INTERNACIONAL
Key Trump agency puts top universities in crosshairs over alleged race-based dorm programs
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The Trump administration is opening civil-rights investigations into the University of Connecticut and the University of Minnesota after receiving complaints alleging the schools are operating dorm programs that may be steering students into campus housing services based on race.
The complaints, filed by the Equal Protection Project and obtained by Fox News Digital, accuse UConn of operating three allegedly discriminatory housing programs — ScHOLA²RS House, BSOUL House and La Comunidad Intelectual — promoted toward Black male, Black female and Hispanic students. A separate complaint against the University of Minnesota Twin Cities names four programs — Huntley House, Charlotte’s Home, CASA SOL and Tsev Hmoob — that allegedly are promoted toward Black male, Black female, Hispanic and Hmong American students.
According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the programs potentially violate the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and constitutional equal-protection guarantees by steering students toward or away from dormitory housing programs – which also include student support services – based on race, color or national origin, even when the universities say the programs are «open to all.»
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Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner said his agency will move to an English-only model following President Donald Trump’s executive order designating English as the official language of the United States. (GETTY IMAGES/FOX NEWS)
«Unlawful discrimination cannot be allowed to poison American communities or separate members of our next generation —especially in college and university housing,» Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement to Fox News Digital. «Every student has the right to learn and live in an educational environment free from illegal and divisive DEI. Unlike the Biden Administration, the Trump Administration does not play favorites. Every American deserves the law’s protection, and any institution of higher education that engages in unlawful housing discrimination will be held accountable.»
Both universities denied engaging in discriminatory housing practices.
A University of Minnesota spokesperson told Fox News Digital the school wasn’t aware of the probe from HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, but argued the school’s programs are compliant with «federal regulations, guidelines and anti-discrimination laws.» HUD confirmed to Fox News Digital it sent notice of the investigation to the university ahead of publication.
«The University’s Living Learning Communities are open to all students, regardless of race or ethnicity, which is clearly stated on our website,» the spokesperson said. «The University is diligent in its compliance with federal regulations, guidelines and anti-discrimination laws.»
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However, the Equal Protection Project’s complaint cited by HUD appeared to anticipate UMN’s defense, arguing that the school’s «open to all» disclaimer does not resolve the alleged problem because the university still «expressly defines and markets» the residential communities around race or ethnicity.
«Such perfunctory non-discrimination language does not cure the racial steering violation,» the complaint says.
The Washington Ave. bridge on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 2, 2022. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
The complaint points to UMN materials describing Huntley House as a community «designed for Black men,» Charlotte’s House as «designed for Black women,» CASA SOL as «designed for Latinx students» and Tsev Hmoob as «designed for Hmong American students,» all of which provide housing and programmatic benefits including peer mentoring, academic support, community events and shared residential space for selected students.
The complaint also alleges UMN added its «open to all» language to at least three of the programs sometime after March 17, 2026, based on internet archive history, and argues that the late-added disclaimer does not cure the alleged violation. Instead, the complaint says, the added language suggests the university was aware its race-based descriptions and opens them to legal liability.
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Meanwhile, UConn also denied discriminating in campus housing.
«UConn does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, or any other aspect of identity, including in our on-campus housing,» a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
«UConn is home to nearly 20 different interdisciplinary living and learning communities within on-campus housing, all of which are organized around students who may have similar interests, backgrounds, or academic pursuits, including the three that were specifically named,» the spokesperson continued. «However, these communities are open to all students and no student is denied access to these communities based on their identity.»
But the Equal Protection Project complaint cited by HUD in conjunction with its new probe argues that UConn’s housing programs, which also offer student support services, may still amount to unlawful racial steering even if students outside the named groups are not formally barred.
UConn’s housing descriptions for ScHOLA²RS House, BSOUL House and La Comunidad Intelectual, the complaint alleged, have been promoted in a manner that could signal to other students that the housing programs are not intended for them. The complaint points specifically to the schools’ promotional materials and social media posts, arguing the housing the programs’ titles, descriptions and imagery are likely to steer non-Black or non-Hispanic students away from applying, regardless of whether UConn intended to discriminate.
The University of Connecticut, Hartford campus on April 1, 2026. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public via Getty Images)
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«This information steers individuals (‘ordinary readers’) towards and away from dormitory housing based on these preferences in violation of the FHA,» the complaint against UConn states, adding that the allegation holds «even if UConn in fact has no discriminatory intent.»
The complaint highlights how UConn’s learning communities allow students to live together while participating in shared academic courses, mentoring and co-curricular programming, and says the named programs also promote support including academic and social or emotional support, research opportunities, professional development, seminar courses, events and shared community space.
