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Vets groups torch Dems for holding up key VA picks, including memorials chief, on Memorial Day

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FIRST ON FOX: A slew of veterans’ groups, along with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, are criticizing Senate Democrats for delaying key agency nominations over what some have called unserious or «DOGE-type» concerns.

One top nominee currently facing the collective procedural roadblock ahead of Memorial Day is wounded warrior Sam Brown, a former Nevada senatorial candidate and Army captain who was burned over more than one-third of his body when the Humvee he was riding in in Helmand, Afghanistan, hit a roadside IED that incinerated its fuel tank.

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He was nominated by President Donald Trump as undersecretary for memorial affairs, which maintains cemeteries and facilitates veterans’ burial ceremonies – about 100,000 per year.

A letter from about two dozen veterans’ groups addressed to Senate VA Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., ranking member Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and caucus leaders was obtained Friday by Fox News Digital.

Doug Collins, left, Sam Brown, right (Getty)

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The groups note that they respect the Senate’s advise-and-consent role, but object to the current situation. They note that the VA has the fewest presidentially nominated positions and that other agency nominees receive overnight and weekend considerations at times.

«We will be happy to bring the senators coffee and donuts during such late night and weekend sessions, of course in compliance with the Senate’s gift and ethics rules,» the groups wrote.

Brown and all other nominees since April have been held up by Blumenthal and Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. – but the lawmakers say their move is not personal and instead aimed to halt mass firings and other Trump-era actions.

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Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, indicated that he would join the two Democrats, after a confirmation hearing for Brown, Marine Lt. Col. James Baehr for general counsel and Army veteran Richard Topping for VA CFO, was mooted in April by the procedural hold.

«We’ve had 2,400 firings so far,» King said, according to Stars & Stripes.

Vietnam Veterans of America, in a separate letter obtained by Fox News Digital, demanded Brown, Baehr and Topping be confirmed summarily.

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«All three of these veterans received favorable reports following the April 9th nominations process from the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee,» wrote VVA President Jack McManus.

NEW GOP SENATOR TEARS INTO DEMS ‘SEEKING TO DELAY’ PETE HEGSETH DOD CONFIRMATION

Moran grills Wray before Senate subcommittee

Senate VA Chair Jerry Moran of Kansas (Getty)

McManus said that many Vietnam Vets are concerned about the hold-up and agree that Brown and the others are eminently qualified, blaming «two members of the US Senate Veterans Affairs Committee» for «affecting services to our veterans.»

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Another letter from the Independence Fund, which provides resources, including trackchairs, to severely wounded veterans, said a fully staffed VA central office is crucial to its mission.

Last week, when Moran again attempted to confirm Brown by unanimous consent – a voice vote that must have no audible objections – Blumenthal rose to block him.

«The chairman and I share a bipartisan commitment to putting our veterans first. . . . I think we also share a respect for Sam Brown [and] his service to our nation as a decorated veteran,» said Blumenthal. 

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Blumenthal, whose own service was criticized by Trump with the nickname «Da Nang Dick» after a Vietnamese province, said that Brown’s nomination lacked unanimous support in committee, citing a 10-9 vote.

TRUMP VA PICK DOUG COLLINS ADVANCES TO FULL SENATE VOTE

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal speaks on Capitol Hill

«This issue is bigger than Sam Brown. It is about information that has been denied to our committee and to us as senators. The secretary of the VA is actively working to undermine our bipartisan oversight efforts.

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Blumenthal told Fox News Digital he had a message for Collins: «Before you hire new top VA bureaucrats, you should be rehiring the dedicated veterans you fired.»

«Secretary Doug Collins is denying us essential information that is necessary for our oversight, and we want accountability. All Americans, especially veterans, deserve votes by the full Senate on top nominees—not rubber stamp unanimous consents,» he said, adding Collins can ask the Senate to hold floor-debate on the nominees through regular order.

In comments to Fox News Digital, Collins rejected Blumenthal’s claims and lambasted the delays.

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«Imagine how much better off America’s veterans would be if Senators Blumenthal and Gallego cared as much about fixing the department’s broken bureaucracy as they do about preventing wounded combat veterans from coming to work at VA,» he said.

«Despite their obstruction, we will reform the department to make it work better for veterans, families, caregivers and survivors.» 

Gallego said he also does not object to Brown personally, and that he is instead seeking agency accountability – saying in a recent statement he wants to reverse «hack-job firings.»

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Ruben Gallego

Primaries were held on Tuesday night to fill the seat being vacated at the end of this year by Rep. Ruben Gallego. (Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Gallego said Collins is «more concerned with three political appointees than the thousands of veterans who are going to lose their jobs and care.»

