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State Department reveals plan to deliver ‘life-saving’ meals to 1.4M starving children

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FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. State Department and Secretary Marco Rubio punched back at claims that contracts providing Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs) have been halted and affirmed the agency will continue its commitment to «delivering critical humanitarian aid.»

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«As USAID transitions under the State Department, our commitment to delivering critical humanitarian aid remains steadfast and aligned with America’s foreign policy priorities,» a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. 

«We are proud to continue working with our local partners to deliver life-saving ready-to-use therapeutic food. Most recently, an additional $50 million in RUTFs was approved. This is enough to nourish over one million of the world’s most vulnerable children.»

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RUFTs’ contracts and operations were previously overseen by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). However, oversight now lies with the State Department after USAID merged into the agency in February, largely influenced by then-Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk

Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing to examine the president’s proposed budget request for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of State on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

RUTFs are pre-packaged, nutrient-rich, ready-to-eat meals that help prevent malnutrition, mainly in children. Some countries even refer to RUTFs as a form of medicine. 

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The State Department’s comments come after Secretary Rubio faced questions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill in a May hearing, when Democratic Rep. Gabe Amo of Rhode Island confronted Rubio in a heated exchange, saying the agency was intentionally «freezing» RUTF aid to countries in need. 

«You need to figure out why they’re not moving, because it isn’t an impediment for us,» Rubio fired back. 

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Susan Schorr holds an anti-Elon Musk sign and an American flag in protest in front of the headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development on Feb. 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Susan Schorr holds an anti-Elon Musk sign and an American flag in protest in front of the headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development on Feb. 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Amo responded, «No, you need to figure [that] out, sir,» and said that the secretary «refused to make» a commitment to ensuring effective RUTF distribution. 

«We’re going to continue to do food aid,» Rubio answered. «We’re going to do more food aid than any other country on the planet, times 10.»

A source at the State Department revealed to Fox News Digital that key partnerships with non-profit RUTF producers, MANA and Edesia, have been active since March 2. Additionally, 1.4 million boxes of RUTFs were approved on May 26.

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Fox also obtained an internal document and action memorandum for Jeremy Lewin, a former DOGE employee now overseeing the transition of merging USAID with the State Department, from USAID’s Dianna Darney de Salcedo. The document called for urgent approval to move food commodities and RUFTs that were stored in warehouses to be shipped for use. 

USAID building

A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development sign from their headquarters on Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

The sensitive but unclassified document also revealed a request to approve a new Title II award, valued at $35 million, which sources say was several times less than initially estimated, to cover the costs of warehouses, shipping overseas, transporting inland, programming and distribution.  

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Fox News Digital spoke to MANA CEO Mark Moore, who outlined a detailed timeline of RUTF federal contract negotiations and the challenges the non-profit faced as USAID merged into the State Department at the beginning of 2025.

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At one point, before the State Department and the Trump administration proposed contracts in May, Moore told Fox News, «We’re all looking at June and July running out of these old contracts and saying we’re just going to have to close the doors.» He noted that «if this new order didn’t come out, we’d really be screwed going into the summer.»

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«It is trending the right way, and we’re thrilled,» Moore added. 

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Fox News Digital reached out to Rep. Gabe Amo and Edesia but did not receive a response. 

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Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

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El metrocable movilizará hasta 7,000 pasajeros por hora entre la Zacamil y el Centro Histórico de San Salvador

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El ministro de Obras Públicas, Romeo Rodríguez, detalló que en las estaciones de metrocable se contará con locales comerciales. /(Secretaría de Prensa de la Presidencia)

El metrocable que se construye en San Salvador prevé transportar hasta 7,000 pasajeros por hora en ambos sentidos, beneficiando a unas 200,000 personas de la zona de Mejicanos y áreas cercanas. Según detalló el ministro de Obras Públicas y de Transporte, Romeo Rodríguez, en la entrevista Frente a Frente de Telecorporación Salvadoreña, la obra se extiende por 3.5 kilómetros desde la colonia Zacamil hasta el Centro Histórico de San Salvador.

El ministro explicó que el proyecto tendrá cuatro estaciones: la primera en la colonia Zacamil sobre la 5a. avenida Norte, la segunda frente a la Universidad de El Salvador, la tercera en el sector del Centro de Gobierno y la última en la calle Rubén Darío, cerca del Hospital 1 de Mayo. “Con este proyecto consideramos que vamos a beneficiar cerca de 200,000 mil personas, aproximadamente”, afirmó el funcionario, quien señaló que actualmente un usuario puede tardar hasta una hora y cuarto en ese recorrido, tiempo que se reducirá a menos de un cuarto de hora.

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La operación del metrocable está prevista durante 18 horas al día, comenzando alrededor de las 3:00 de la mañana y finalizando cerca de las 9:00 de la noche, superando el horario habitual del transporte colectivo. “La idea es que este sistema pueda tener un horario más extendido, para poder garantizar que la población que viaja hacia el centro histórico, las personas que están en el centro histórico, puedan regresar después, sin ningún problema”, destacó Rodríguez.

