habría continuado dirigiendo las op2weraciones de la organización desde el centro penal La Reforma mediante teléfonos celulares que, presuntamente, le eran facilitados de forma ilegal por funcionarios penitenciarios.
La investigación también señala que López Vega fungía como uno de los principales proveedores logísticos de droga para Alejandro Arias Monge, alias “Diablo”, uno de los criminales más buscados por las autoridades costarricenses.
pecho de rata,narcotraficante,extradicion,costa rica,estados unidos,prision
INTERNACIONAL
Mexican cartel boss linked to influencer’s livestreamed murder arrested, officials say
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The alleged leader of a violent Mexican criminal cell has been arrested in connection with the assassination of a mayor, while authorities say the case also produced new evidence linking his organization to the livestreamed killing of a 23-year-old influencer.
Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, also known as «El R-1,» was taken into custody during a joint military and law enforcement operation, officials said.
Mexican authorities identified him as the leader of Los Rs, a criminal cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG.
Officials allege Álvarez Ayala ordered and financed the November 2025 assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo. His criminal cell was also linked to the May 2025 killing of beauty influencer Valeria Márquez, whose former boyfriend is Álvarez Ayala’s son, according to authorities.
‘NARCO-TERRORIST’ FAMILY MEMBERS TARGETED IN RUBIO’S LATEST VISA CRACKDOWN
Mexican special security forces are seen alongside Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala after he was arrested. (SSPC – Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana)
Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced details of the investigation a day after the arrest.
«‘El R-1’ is identified as the main leader of Los Rs, one of the most violent criminal cells linked to the CJNG, with operations in Apatzingán, Uruapan and Morelia, Michoacán, as well as in Jalisco,» García Harfuch said in a statement posted on X.
«This organization is involved in extortion, murders and drug trafficking, directly affecting producers, business owners and families in the region,» he added.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Márquez, a popular TikTok creator with more than 100,000 followers, was shot and killed while livestreaming from her beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco.
SLAIN TIKTOK INFLUENCER’S EX BEGGED FOR YEARS TO LEAVE HUSBAND SHE OUTED AS ACCUSED PEDOPHILE
Mexican authorities say Álvarez Ayala ordered the May 2025 murder of popular beauty influencer Valeria Márquez. (@v___marquez/via Instagram)
At the time, the killing was being investigated as a femicide, a gender-based crime under Mexican law.
Video appeared to show a man entering the salon, asking, «Are you Valeria?» before handing Márquez a gift.
The man then allegedly shot her in the chest and head. Márquez collapsed on camera before another person ended the livestream, the video appeared to show.
García Harfuch said the killing was linked to Francisco, who allegedly threatened Márquez several times after their relationship ended.
«This criminal cell allegedly participated under his orders in coordinating multiple violent acts in the region. Among them is the tragic feminicide of Valeria Márquez, which occurred in May 2025 in Zapopan, Jalisco, a crime linked to Francisco, the victim’s former partner and Ramón Ángel’s son,» García Harfuch said.
DISPATCHER HEARD ‘LOUD BANG’ BEFORE TIKTOK INFLUENCER WHO OUTED ALLEGED PEDOPHILE HUSBAND FOUND DEAD: AUDIO
Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, a top figure in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) known as «El R-1,» was taken into custody following a joint military and law enforcement operation. (SSPC – Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana)
«With yesterday’s arrest, we learned that R-1’s son had a romantic relationship with Valeria. He had threatened her on several occasions and everything indicates, and this will be proven, that the son asked his father, R-1, to carry out the feminicide,» he said, according to reports.
Álvarez Ayala is now in custody, while Francisco remains at large. Jalisco authorities have also arrested another man accused of participating in Márquez’s killing.
In addition to Márquez’s killing, Álvarez Ayala is accused of financing and orchestrating the assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who was shot during Day of the Dead celebrations in November 2025.
Manzo had been an outspoken critic of organized crime and worked to root out corruption within the local police force.
Authorities have arrested 31 people in connection with Manzo’s killing, García Harfuch said.
Álvarez Ayala is being held at the Altiplano maximum-security prison while federal prosecutors pursue charges. Investigations into both killings are ongoing.
The Treasury Department said the CJNG was «one of the most powerful cartels in the world» and imposed sanctions on more than 50 individuals and entities in Mexico linked to the organization in July.
organized crime, mexican cartel violence, world, mexico, assassinations murders
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s game plan for government-run grocery stores faced criticism Monday after a city official told reporters a «library-card-esque system» may be employed to prevent abuse of the 30% discounted markets.
Mamdani took a question from a reporter who asked about preventing bulk purchases of groceries at the artificial discount from being re-sold at MSRP or higher.
