UN faces severe cash crisis as Trump admin ramps up pressure on world body
As the Trump administration slashes funding and exits multiple international bodies over criticism that the U.N. has failed to promote U.S. interests, the United Nations is warning it could face a cash crisis by July.
In a Jan. 28 letter from U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to ambassadors, he cited record unpaid dues and rigid budget rules that have left the organization exposed.
Guterres said the U.N. is trapped in a “Kafkaesque cycle” in which rigid budget rules force it to return “unspent” funds even when those contributions were never paid. He said outstanding dues reached a record $1.568 billion at the end of 2025 and that collections covered only 76.7% of assessed contributions, leaving the organization dangerously exposed.
Unless collections “drastically improve,” the secretary-general warned, the U.N. will not be able to fully implement its 2026 budget and could face a liquidity crisis by mid-year.
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A senior diplomatic source told Fox News Digital that the secretary-general himself bears significant responsibility for the deepening crisis, arguing that warning signs had been visible long before the current shortfall.
According to the source, major contributors had been pressing for efficiency and reform for years, yet meaningful action was delayed. When reforms were eventually introduced, the source said, they were applied broadly rather than through targeted cuts in areas where real savings were possible, harming even U.N. bodies considered central to the organization’s mission. “He is going to go down as the worst secretary-general in the history of the U.N.,” the source said.
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The warning from Guterres comes as the United States, the world body’s largest contributor, has cut voluntary funding to multiple U.N. programs and declined to make some required payments, deepening the cash crunch described in the secretary-general’s letter.
Broader U.S. foreign assistance cuts under the Trump administration’s foreign policy realignment. In January 2026, the United States formally withdrew from the World Health Organization and began exiting dozens of international bodies, including multiple U.N. entities, citing misalignment with American priorities.
The funding squeeze has already forced the United Nations to tighten spending across several agencies. Separate Reuters reporting shows that U.N. bodies, including the World Food Programme and refugee agencies, are preparing layoffs and program reductions as overall contributions fall to the lowest level in a decade.
Hugh Dugan, former National Security Council special assistant to the president and senior director for international organization affairs, told Fox News Digital that the current turmoil reflects long-standing structural weaknesses rather than a sudden collapse.
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“We’ve heard this before,” Dugan told Fox News Digital, referring to repeated warnings from U.N. leadership over cash shortfalls.
Dugan said the organization has struggled for decades with inconsistent revenue and outdated financial practices, arguing that alarmist messaging is unlikely to restore donor confidence without visible internal reforms.
He said Guterres, who has roughly 11 months remaining in office, appears focused on ensuring the institution does not close on his watch.
“The doors will remain open, maybe just, but that’s his legacy,” Dugan said.
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Asked about President Trump’s newly announced peace board, Dugan said it should not be viewed as a competitor to the United Nations or a replacement for its charter-based system.
“I don’t see it as a replacement of the principles of the U.N.,” he said, describing the initiative as operational rather than ideological.
Dugan compared it to past convening efforts such as the Clinton Global Initiative, saying it focuses on dealmaking and coordination rather than supplanting the international order.
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Despite mounting criticism of its performance and finances, Dugan said the U.N. continues to hold one enduring advantage.
Referring to the annual U.N. General Assembly debate, Dugan said, “When the U.N. calls a meeting today, it’s routine to have more than 100 heads of state in the room,” he said. “The power to convene is no small accomplishment.”
Trump admin labels Israel ‘model US ally’ ahead of major military aid talks
Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth released the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS), a Pentagon blueprint that elevates Israel as a “model ally” and translates President Donald Trump’s national security doctrine into concrete military policy.
“Israel has long demonstrated that it is both willing and able to defend itself with critical but limited support from the United States. Israel is a model ally, and we have an opportunity now to further empower it to defend itself and promote our shared interests, building on President Trump’s historic efforts to secure peace in the Middle East,” the NDS states.
The document is now influencing parallel debates over the future of U.S. security assistance to Israel and whether the next Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) should continue delivering traditional U.S. military aid to Israel amid dissenting voices that portray the alliance as a burden rather than a strategic asset.
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According to the strategy, Israel proved its ability and willingness to defend itself following the Oct. 7 attacks, demonstrating that it is not a passive partner but an operational force that supports U.S. interests in the region. The strategy emphasizes empowering capable allies rather than constraining them, building on President Trump’s earlier push for regional integration through the Abraham Accords.