«I served this country and received care at the VA. I know how important it is for veterans. Abandoning them, like Secretary Collins wants to do, is reckless and un-American. Show Congress the plan on how care won’t be impacted. Anything short of that is political posturing,» he said.

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In Gallego’s Arizona, the Phoenix VA hospital is letting go 800 employees, and a 2024 inspector general report found that the site already faced staffing shortages.

Recent surveys of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans show an elevated concern that VA cuts could impact benefits and health care.

Fox News reached out to King for comment for purposes of this story. 

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El nuevo presidente de Bolivia: Rodrigo Paz, el trotamundos del «capitalismo para todos»

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Heredero de una influyente dinastía política de Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz rehúye el membrete ideológico. Cuando cierra sus mítines, reparte lemas para todos: desde el conservador «dios, familia, patria» hasta el guevarista «hasta la victoria siempre». Es el candidato que promete cambiar el sistema y a la vez no afectar a nadie.

Hijo del expresidente Jaime Paz Zamora (1989-1993), tuvo que empezar varias veces de cero porque su familia se veía obligada a viajar de un lado a otro, a menudo perseguida por dictaduras militares.

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Hijo de la española Carmen Pereira y del expresidente boliviano Jaime Paz Zamora (1989-1993), el aun senador opositor nació en Santiago de Compostela en 1967 y vivió su niñez en varios países debido a que sus padres fueron perseguidos durante los gobiernos militares.

El político es economista y tiene estudios en relaciones internacionales, además de una amplia experiencia en el sector público al haber sido diputado, concejal, alcalde de la ciudad sureña de Tarija entre 2015 y 2020 y actualmente es senador por la fuerza opositora Comunidad Ciudadana (CC), del expresidente Carlos Mesa (2003-2005).

Para llegar a la Alcaldía de Tarija, Paz derrotó en las elecciones municipales de 2015 al gubernamental Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), entonces liderado por el expresidente Evo Morales (2006-2019).

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En 2019, fue parte de la llamada Coordinadora de la Defensa de la Democracia que exigió que haya una segunda vuelta electoral, en medio de las denuncias de un fraude a favor del entonces mandatario Morales y en desmedro de Carlos Mesa en los fallidos comicios generales de ese año, posteriormente anulados.

El éxito de Paz en la primera vuelta fue atribuido por expertos a la conexión que logró con las clases populares en las áreas rurales y zonas periurbanas, espacios donde en las elecciones pasadas triunfó el MAS, que en los comicios de agosto apenas logró el 3% requerido para no perder la sigla.

Ese respaldo fue trabajado por el opositor desde su llegada al Senado, pues en sus redes sociales se puede constatar que desde 2021 recorrió numerosos municipios bolivianos, 220 según asegura él mismo, llegando incluso a participar activamente en fiestas patronales populares y desfiles folclóricos junto a distintos sindicatos.

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Otros atribuyen ese apoyo a su compañero de fórmula en el Partido Demócrata Cristiano (PDC), el excapitán de policía Edman Lara, quien se hizo popular en las redes sociales por sus revelaciones de supuestos casos de corrupción en la institución policial, hasta que en 2024 fue dado de baja.

La faceta de trotamundos la retomó durante su campaña electoral. El economista de 58 años señala que recorrió cientos de municipios de Bolivia en cinco años. «No soy un candidato de hace seis meses«, asegura.


Compite para administrar este país en crisis de 11,3 millones de habitantes contra el expresidente de derecha Jorge Quiroga, tras 20 años de gobiernos socialistas iniciados por Evo Morales.

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«Mi voto de confianza es por Rodrigo Paz (…). Es una renovación», dice Walter López, abogado de 27 años, a la puerta de un local de campaña del Partido Demócrata Cristiano-afiliado a la centroderecha-, que cobija su candidatura.

Pero Paz no es nuevo en política. Fue diputado, alcalde y ahora es senador por Tarija, un departamento rico en gas y petróleo, del que su familia es oriunda.

En su linaje también aparece su tío, el guerrillero Néstor Paz, que murió de inanición luego de un combate, y su tío abuelo Víctor Paz Estenssoro, cuatro veces presidente y artífice del voto universal y la reforma agraria.

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El parecido con su padre, las cejas pobladas y su intenso pelo negro, funciona como un catalizador nostálgico para los viejos izquierdistas. En algunos de sus videos en redes sociales, donde es muy activo, también ha hecho aparecer al patriarca de 86 años.

Pero él propone un «capitalismo para todos». «No tengo por qué definirme, sino ofrecer al país una alternativa», replicó en una entrevista con CNN cuando le pedían definiciones ideológicas.