«When parents entrust their children to universities, they expect these institutions to cultivate independent thinkers who will engage with life’s permanent questions, pursue truth, beauty, and goodness, and carry forward the great intellectual, moral, and cultural inheritance of Western civilization,» Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig Trainor told Fox News Digital.
«Too often, however, these young Americans arrive on campus only to be steered toward racially segregated housing arrangements that divide students, create unequal experiences, and betray the core principles of a classical liberal education,» he concluded. «We will fully investigate the allegations against the University of Connecticut and the University of Minnesota to determine if they are, in fact, violating the Fair Housing Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.»
dei, college, housing, individual rights, investigations, politics, executive
Six US hostages currently held in Iran
Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin highlights the precarious situation of six Americans held hostage in Iran, including Kamran Hekmati and journalist Reza Valizadeh.
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Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who has been held in a Russian prison since 2022, could be close to death, advocacy groups representing his family warned Thursday.
They also say Gilman is being fed through a tube after falling into a catatonic-like state.
Hostage advocacy groups and Gilman’s sister indicated the former service member may have been tortured and injected with mind-altering drugs before falling into a stupor in June, Reuters reported.
Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, an advocacy group representing Gilman’s family, told Fox News Digital that Gilman has been unable to eat on his own for more than six weeks.
US PILOT AND INFLUENCER RELEASED FROM CHILEAN ANTARCTIC DETENTION 2 MONTHS AFTER ALLEGED UNAUTHORIZED LANDING
Gilman’s legal troubles escalated since his 2022 arrest for a train disturbance while he was traveling to replace his passport. (Reuters/Vladimir Lavrov)
Gilman was transferred in late June from a prison hospital to the psychiatric ward of a civilian emergency hospital in Voronezh after entering what was assessed as a «dissociative stupor,» Lebson said.
«For the past 46 days, he has been fed through a tube,» Lebson added.
«The Russians have not been responsive,» he said before adding that the Russians have also «not allowed his mother to see him, which raises our level of concern that something serious has now happened.»
Lebson said the Russian hospital also barred his mother from visiting him despite a judicial order allowing her to see her son.
«She flew to Russia, and they are not allowing her to come and do what is needed to get him out of a stupor,» Lebson said.
«His mother and lawyer have been prohibited from seeing him since he was moved to the civilian hospital 46 days ago.»
NATIONAL GUARDSMAN ACCUSED OF SEEKING TO SEND PHOTOS OF SENSITIVE MILITARY TECHNOLOGY TO RUSSIA
Robert Gilman now faces 10 years total after a Voronezh court adds two more years for allegedly attacking guards. (Reuters/Vladimir Lavrov)
According to Lebson, the White House and the State Department have urged Moscow to release Gilman so he can receive urgent medical treatment in the United States.
«The State Department and the National Security Council have been very actively engaged in communication about the need for Robert to be released on an emergency basis,» he clarified.
Another advocacy group following the case also expressed concern for Gilmam’s safety.
«It doesn’t seem like he’s getting the care he needs, and we are very concerned for his life and safety,» Elizabeth Richards, director of hostage advocacy and research at the Foley Foundation, which has tracked Gilman’s case, told Reuters.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised Gilman’s case with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting in Manila July 23, according to Reuters.
Gilman is one of at least 10 Americans known to be imprisoned in Russia.
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The former U.S. Marine got two more years in Russian prison for assault. (Reuters/Vladimir Lavrov)
«We are deeply concerned about Robert Gilman’s health and continued detention,» the State Department said in a statement.
«I am more afraid for my brother than I have been since this horrible nightmare started,» Gilman’s sister, Lexie Hudson, said in a statement.
«I’m worried that I may never see him again if the Russians don’t release him. I’m worried that he could die.»
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Gilman, of Dracut, Massachusetts, was first arrested in January 2022 after fellow train passengers reported he was intoxicated and causing a disturbance while traveling from Sochi to Moscow to replace a damaged passport.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 22, 2026. (Eloisa Lopez/Pool Photo via AP)
He was convicted later that year of assaulting a police officer and sentenced to 3½ years in prison. Gilman later told the court he believed his drink had been spiked.
His legal troubles escalated while in custody after he was convicted in separate incidents involving altercations with prison staff and an investigator.
In December, Russian state media reported that a regional court extended Gilman’s sentence, bringing his total prison term to 10 years.
Vladimir Gilman, Robert’s father, previously said the family asked the State Department in March 2023 to designate his son as wrongfully detained, a status that would make securing his release a top U.S. government priority.