Jonathan Ruhe, director of foreign policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, said the strategy reflects a broader American shift toward partnerships that strengthen both U.S. security and domestic industry.
“U.S. defense assistance to Israel in the MOU is spent in dollars here in America to support our industry,” Ruhe told Fox News Digital. “And like in the national security strategy, it then enables Israel to go and do more to protect U.S. interests.”
He said a future agreement would likely extend beyond funding alone. “A new MOU would also likely be broader and include things that are more 50-50 partnership, like joint research and development, co-production, intelligence sharing and things like that to reflect the changing partnership going forward,” Ruhe said.
The strategy also highlights the importance of revitalizing the American defense industrial base, noting that allies purchasing U.S. systems help strengthen domestic production while enabling partners to shoulder greater responsibility for regional security.
Avner Golov, vice president of the Israeli think tank Mind Israel, said the document makes clear that Israel is viewed not merely as a recipient of aid: “Israel is in the fight. We are protecting ourselves by ourselves. We just need the tools to do that. And by doing so, we enhance not only America’s standing in the Middle East, but also worldwide and contribute to the American economy.”
That framing comes as Israel and the United States prepare for negotiations over the next 10-year MOU, which governs U.S. military assistance to Israel. The current agreement, signed in 2016, provides $3.3 billion annually in foreign military financing, along with $500 million a year for missile defense cooperation.
The debate follows tensions during the Biden administration, when the White House paused the delivery of certain U.S. weapons to Israel in May 2024, including a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs. At the time, Netanyahu warned that Israel “will stand alone” if Washington halted weapons deliveries, reflecting concern that limits or delays in U.S. military support could undermine Israel’s readiness and deterrence.
Experts have noted that U.S. leaders have not always approved every Israeli weapons request and that roughly 70% of Israel’s military imports come from the United States, underscoring the strategic calculus behind Prime Minister Netanyahu’s recent push for greater independent production.
Golov criticized that approach, arguing it risks prioritizing optics over readiness. “I believe that is a short-term vision,” Golov said. “In the long term, Israel must first be prepared for the next round of escalation. If we are not ready, we will face another war. If we are prepared, perhaps we can deter it.”
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“Israel must remain the strongest army in the region, and that is also a fundamental American interest,” Golov said.
Ruhe said the debate reflects lessons learned from nearly two years of war. “You’ve got this sort of topsy-turvy world now where the Israelis are saying we don’t want to take any more U.S. money, and the Americans are saying, no, you’re going to take our money,” he said.
According to Ruhe, the conflict exposed vulnerabilities created by heavy dependence on U.S. supply chains and political delays.
“The war of the last two years showed that Israel can’t afford to be as dependent on the U.S. or continue to maintain the same defense partnership that it has because that creates a dependence,” he said. “Israel becomes vulnerable to U.S. shortages in weapons output or politically motivated embargoes and holdups that can impact Israel’s readiness.”
At the same time, Ruhe noted that Israel remains reliant on the United States for major platforms.
“Even Israel will say we’re utterly dependent on the U.S. for those big-ticket platforms,” he said, pointing to aircraft such as the F-15 and F-35 that Israel has already committed to purchasing.
For that reason, Ruhe argued that maintaining stable funding under the next MOU may be the most practical path forward.
“It’s actually much easier for Congress just to go ahead and approve that money,” he said, explaining that predictable funding reduces annual political battles on Capitol Hill.
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Golov said Israel’s long-term objective should not be reducing ties with Washington, but deepening them. “I don’t want to reduce dependency,” he said. “I want to increase contribution to America.”
He described the emerging vision as a fundamental shift in how the alliance is structured. “We are moving from a 20th-century aid model to a 21st-century strategic merger,” Golov said. “Israel is the only partner that delivers a 400% return on investment without asking for a single American soldier.”
Golov said the proposed framework is built around three pillars: an industrial defense ecosystem, a joint technology ecosystem and a regional ecosystem connecting Israeli innovation, Gulf infrastructure and American power.
He emphasized that maintaining U.S. security assistance during the transition period is critical.