Paz llegó al balotaje de manera inesperada, ganador de la primera vuelta. Las encuestas lo situaban entre el tercer y quinto puesto una semana antes de esa elección. En su programa «capitalismo para todos», Paz promete fuertes recortes del gasto público, formalización de la economía y cambios de la Constitución para abrir el país a las inversiones privadas. «Yo espero entrar a gobernar, tomar las decisiones adecuadas. Y no a la reelección, que venga otro», dijo a la AFP.

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Hong Kong cargo plane skids off runway, killing two

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Two airport security officers in Hong Kong were killed early Monday after a cargo jet arriving from Dubai veered off the runway during landing and slammed into a patrol vehicle, authorities said.

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Both the car and the Boeing 747 – in what was Hong Kong’s worst airport disaster in decades – plunged into the sea though all four crew members on board managed to escape unharmed.  

A Boeing 747-400 cargo aircraft is seen after it skidded off the runway into the sea on Oct. 20, 2025. (Daniel Ceng/Anadolu)

rescue workers arrive to scene where plane skidded off runway

Rescue workers at the wreckage of an AirACT cargo aircraft operated for Emirates Airline near the runway at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, China, on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (Leung Man Hei/Bloomberg)

wreckage site of cargo airplane

The wreckage of an AirACT cargo aircraft operated for Emirates Airline near the runway at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, China, on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (Leung Man Hei/Bloomberg)

This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.

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Letitia James up against ‘by the book’ prosecutor ‘who means business,’ former Kentucky AG Cameron says

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Former Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron applauded the prosecutor handling Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James’ indictment on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, celebrating that she is prosecuting the case «by the book» in a state that hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate in two decades. 

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«Lindsey Halligan means business,» Cameron, who serves as CEO of nonprofit the 1792 Exchange, told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday Zoom interview. «And she has been tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that no one is above the law in the Eastern District of Virginia. And she certainly is heeding that call and commitment and that responsibility, which I applaud.»

A grand jury in Virginia indicted James Oct. 9, months after Federal Housing Finance Director Bill Pulte wrote in a criminal referral to the Department of Justice in April that James allegedly falsified mortgage records to obtain more favorable loans. 

Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan is the top federal prosecutor overseeing the case, following her nomination to the role by President Donald Trump in September. Halligan previously served as special assistant to the president and White House senior associate staff secretary in the early months of the administration before moving to her new role. 

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LEGAL EXPERT CALLS OUT ‘IRONIC’ TWIST AS NY AG WHO PROSECUTED TRUMP FACES FEDERAL BANK FRAUD CHARGES

Former Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron applauded the prosecutor handling Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James’ indictment on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.  (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Halligan also landed on the political map while serving as one of Trump’s attorneys after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022 in search of classified documents retained at the Trump residence. 

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The Trump-nominated federal prosecutor, who also was appointed to the job on an interm basis, has since secured separate indictments against James and former FBI Director James Comey, both of whom are longtime political foes of Trump’s. 

Cameron applauded that Halligan was handling the cases «by the book,» pointing to how grand juries comprised of Virginia locals determined there was enough evidence to charge the pair in both cases. 

MAMDANI ASSAILS TRUMP FOR ‘POLITICAL RETRIBUTION’ AGAINST LETITIA JAMES IN SWEEPING DEFENSE OF EMBATTLED AG

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«Whether it’s this case or the Comey case, she has been taking them to the grand jury,» he said. «And I remind people that the grand jury process is a deliberative process. It appears within the community that sit on that grand jury to ultimately make a decision about whether there’s probable cause to move forward with an indictment. And that has happened in both of these instances.» 

special assistant to the president lindsey halligan

Lindsey Halligan, then-special assistant to the president, speaks with a reporter outside the White House, Aug. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press )

Cameron, who also is running for the Senate in Kentucky in the 2026 cycle, noted that Virginia is by no means a conservative-leaning state, with many of its residents working as employees in Washington, D.C. Virginia previously voted for a Republican presidential candidate 20 years ago in the 2004 race, and is in the midst of a high-stakes gubernatorial election. 

«Virginia is not a hotbed for conservatism,» he said. «This is a jury or grand jury of peers that ultimately makes this indictment. And when you look at the facts that are alleged, it seems pretty cut and dry in the context of General James and what was misrepresented on the loan documents and whether it was a primary residence versus a rental property.» 

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Letitia James speaking in press conference

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Oct. 9, 2025, by a grand jury in Virginia. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

«I applaud Lindsey Halligan for taking this by the book and, you know putting forth the case before the grand jury that ultimately gave them the information to make a judgment about indictment,» he continued. 

Cameron is the CEO of the 1792 Exchange, which is a nonprofit focused on providing information to businesses, other nonprofits and philanthropy groups to shield against «woke» corporations. 