La flota incluirá 153 góndolas, cada una con capacidad para diez pasajeros sentados, y con espacio para personas con movilidad reducida. “La capacidad va a ser de diez pasajeros sentados por góndola. Son 153 góndolas las que se han adquirido para este proyecto, con la posibilidad de poder incrementar de acuerdo a la demanda”, sostuvo el ministro. Todas las estaciones serán accesibles para personas con movilidad reducida. “Va a tener rampas, elevadores, todo lo necesario en las cuatro estaciones para que las personas puedan movilizarse sin ningún inconveniente”, aseguró el funcionario.

Las primeras obras para la
Las primeras obras para la construcción del metrocable ya iniciaron en las cercanías del Parque Cuscatlán, en San Salvador. /(Secretaría de Prensa de la Presidencia)

El sistema estará soportado por 22 torres de concreto, cada una cimentada sobre diez pilotes, para un total de 220 pilotes a lo largo del recorrido. El equipamiento electromecánico se adjudicó a la empresa francesa Poma, líder mundial en este tipo de transporte. “Nosotros pedimos el full, el full extra. Por la seguridad de la población salvadoreña se han tomado medidas de diseño, cumplimos con normativas internacionales de calidad para poder garantizar que cada una de las pilas de las torres y de cada obra que se haga, sea con la mejor calidad posible”, detalló Rodríguez.

La inversión para esta etapa supera los $110 millones, de los cuales $56 millones corresponden al sistema electromecánico y el resto a la obra civil. El ministro remarcó: “Es un proyecto bastante grande, una inversión millonaria la que se está ejecutando. Son más de $100 millones los que se están invirtiendo para el desarrollo de esta obra”.

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En cuanto al costo del pasaje, el ministro informó que aún no se ha definido una tarifa final, aunque garantizó que no representará un incremento para los usuarios. “La decisión del tema del pasaje siempre va a ser en beneficio de cada uno de ellos, que no genere mayor impacto. La idea es que, de alguna manera, se mantengan los gastos que la población normalmente tiene al abordar unidades de transporte público”, precisó. El sistema de pago permitirá el uso de tarjetas, billetes y monedas: “La idea es tener algo parecido a lo que existe en los parqueos de los centros comerciales, que uno mete las monedas o los billetes o paga con tarjeta. La gente podrá tomar la decisión de pagar como lo desee”.

La construcción del metrocable tiene un plazo de 18 meses desde el inicio de las obras. Según el ministro, el proyecto se desarrolla “pensando en integrarlo” a futuros sistemas de transporte como metro o tranvía, y forma parte de un plan integral para descongestionar las principales vías de la capital.



corresponsal:Desde San Salvador, El Salvador

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DOJ solicits examples of ‘judicial activism’ from prosecutors as it weighs impeachment referrals

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A Department of Justice official raised the possibility of referring federal judges to Congress for impeachment in what would be a dramatic escalation of the administration’s fight with judges it views as activist and obstructionist.

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The idea was floated by a senior DOJ official during a recent virtual meeting with U.S. attorneys across the country, a source familiar told Fox News Digital. It marked a new possible avenue for the executive branch to confront the judiciary — by turning to Congress, which has sole authority over impeachment, to take the rare step of voting to oust federal judges.

The meeting, led by Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh, was routine, but impeachment had not been raised in one before, the source said. Singh broached it after the DOJ received numerous complaints from the U.S. attorneys’ offices about judges, the source said. Bloomberg Law first reported on the meeting.

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Department of Justice seal on a podium (Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Singh asked the U.S. attorneys to compile examples of issues they have had with judges, which the DOJ could then use to determine if referring judges for impeachment was appropriate. 

A DOJ spokesperson confirmed the move in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying the Trump administration is «facing unprecedented judicial activism from rogue judges who care more about making a name for themselves than acting as impartial arbiters of the law.»

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«The Department of Justice solicited the most egregious examples of this obstruction from our U.S. Attorney Offices to assist Congress with efforts to rein in judges violating their oaths in accordance with their constitutional oversight authority of the judicial branch,» the spokesperson said.

Pam Bondi, Todd Blanche

Attorney General Pam Bondi, accompanied by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaks during a news conference announcing an indictment at the DOJ on Nov. 19, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Any referral would be sent to the House, which must then vote on impeachment. Doing so would be extraordinarily rare as the House has only ever impeached 15 judges, typically for crimes like corruption and bribery.

This year, Congress has weighed impeaching at least two federal judges, James Boasberg and Deborah Boardman.

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Boasberg, an Obama appointee, has made a handful of adverse rulings against the Trump administration in high-profile immigration cases, while Boardman deviated heavily downward in her eight-year sentence for Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s attempted assassin. Numerous Republicans have called for their impeachment, but the House has not moved to initiate the proceedings.