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“We need a final ten-year ‘bridge’ with the current security aid MOU,” Golov said. “A sudden cut would be a dangerous signal of American retreat to our enemies and may hinder IDF preparedness.”
“I don’t know who the next president of the United States will be,” he added. “This is where our enemies can read it in a very dangerous way.”
Trump warns UK it’s ‘very dangerous’ to do business with China after Starmer’s Beijing meeting
President Donald Trump warned the U.K. Thursday against strengthening ties with China hours after Prime Minister Keir Starmer met President Xi Jinping in Beijing to reset relations after a long period of strain.
Trump’s remarks came as Starmer and Xi had called for a renewed “strategic partnership,” highlighting the pressures facing them amid global instability.
Speaking to Fox News while traveling to Florida for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s documentary, Trump was asked about the U.K. “getting into business with China.”
“Well, it’s very dangerous for them to do that,” Trump said. “And it’s even more dangerous, I think, for Canada to get into business with China.”
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Trump added that China was not the solution for Western economies despite his personal relationship with Xi. “I know China very well. I know President Xi is a friend of mine, and I know him very well, but that’s a big hurdle to get over,” he said, before joking that Beijing might ban Canada from playing ice hockey.
“That’s not good. Canada’s not going to like that,” he added.
Trump had previously criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney after Carney’s visit to China and warned then that “China will eat Canada alive.”
Trump’s latest comments followed an 80-minute meeting in Beijing between Starmer and Xi in which the leaders sought to thaw relations after several years of diplomatic chill.
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The Associated Press reported that neither leader mentioned Trump directly in their discussions Thursday.
“In the current turbulent and ever-changing international situation, China and the United Kingdom need to strengthen dialogue and cooperation to maintain world peace and stability,” Xi told Starmer, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Xi also warned that if major powers failed to uphold international law, the world risked sliding into a “jungle.”
Starmer said cooperation on climate change and global stability was “precisely what we should be doing,” The Associated Press also reported.
The outlet also reported that Starmer described the meeting as “very productive” and mentioned progress on whisky tariffs, visa-free travel to China for British citizens and cooperation on migration.
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As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Starmer sought Xi’s help to disrupt the supply of China-made small boat engines that the U.K. leader’s office says are used to smuggle people across the English Channel.
He also raised human rights concerns and the Iran nuclear program.
Starmer is the first British prime minister to visit China in eight years and the fourth U.S.-allied leader to do so this month, signaling a push by Beijing to re-engage Western partners.
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The visit also came as the U.K. navigates trade alignment with the U.S., defense cooperation in Arctic regions and negotiations over the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.
In November, the U.S. and China reached a deal easing some tariffs and export controls, boosting U.S. agricultural exports, curbing fentanyl precursor flows and relieving pressure on American semiconductor and shipping companies.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
80-year-old lottery winner sentenced for bankrolling $400M drug empire from cottage with son
Authorities announced Wednesday that an elderly man who used his 2010 lottery winnings to run a drug empire from his cottage alongside his son and two accomplices, has been sentenced to jail.
John Eric Spiby, 80, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in England after an investigation uncovered counterfeit pills worth up to $400 million, Greater Manchester Police said. His son, John Colin Spiby, 37, was sentenced to nine years.
“They operated a fully industrialized drug manufacturing business capable of producing millions of counterfeit tablets containing a highly dangerous substance,” Alex Brown, detective inspector of the Serious Organized Crime Group that led the investigation, said in a statement.
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“The volume of tablets we recovered — along with the sophisticated machinery — demonstrated how deeply embedded this group was in the illicit drug supply chain.”
Local United Kingdom outlet LBC reported that Spiby won the National Lottery in 2010, at around 65 years old, cashing in £2.4 million, equivalent to roughly $3.3 million in 2026.
During the sentencing, Judge Nicholas Clarke KC told LBC that, “despite your lottery win, you continued to live your life of crime beyond what would be a normal retirement age.”
Sometime between November 2021 and May 2022, Spiby equipped his cottage behind his home with an “industrial‑scale tablet manufacturing set-up capable of producing tens of thousands of tablets per hour,” police said. According to a court hearing, they were also able to “hide” his lab by frosting the windows, LBC reported.