In a statement, a senior administration official told Fox News Digital that President Trump’s administration is «closely tracking Mr. Gilman’s case and has made repeated, concerted outreach to the Russians calling for his return to the United States.»
russia, world, fox news media, human rights, military
Las fuerzas de seguridad de España analizan los numerosos mensajes que circulan en los últimos días en las redes sociales marroquíes en los que se llama a una nueva entrada masiva en Ceuta para el próximo 15 de agosto, después de la catastrófica llegada de inmigrantes de la semana pasada que dejó un saldo de al menos 141 muertos.
Redes sociales como Facebook, Instagram o TikTok se volvieron a llenar de mensajes con lemas como «15/08» o «al-hajma» (la ofensiva, la embestida). La fronteriza Fnideq (Castillejos) aparece como punto de partida.
«Nos vemos allí todos», convocan los mensajes que reproducen dibujos con la bandera de España, relojes de arena y olas o nadadores. A la par, también se replicaban memes y videos que mostraban cómo miles de migrantes entraban por los controles fronterizos.
Según indicaron a la agencia EFE fuentes policiales, las fuerzas de seguridad españolas siguen desde hace días ese fenómeno y estudian los mensajes que toman con mucha precaución.
Y es así porque, de hecho, la procedencia de esos mensajes podría traspasar las fronteras de España y de Marruecos. Es decir, no descartan que el origen esté en otros países y que, incluso, el número de seguidores o ‘likes’ esté manipulado.
Pese a ello, el dispositivo policial desplegado en Ceuta se va a mantener en los próximos días, dijeron las fuentes, que se inclinaron más por otro episodio de desinformación que por una posibilidad real de que se produzca ese intento de entrada.
El delegado del Gobierno en Ceuta, Miguel Ángel Pérez, ya confirmó, por su parte, que el Ejecutivo sigue de cerca los mensajes en redes sociales que llaman a un nuevo intento de entrada el próximo día 15 y aseguró que ya se trabaja para estar preparados ante esa posibilidad.
Hace unos días, el diario El País de España había recopilado al menos cinco grupos de Facebook y WhatsApp, que reunían unos 400 mil miembros, en los que se intercambiaban mensajes con consejos para cruzar, tipos de balsas pateras, riesgos en el mar y pedidos de familiares para encontrar a quienes siguen desaparecidos.
“Nos vemos allí el día 15. Estad a la hora”, “yo subo desde Marrakech hasta el norte para vivir ese día”, decían algunos mensajes en grupos.
Este jueves, coincidiendo con ese repunte de publicaciones, el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de España, José Manuel Albares, pidió a los usuarios de redes sociales que «no se dejen engañar por información falsa».
En un mensaje en X, el ministro insistió en que «entrar irregularmente en Ceuta o Melilla no permite permanecer en España o llegar al continente europeo».
Las redes jugaron un papel fundamental como efecto llamada para la movilización de la semana pasada con mensajes como «la puerta de Ceuta está abierta», «hoy es el día» o «Venid», que llevaron a creer a decenas de miles de personas que el cruce a España estaba abierto y podrían quedarse en territorio español.
También este jueves, la Comisión Europea afirmó que está vigilando estrechamente las redes sociales de cara a esa convocatoria del día 15 y señaló que canales vinculados a Rusia han amplificado la crisis migratoria desde el 30 de julio.
«Mantenemos la atención plena antes, durante y después del 15 de agosto, porque esta es la fecha que se ha mencionado en redes sociales como un posible nuevo intento de cruzar la frontera«, afirmó el portavoz comunitario de Interior, Guillaume Mercier, en una rueda de prensa.
No obstante, la portavoz de la Comisión Arianna Podestà insistió en que «muchos de los informes que circulan no están verificados» y que existe «un panorama poco claro» sobre lo que ocurre actualmente en la zona, por lo que se mantiene un contacto estrecho con las autoridades españolas y marroquíes.
En su intervención este jueves ante una comisión del Parlamento Europeo, el presidente de Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, sostuvo que estos mensajes sobre lo que podría ocurrir el próximo 15 de agosto es «la prueba palmaria de que Ceuta vive angustiada».
INTERNACIONAL
El-Sayed win kicks Democrats’ Midwest ideological battle into high gear — and some Dems fear November fallout
Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong pressed on past far-left comments
Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong defends her past controversial social media posts during an interview with Dana Perino. Hong discusses her support for defunding police, abolishing ICE and her socialist platform. Recent polling shows Hong trailing her Republican opponent Tom Tiffany by three percentage points as campaign finance reports reveal a massive fundraising gap between the candidates.
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The battle between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the ideological future of the Democratic Party is staying put in the Midwest.
After far-left candidate Abdul El-Sayed narrowly edged out more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens this week in battleground Michigan’s high-stakes Democratic Senate primary, the spotlight now shifts to nomination showdowns next week in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
At stake: a top-tier Senate showdown in Minnesota that’s among a dozen races nationwide that will determine if the Democrats can win back control of the chamber from the GOP, and a gubernatorial face-off in crucial swing-state Wisconsin where Republicans are aiming to flip the governor’s mansion.