It also educates «Congress and stakeholder organizations about the dangers of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) policies, and to help steer public companies in the United States back to neutral on ideological issues so they can best serve their shareholders and customers with excellence and integrity,» according to the group’s website. 

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SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AS RESURFACED AG JAMES POSTS COME BACK TO HAUNT HER: ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’

Cameron served as the Republican attorney general of Kentucky from 2020 to 2024, providing him unique insight on the James case as a top state prosecutor himself.

James came under investigation over a Norfolk, Virginia, home she purchased in 2020, which she identified on mortgage documents and a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac form as a property that would serve as her primary residence. Federal officials claim that the home was listed as such to secure more favorable loans, while pointing to state law that requires the New York attorney general to reside in the Empire State. 

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Prosecutors of the case said James’ «ill-gotten gains» from the mortgage documents sit at «approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.»

President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting at the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on September 23, 2025, in New York City.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

James has denied wrongdoing, claiming that any errors were not intended to deceive a lender, but were mistakes. She, as well as Democrat allies, have instead claimed the indictment is an example of Trump «weaponizing» the Justice Department against political foes. 

«I will not bow. I will not break. I will not bend,» James said earlier in October during a campaign stop for socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. «You come for me, you’ve got to come through all of us. Every single one of us. We’re all in this together.»

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LETITIA JAMES’ OWN WORDS COME BACK TO HAUNT HER AFTER FEDERAL BANK FRAUD CHARGES FILED

«I know what it feels like to be attacked for just doing your job,» James said, while reprimanding those who «weaponize justice for political gain.»

Cameron noted that James’ office has prosecuted similar cases at the state level, which he said exposes the «hypocrisy» of claims the case is political weaponization at the hands of the Trump administration. James’ office previously has prosecuted cases involving mortgage fraud entwined with money laundering, deed theft cases, and mortgage fraud schemes, a review of previous press releases from James’ office show. 

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Attorney Lindsey Halligan leaves courthouse

President Trump named lawyer Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. Attorney Eastern District of Virginia in September.  (Marco Bello/AFP via Getty Images)

«This is not weaponization,» he said. «This is about no one being above the law. And again, whether it’s the Department of Justice or the individual U.S. attorneys across this country, there’s a responsibility to follow the law wherever it may lead. And I appreciate the work that’s been done on that front.» 

James, herself, also personally railed against «powerful people» who «cheat to get better loans» in 2024, when reacting to the civil fraud verdict against Trump that year. 

«When powerful people cheat to get better loans, it comes at the expense of hardworking people. Everyday Americans cannot lie to a bank to get a mortgage, and if they did, our government would throw the book at them. There simply cannot be different rules for different people,» James wrote in a February 2024 post on X when she was attacking Trump on social media. 

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NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES’ INDICTMENT SPARKS SHARP PARTISAN DIVIDE

James campaigned on aggressively pursing legal action against Trump during her successful 2018 run to serve as New York attorney general, and brought forth dozens of cases against his first administration, including more than 70 legal and regulatory actions in 2020 alone that specifically combated the administration’s environmental laws, according to James’ office in 2021.  

«I will never be afraid to challenge this illegitimate president,» James said in a video after her primary win in 2018. 

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«We here in New York — and I, in particular — we are not scared of you,» she added of Trump after her statewide win that same year, the New York Times reported. «And as the next attorney general of his home state, I will be shining a bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings, and every dealing, demanding truthfulness at every turn.»

James did bring forth the 2022 civil fraud case against Trump and the Trump Organization, accusing them of lying to lenders by inflating the values of Trump properties. James won the case, but the appeals court threw out a massive $500 million judgment against Trump in August. Trump slammed the case as lawfare, alongside a bevy of other criminal and civil cases he faced ahead of the 2024 election. 

Letitia James angrily gestures and points finger

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at Manhattan Federal Courthouse on February 14, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago)

James faces up to 60 years, 30 years per count, if found guilty, as well as a $1 million fine on each count, and forfeiture, according to the Department of Justice’s press release on the indictment, which noted actual federal sentences are typically less severe than the maximum penalties. 

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Trump held a press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel and other federal law enforcement officials at the Oval Office Wednesday, when United States Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche slammed any claims the Department of Justice has become «weaponized,» while rattling off the bevy of cases Trump faced in the lead-up to the general election in November 2024. 

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«When people talk about this department weaponizing, it’s embarrassing because there’s no in which you can look at what we’re doing restoring justice, doing the right thing and every single case and say that that’s weaponization, and yet remain eerily silent about what happened for the past three years,» Blanche said. 

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