The organization allegedly produced counterfeit diazepam tablets, also known as Valium, laced with etizolam, a substance banned in the U.S. normally prescribed for insomnia and anxiety. In high doses, etizolam can cause severe central nervous system depression, potentially leading to unconsciousness, respiratory failure and death.
The group also facilitated and supplied firearms including AK‑47s, an Uzi, Tec‑9s, a Scorpion, a Grand Power pistol, silencers and ammunition, police said.
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In the early stages of the operation in August 2020, the group reportedly operated “under the guise of a lawful business” by creating a fake company along with a website advertising tablet presses, mixers, packaging machines and powdered supplements.
During the operation, the suspects rented a shipping container to store materials and millions of counterfeit tablets awaiting distribution. Officers, however, intercepted them in April 2022 and found a vehicle containing 2.6 million counterfeit diazepam tablets with an estimated street value between $1.4 million and $7 million.
The following month, a warrant led to the seizure of guns, ammunition, cash, machinery, counterfeit drugs and raw materials.
Police estimated the crime ring produced drugs with a potential street value equivalent to roughly $80 million to $400 million.
Of the other two accomplices, Callum Dorian, 35, received a 12‑year prison sentence in September 2024, while Lee Ryan Drury, 45, was sentenced to nine years.
The four members faced charges that included conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs, conspiracy to supply firearms, possession of firearms and ammunition and perverting the course of justice.
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“These four individuals showed absolutely no regard for human life or public safety,” Brown said. “All they were interested in was lining their own pockets with significant financial gain.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Greater Manchester Police for more information.
Trump files $10B lawsuit against IRS over alleged tax return leaks to major news outlets
President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, accusing the agency of unlawfully leaking his confidential tax returns in a politically motivated violation of federal privacy laws.
A spokesman for Trump’s legal team told Fox News “a rogue, politically motivated” IRS employee disclosed private and confidential tax information involving Trump, his family and the Trump Organization to outlets, including The New York Times and ProPublica.
The suit claims the disclosures were illegal and harmed millions by violating federal privacy laws.
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That contractor at the heart of the leak, Charles Littlejohn, pleaded guilty in October 2023 to a single felony count of unauthorized disclosure of tax return information and is serving a five-year prison sentence.
Littlejohn admitted to stealing and leaking Trump’s tax records to The New York Times and to disclosing confidential tax data involving wealthy individuals to ProPublica.
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According to the lawsuit, Littlejohn testified in a 2024 deposition that the Trump materials he leaked included information on all of Trump’s business holdings.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Littlejohn refused to testify before Congress, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights while appealing his sentence.
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According to a June 2025 Judiciary Committee press release, DOJ prosecutors said Littlejohn’s disclosures were “unprecedented in its scope and scale.”
Virginia Democrats seek dozens of new tax hikes, including on dog walking and dry cleaning
Virginia Democrats have introduced a host of new tax proposals that would tax a range of services, including dog walking and gym memberships despite running on a campaign to increase affordability.
More than 50 proposals and new rules were introduced for the new legislative session, including additional local sales tax in all Virginia counties and cities, 7News reported.
The new proposed policies include:
- dog walking and grooming tax
- gun and ammunition tax
- new income tax brackets
- storage facility tax
- dry cleaning tax
- home repair tax
- new personal property tax on electric leaf blowers and electric landscaping equipment
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A delivery tax would apply to deliveries made by Amazon, Uber Eats, FedEx and UPS orders in northern Virginia.
In 2025, Democrats picked up several seats in the House of Delegates, resulting in a large Democratic majority. The party also holds a majority in the state Senate.
“Virginians should judge Democrats by their actions, not their campaign slogans,” Republican state Senator Tara Durant told Fox News Digital. “And their actions speak for themselves—pushing dozens of new tax proposals that raise costs on hardworking families. Virginians deserve leadership that actually makes life more affordable, not more expensive.“
Fox News Digital has reached out to House Speaker Don Scott and State Senator Majority Leader Scott Surovell about the potential tax increases, asking how they would make Virginia more affordable, as well as what the additional tax revenue would be spent on.
Newly sworn-in Gov. Abigail Spanberger ran on a platform of making Virginia more affordable.
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After taking office earlier this month, she said the state will rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which will add a fee to monthly electric bills.
Americans For Tax Reform, a group that advocates for lower taxes, criticized the proposals, saying state Democrats were seeking to do the opposite of neighboring states, which are trying to lower taxes.