«Michigan proved that working people are ready for something different, and Wisconsin is next,» Democratic candidate for governor Francesca Hong wrote following El-Sayed’s victory.
EL-SAYED’S VICTORY GIVES DEMOCRATS’ LEFTWARD LURCH MORE LEGS
Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks during a primary election night event Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at the Majestic Theatre in Detroit. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Hong, a state representative and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member, is the polling frontrunner in a Democratic gubernatorial nomination showdown that’s been rocked this summer after two major contenders dropped out and another candidate re-entered the race.
The primary winner will likely face off in the general election with Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, the overwhelming polling and fundraising frontrunner for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, in the race to succeed Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who decided against running for a third term.
Hong, a former chef, is backed by top nationally known progressives, including Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ro Khanna of California, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender.
She is running on a platform that includes guaranteed paid leave and a one-year moratorium in Wisconsin on building AI data centers. Hong has faced scrutiny over years-old social media posts calling for defunding and abolishing the police. Hong says she no longer supports cutting police budgets or abolishing police departments.
MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS
Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong listens to Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speak before being introduced during a campaign rally on Aug. 2, 2026 in Milwaukee. (Joshua Lott/Getty Images)
But Hong’s made national headlines in recent days over a resurfaced 2020 social media post that the country should «cancel Thanksgiving» in order to «stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed Indegenous folx [sic.] and women.» It’s a comment she has since walked back amid backlash, and now says that Thanksgiving is her «favorite holiday.»
There’s a growing number of moderate Democrats who worry that if Hong captures the gubernatorial nomination, as many expect, it will give Tiffany a big boost in his bid to flip the governor’s office.
A Wisconsin-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely argued with Hong at the top of the ticket, «it will hurt Democrats down ballot, in key congressional and legislative races» in the Midwestern battleground.
In Minnesota, which also holds primaries next Tuesday, the Democratic Party’s civil war is also on display as progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and more moderate Rep. Angie Craig are the top two contenders battling for the party’s nomination. The current senator, Democrat Tina Smith, is retiring at the end of this year.
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Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, is one of the top two contenders for the Democratic Senate nomination in the state’s Aug. 11, 2026 primary. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
A primary victory by Flanagan, who is backed by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, may boost the GOP hopes of flipping the seat in a blue-leaning but competitive state.
Michigan’s primary came in the wake of left-wing victories in Democratic primaries this spring and earlier this summer in deep blue congressional districts across the country, including in New York City and Denver, and in the extended race for Maine’s Democratic Senate nomination.
More than $80 million was spent on the Michigan Senate primary, making it the most expensive Democratic Senate nomination contest in history. Much of the money came from outside groups supporting Stevens or opposing El-Sayed. The largest spender was United Democracy Project, a political action committee aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is best known by its acronym AIPAC.
Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a leading group on the left, referred to El-Sayed’s narrow margin over Stevens and told Fox News Digital that «any win against $60 million dollars of outside spending by AIPAC and corporate interests is a giant win and sets us on a path of proving our case in November to shake up the system.»
El-Sayed’s razor-thin win was accompanied by two other progressive victories.
William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement climate advocacy group, edged out two more moderate Democrats in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, a Republican-controlled swing seat that is among roughly two dozen races expected to help determine control of the House.
Lawrence, who was backed by Sanders and El-Sayed as well as several prominent progressive groups, will face Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in the general election.
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State Rep. Donovan McKinney, a Democratic congressional candidate in Michigan, speaks at a campaign event in Detroit, Michigan on August 2, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )
And in Michigan’s heavily Democratic 13th Congressional District, Rep. Shri Thanedar, who was supported by top House Democratic leaders, was narrowly defeated by state Rep. Donovan McKinney. McKinney was backed by Sanders, El-Sayed and «Squad» members Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.
There was a setback for the far-left: DSA member and former Squad member former Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri was crushed by Democratic Rep. Wesley Bell in their rematch, as she unsuccessfully tried to win back her old seat in Congress representing St. Louis.
But El-Sayed’s victory and the potential wins by the left next week are further fueling the ongoing Republican push to characterize all Democrats on the ballot in the midterms as far left radicals, or as President Donald Trump calls them, «communists.»
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Vice President JD Vance, in an interview Wednesday on Fox News «The Ingraham Angle,» argued that «the base of the Democratic Party just wants radicals. It wants these DSA types, it wants people who hate even the idea of private property ownership.»
Whether the GOP messaging is effective will be answered on Election Night, in November’s midterms.
state and local primaries, midterm elections, socialism, democrats elections, michigan, wisconsin, minnesota
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