APPEALS COURT DISMISSES DOJ MISCONDUCT COMPLAINT AGAINST FEDERAL JUDGE

Judge James Boasberg

James Boasberg, incoming chief judge of the US District Court, in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, March 13, 2023.  (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

As a recourse against adverse rulings, the DOJ has publicly decried judges’ decisions or appealed them, the latter of which requires layers of internal approvals.

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Calling on the House, narrowly led by Republicans, to impeach judges would be a new approach. Two-thirds of the Senate would then need to vote to convict the judges, which would strip them of their lifetime appointments.

The DOJ has been managing hundreds of lawsuits, a large fraction of which deal with the administration’s aggressive crackdown on immigration and controversial deportation tactics. Adverse rulings and reprimands from lower court judges have been frequent.

Prosecutors, for instance, charged Juan Espinoza Martinez with engaging in a murder-for-hire plot against U.S. Border Patrol official Greg Bovino. However, Espinoza Martinez was acquitted in January after a Clinton-appointed federal judge in Chicago rejected the DOJ’s requests to inform the jury that Martinez allegedly belonged to the Latin Kings gang, contending that the department did not have enough evidence to raise that claim in court.

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The DOJ spokesperson further outlined the department’s frustrations, telling Fox News Digital that district court and magistrate judges have refused to sign criminal complaints or search warrants when clear probable cause exists, made bad rulings about evidence and jury instructions, granted emergency restraining orders against the government without giving the DOJ a reasonable time to respond and «erroneously» involved themselves in the U.S. attorney nominations process.

Fox News Digital reached out to the House Judiciary Committee, which would vet any judicial impeachments, about how it would handle the possible referrals.

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Trump admin warns Peru it could lose sovereignty as China tightens grip on nation

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The United States is warning Peru that China’s growing control over a major Pacific port could threaten the country’s sovereignty, escalating tensions over Beijing’s expanding footprint in Latin America.

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The concern centers on the $1.3 billion deep-water port in Chancay, north of Lima, which has become a flashpoint between Washington and Beijing after a Peruvian court ruling limited government regulatory oversight of the project.

The State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on social media that it was «concerned about latest reports that Peru could be powerless to oversee Chancay, one of its largest ports, which is under the jurisdiction of predatory Chinese owners,» adding: «We support Peru’s sovereign right to oversee critical infrastructure in its own territory. Let this be a cautionary tale for the region and the world: cheap Chinese money costs sovereignty.»

CONGRESSIONAL COMMISSION WARNS CHINA’S PACIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS COULD POSE A MILITARY THREAT

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A drone view shows cranes and containers at the new megaport being built by China’s state-owned Cosco Shipping, promising to shorten sea routes to Asia for Peruvian and some Brazilian goods, in Chancay, Peru Oct. 24, 2024. (Angela Ponce/Reuters)

China’s foreign ministry rejected the comments as «rumor-mongering and smearing» and insisted the project remains under Peruvian authority, according to The Associated Press report.

Asia analyst Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital: «Chancay is so central that analysts say it will redirect trade across the South Pacific. We know Beijing considers ports to be dual-use and strategic. China, held up the BlackRock deal to acquire the CK Hutchinson port operations in the Panama Canal Zone even though the ports are nowhere near China itself.»

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«In times of war, China will not allow its port operations to load, unload, or service American ships or ships coming from or going to U.S. ports,» he warned.

Jack Burnham, senior analyst in the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the port reflects a broader strategic push by Beijing in the region.

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Workers in Lima, Peru, stand next to cranes at the new megaport being built by China

Workers stand next to cranes at the new megaport being built by China’s state-owned Cosco Shipping, in Chancay, Peru. Oct. 24, 2024. (Angela Ponce/Reuters)

«The Chancay port is a keystone in China’s investment in Latin America — its size and proximity provide a bridge across the Pacific and access to another market to fuel Beijing’s export-driven economic engine,» Burnham said.

«China’s investment in Peru is predicated on Beijing grasping the sinews of Lima’s critical infrastructure to gain influence. With effective control over the port cemented for now by a lower Peruvian court ruling, China gains access to one of the largest critical infrastructure projects in the region, a position from which it could exercise significant control.»

The dispute comes as Washington and Beijing compete for influence across Latin America, where China has expanded investment through infrastructure projects and trade, analysts say.

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Megaport being built in Peru by China's state-owned Cosco

Fishing boats are anchored in the bay near the new megaport being built by China’s state-owned Cosco Shipping, in Chancay, Peru Oct. 24, 2024. (Angela Ponce/Reuters)

China’s state-owned shipping giant Cosco, which holds a majority stake in the project, dismissed U.S. concerns and said the court ruling «in no way involves aspects of sovereignty,» adding that Peruvian authorities still oversee security, environmental compliance and customs, according to The Associated Press.

Peru’s transport infrastructure regulator, Ositran, has said it plans to appeal the ruling, arguing the port should not be exempt from the same oversight applied to other major facilities.

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China’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not provide a comment in time for publication.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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