“It’s always a bad time to raise taxes, but it would be particularly foolish for Governor Spanberger and the Democrats who now control Richmond to do so at this time of heightened state tax competition,” said ATR leader Grover Norquist. “Governors and lawmakers in other states aren’t just seeking to reduce income taxes and other levies, they’re pursuing full tax elimination in many state capitals.”
“For individuals, families, and employers who wish to avoid the hostile tax policies pursued by Democrats in Richmond, they have plenty of options close by,” he added.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Spanberger, the Virginia Republican Party, as well as Scott and Surovell.
US allies edge closer to Beijing as critics warn China is gaining leverage over Washington
As U.S. allies reopen trade and diplomatic channels with Beijing, critics warn that short-term economic relief is coming at the cost of deeper Chinese leverage — and weakening Washington’s ability to keep a united front against a strategic rival.
From Canada to Europe and Asia, U.S. allies are recalibrating economic ties with China as trade friction with Washington intensifies. Supporters frame the outreach as pragmatic and limited, but critics say it risks giving Beijing deeper access to Western industries.
Canada’s move has become the clearest illustration of the dilemma facing U.S. allies. After years of strained relations with Beijing, Prime Minister Mark Carney last week announced steps to reopen trade channels with China, including easing restrictions on Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for relief on Canadian agricultural exports.
“We don’t know whether (Prime Minister) Mark Carney signed up that trade agreement because he genuinely believes Canada should align with China, or he’s trying to create some leverage in discussions with President Trump,” said Gordon Chang, a China analyst and author. “But in either case, it’s not good for us.”
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On Saturday, Trump threatened 100% tariffs on Canadian goods if the country “makes a deal” with China, escalating a war of words that has included Trump suggesting Canada should become the U.S.’s 51st state.
Canada is not alone. Similar recalculations are underway across Europe and Asia as other U.S. allies weigh economic pressure against long-term strategic risk.
In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is traveling to Beijing this week — the first visit by a U.K. leader in eight years — as London seeks to stabilize trade ties with China after years of tension over Hong Kong, espionage concerns and Chinese investment in critical infrastructure. British officials have framed the trip as narrowly economic, but critics warn it signals a broader willingness to compartmentalize security concerns in pursuit of market access.
“Like it or not, China matters for the U.K.,” Starmer said on the visit, adding it had been “far too long” since a British prime minister visited Beijing.
Across continental Europe, leaders have taken a more cautious but still notable approach. Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is expected to visit China in February, while Finland’s prime minister already has met with Chinese officials in Beijing.
President Donald Trump is also expected to travel to China in April.
In Asia, South Korea has gone further rhetorically.
President Lee Jae-myung recently called for a “full-scale restoration” of ties with China, underscoring Seoul’s dependence on Chinese trade even as it deepens security cooperation with the United States and Japan.
Trade analysts say these moves reflect economic reality more than geopolitical realignment.
Chad Bown, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said smaller and mid-sized economies facing trade barriers with the United States are under pressure to find alternative markets.
“If they’re no longer allowed to sell to the U.S. market, they have to sell somewhere else,” Bown said. “And the other major large economy out there is China.”
“Allies are clearly deepening commercial ties with Beijing — but this isn’t choosing China over America,” Hart said. “It’s hedging, keeping options open while Washington proves unpredictable,” said Adam Irwin, managing partner of strategic insights at the financial investment firm Heligan Group.
“But when allies diversify trade toward Beijing, their willingness to absorb economic pain in a future crisis diminishes — and that weakens America’s ability to coordinate on issues like export controls, sanctions, and Taiwan.”
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Critics argue that the renewed outreach to Beijing overlooks how closely Chinese companies are tied to the Chinese Communist Party — and how difficult it can be to unwind economic exposure once it takes hold.
Nazak Nikakhtar, a former Trump administration official and China policy expert, said Western governments have repeatedly underestimated the degree of control Beijing exercises over ostensibly private firms.
“What business leaders and government leaders fail to fully acknowledge is that they assume Chinese companies are acting autonomously — and that’s just not the case,” Nikakhtar said.
She warned that Chinese investment and trade often follow a familiar pattern: targeting commodity sectors and lower-value industries first, generating revenue that is then used to move up the value chain and undercut foreign competitors.