The mayor responded that the government grocery Request-for-Proposal makes clear «this is a program for New Yorkers to be able to put food on the table, not a program for people to be able to make a quick buck through reselling. I’m going to pass it over to our EDC head, Jeanny Pak, to add some additional details.»
MAMDANI’S CITY GROCERY PLAN COULD LEAVE TAXPAYERS PAYING FOR EVERY BANANA
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani holds up bananas as he speaks at a food distribution center on July 27, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
It was Pak’s follow-up that raised eyebrows, given Mamdani and many Democrats’ staunch opposition to voter ID and Republicans’ SAVE America Act moving through Congress.
«[W]e are looking to make sure that we target New Yorkers, whether it be a sort of a library card-esque thing, and also we manage who’s buying and that is focused on everyday New Yorkers,» Pak said.
«So, we are mindful of that, and so we’re going to make sure that we have all the things in place to ensure that that does not happen.»
SEN MARK WARNER CALLED OUT IN ABC INTERVIEW FOR INACCURATE VOTER ID CLAIMS
When asked about the apparent divergence between Pak’s response referencing a possible ID card-type system and opposition to voter ID, a Mamdani spokesperson said it was an apples-to-oranges contrast.
«Comparisons to voter ID laws or the SAVE Act simply do not apply. This is not an identification system, nor is it a mechanism to verify who someone is, where they live, or how much they earn,» Mamdani’s spokesperson said.
«It is a practical inventory management tool to ensure affordable groceries remain available for the people who need them instead of being cleared off shelves for resale.»
EXPERTS SCORCH MAMDANI’S GROCERY PLAN AS AN ‘ILLUSION’ THAT WILL HAVE TAXPAYERS FOOTING THE BILL
The spokesperson pointed to the mayor’s comments specifically regarding bulk-buying concerns, saying that was the premise of the reporter’s question — not whether people from Pennsylvania, New Jersey or upstate New York would be able to shop at the subsidized outlets.
«To be absolutely clear: NYC Grocery stores will be open to everyone,» the spokesperson said.
«There will be no system to verify identity, residency, or income, and no one will be asked to show ID to shop.»
Instead of an «ID,» the spokesperson said the stores may employ a «customer card» similar to loyalty programs at other grocers like ShopRite, Food Lion or Weis.
The «customer card» would be designed by the «private operator» of the city-run store to «help manage supply and prevent people from buying large quantities of discounted staples for resale» and is strictly intended to «make sure the savings reach families putting food on the table.»
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La Marqueta, a Latino marketplace in East Harlem, is chosen as the site of the first city-owned grocery store announced by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, on April 14, 2026. (Kendall Rodriguez/Newsday RM/Getty Images)
Customers will not need to apply through City Hall or any agency, the spokesperson added.
Critics were unconvinced.
«ID for government cheese,» said Philadelphia radio host Rich Zeoli.
«After all, we have to make sure no one crosses the border and if they do, the police will be called. So it’s good to see Mamdani now supports ID (just not for voting), border control, and law enforcement,» Zeoli tweeted.
Former Texas congressional candidate Nick Plumb commented on X that «Mamdani wants to protect taxpayer funded grocery store[s] from non-NYC residents they’ll need an ID card to enter. You can[t] make this up.»
Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a supporter of voter ID who also opposed the Old Dominion’s recent failed attempt to redraw congressional lines to Democrats’ advantage, also criticized the mayor.
«So let me get this straight: Taxpayer-funded grocery store? Better show a valid ID or you can’t buy milk,» Miyares said.
«Voting for the people who decide how those taxes get spent? A valid ID is somehow ‘racist’ and ‘oppressive’. Unbelievable,» he said.
When asked whether the mayor’s office believed the loyalty card system constituted a form of identification, a Mamdani spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to a paragraph in the Request for Proposal (RFP) that prospective store operators must follow:
«The Operator(s) will create a voluntary free-to-access membership card program to monitor sales activity, and implement the discount program and any associated demand management measures. The savings card shall not be required for physical access to N.Y.C. Groceries site(s) and shall be made easily available to any individual requesting one,» the section read.
«Make it make sense,» added FOX News host Sean Hannity.
New York Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney added: «So ID for government grocery stores to stop people abusing the system is fine, but requiring ID to vote not? Got it.»
SAVE Act supporter Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., added on X that the hypocrisy must «stop.»
«Democrats: Are fighting to ensure you don’t have to show an ID before voting in our elections. Also Democrats: Want you to show an ID before entering a supermarket.»
«Oh, the irony is too much,» said X CEO Elon Musk.
zohran mamdani, state and local, domestic policies, grocery deals, new york city, socialism, voter fraud concerns, voting
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