“If you get control of the commodity factor, that’s where the revenue is to invest in next-generation technologies,” she said.
Nikakhtar said the risk is not just overseas dumping, but what happens when Chinese firms establish a presence inside Western economies. Once that happens, she said, governments lose key policy tools.
She pointed to past cases where Chinese firms acquired Western companies not to grow them, but to extract technology and eliminate competitors. In one instance, she said, a Chinese company acquired the U.S.-based Segway manufacturer, later acknowledging it was interested in the self-balancing technology rather than the product itself.
“It’s almost like leaving the doors unlocked and wondering how the burglars got in,” Nikakhtar said, arguing that both the United States and its allies have failed to put sufficient safeguards in place to prevent predatory foreign investment.
Others warn the consequences of allies’ outreach to China extend beyond trade, shaping global perceptions of U.S. leadership at a moment when Beijing is actively pushing a narrative of Western decline.
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Chang said the steady stream of Western leaders traveling to Beijing risks reinforcing that message.
“The images and the pictures of all of these Western leaders bowing down to Xi Jinping doesn’t help us,” Chang said, arguing that China increasingly uses trade and diplomacy as tools of information warfare.
Chang warned that uncertainty around U.S. trade policy has made it easier for Beijing to present itself as a predictable alternative, even as China restricts imports and relies on one-way trade.
“We need to become predictable,” he said, adding that allies’ outreach to Beijing complicates Washington’s ability to maintain a united front.
China executes 11 people convicted in scam crackdown
China executed 11 people convicted of intentional homicide, fraud and other crimes linked to a cross-border scam operation, after the country’s top court approved their death sentences, authorities said Thursday.
The announcement was published on the website for the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, China’s highest state body responsible for criminal prosecution and oversight.
The executions followed a ruling and execution order from the Supreme People’s Court, which upheld lower court judgments against members of the so-called Ming family criminal group.
They were accused of running large-scale telecommunications fraud and gambling operations from northern Myanmar that involved more than 10 billion yuan, roughly $1.4 billion.
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Authorities said the group colluded with criminal organizations led by “financial backers” to operate telecom fraud schemes, illegal casinos, drug trafficking and prostitution operations.
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“The Ming family criminal group also colluded with the online fraud criminal group of Wu Hongming and others to deliberately kill, intentionally injure, and illegally detain people involved in fraud, resulting in the death of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to many others,” the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said.
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Ming Guoping, Ming Zhenzhen, Zhou Weichang, Wu Hongming, Wu Senlong, and Fu Yubin were among those sentenced to death in September by the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court of Zhejiang Province.
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Some of the defendants appealed, but the Zhejiang Higher People’s Court on Nov. 25 rejected the appeal, upheld the original verdict and submitted the case to the Supreme People’s Court for mandatory review.
Authorities said the prisoners were allowed to meet with close relatives before the executions were carried out.
Feds charge 87 individuals in massive ATM ‘jackpotting’ operation linked to Tren de Aragua gang
At least 87 individuals connected to the Venezuelan terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA) have been indicted for a massive scheme in which members allegedly stole millions of dollars from ATMs nationwide, a crime commonly known as “ATM jackpotting.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska announced Monday 31 new defendants, joining 56 others previously charged in a major Homeland Security Task Force operation.
The criminal ring, largely composed of Venezuelan and Colombian nationals and TdA members, used the stolen funds to fuel its terrorist activity, including human trafficking, sex trafficking of children, kidnapping, murder and “other unspeakably evil and violent acts,” according to U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods for the District of Nebraska.
“Tren de Aragua is a complex terrorist organization that commits serious financial crimes in addition to horrific rapes, murders, and drug trafficking,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
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“This Department of Justice has already prosecuted more than 290 members of Tren de Aragua and will continue working tirelessly to put these vicious terrorists behind bars after the prior administration let them infiltrate our country,” she added.
January’s indictment alleges 32 counts involving bank fraud, bank burglary, computer fraud and damage to computers.
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According to the Justice Department, members allegedly hacked into ATMs and forced machines to dispense cash by deploying a malware variant known as Ploutus, which was designed to delete evidence of its presence in an effort to conceal the crime.
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Officials said members arrived at targeted banks and credit unions to scout ATMs and note any external security features. The groups would then open the hood or door of the machines and wait to determine whether an alarm or a law enforcement response had been triggered. Once clear, the groups installed malware by removing the hard drive and installing the software directly, replacing the hard drive with one preloaded with Ploutus, or connecting an external device, such as a thumb drive, to deploy the malware.
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The update follows two similar indictments last year in December and October. The total 87 individuals involved face a range of federal offenses, including material support to a designated foreign terror organization, bank burglary, bank fraud, money laundering, damage and unauthorized access to protected computers, and conspiracy to commit the same offenses.
Thune promises ‘safe streets, more money in pockets’ as GOP senators hit the road to tout tax cuts
FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators are hitting the road to sell the Working Families Tax Cuts Act in meetings with local business owners and families, Senate Majority Leader John Thune highlighted.
More than a dozen senators, including Thune, have held events in multiple states during separate trips, including to Texas, West Virginia, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Ohio, Florida and Louisiana.
“When Joe Biden and Democrats had unified control of government, they created open borders and high prices,” Thune told Fox News Digital. “Republicans, on the other hand, have delivered safe streets, more money in pockets, and new opportunities to get ahead through the historic Working Families Tax Cuts.”
“Now we need to make sure the American people know it. Republicans will be hitting the ground hard in 2026 to sell our accomplishments and continue building on our work with the Trump-Vance administration to create a safe, strong, and prosperous America,” Thune added.
BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL IMMEDIATELY HITS THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN BATTLE FOR CONGRESS
The GOP senators who have held events are John Cornyn of Texas, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Jim Justice of West Virginia, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, John Boozman of Arkansas, Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, Dan Sullivan of Arkansas, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Katie Britt of Alabama, Ashley Moody of Florida, Jon Husted of Ohio and Rick Scott of Florida.
Senate candidates Mike Rogers and Michael Whatley also joined Thune, Cornyn, Barrasso and Husted during a trip to the southern border in early January to see progress made on improving national security. The Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, included a roughly $165 billion investment for immigration and border security efforts, including $46.5 billion for funding for the border wall.
Other senators met with local businesses in their respective states to discuss how the bill could benefit local communities.
BESSENT BLASTS DEMOCRAT-LED STATES FOR BLOCKING TRUMP TAX RELIEF IN OBBBA
“This week, I visited Kamp A Demics Learning Center, one of Montgomery’s child care centers, where I toured the facility and read to some of the precious children,” Britt posted to X. “I also participated in a roundtable discussion on the updated child care tax credits I secured in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and my continued work to address our child care crisis.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak with restaurant owners and community leaders about Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts Act — a law that will eliminate taxes on tips and overtime,” Husted posted to X with photos highlighting the event that took place in Ohio.
The bill passed the Senate on July 1, 2025, and Trump signed it into law on July 4, 2025.
THE BATTLE OVER THE ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ MOVES FROM CAPITOL HILL TO THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
The Tax Foundation estimates that the legislation includes $3,752 in tax cuts for the average taxpayer in the U.S. in 2026, with the highest savings in Teton County, Wyoming, seeing an estimated $37,373 per taxpayer in 2026.
The basis for the tax cuts come from an extension of provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by Trump during his first term. The TCJA doubled the standard deduction for single and married jointly filing households, and reduced income tax rates, with the top rate falling from 39.6% to 37%.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) also extended a Child Tax Credit that was part of the TCJA, which reduces how much income tax a family owes for each qualifying child, up to $2,500 per child, per year.
CONGRESS DELIVERS ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL WIN FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS
Thune joined Cassidy at a restaurant in Louisiana to talk with servers and employees about how the “no tax on tips” portion of the OBBBA would put more money in their pockets.
The main portion of the OBBBA that is new from the TCJA extensions excludes qualified tip income from federal income tax up to $25,000 per year, and excludes qualified overtime income from federal income tax up to $12,500 for single filers and $25,000 for marriages filing jointly. Payroll taxes still apply to tips and overtime, and benefits will eventually be phased out in 2028.
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Critics of the legislation point to a reduction in federal income, thus increasing national debt in the short term, and the shifting of Medicaid costs to states rather than the federal government.
The Tax Foundation also estimates that the bill will create roughly 938,000 full-time equivalent jobs over the long run.