News for July 7, 2026
Romanian brothers in U.S. illegally plead guilty to nearly $1 million SNAP fraud scheme
Two Romanian nationals living illegally in the United States have pleaded guilty to wire fraud after running a multistate scheme that drained nearly $1 million from the federal food stamp program and left at least ten Americans dealing with stolen identities.
Marian Ovidiu Dumitru, 37, and Catalin Dumitru, 39, admitted to the charges in the Western District of North Carolina. The brothers operated an identity theft ring that ran from July 2024 through August 2025, stealing personal information from Americans, applying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in multiple states under those stolen identities, and then converting the proceeds into cash and goods for resale on the black market. Each brother faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson for the Western District of North Carolina did not hold back about the defendants or their victims. Ferguson said the brothers had done something that should provoke bipartisan outrage: they stole from the poorest Americans while living in the country unlawfully.U.S.
The National Fraud Enforcement Division itself is new. Stood up on April 7, it was designed to centralize investigation and prosecution of fraud against taxpayer-funded programs. The Dumitru guilty pleas represent one of the division’s early public results.
Democrats’ narrow path to Senate majority gets rockier as Platner faces sexual assault allegation
A new accusation that Graham Platner once sexually assaulted a woman he was dating has rocked the U.S. Senate race in Maine and cast fresh doubt on Democrats’ path to a Senate majority. Republicans currently have a 53-47 advantage in the Senate, and Maine has been viewed as a necessary win for Democrats to gain the minimum net of four new Senate seats. But now there’s a question of whether Platner will even remain on the ballot and, if he does, whether he can defeat five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Platner should drop out of Maine’s US Senate race after sexual assault allegation, Sanders says
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders says Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner should step aside after a sexual assault allegation. Democrats across the U.S. are withdrawing support from Platner after the allegation, which Platner denies. Platner is considering his next steps and has canceled town hall events this week. The allegation involves a woman who claims Platner assaulted her in 2021. Pressure is mounting for Platner to withdraw, as Maine law has tight deadlines for replacing candidates. Democrats are divided on who should replace Platner. Platner’s supporters say they’re devastated and waiting for his next statement. Sanders is a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats and a longtime Platner supporter.
Manhattan high-rise is still unstable after columns buckle, forcing evacuations
NEW YORK (AP) — Officials say an under-construction high-rise in Manhattan remains unstable after columns buckled and floors sagged. Officials said Tuesday that the building, a former Pfizer headquarters being converted to luxury apartments, was still moving. Nearby buildings, including a school, were evacuated. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says engineers are working to stabilize the structure, using drones for monitoring. The Fire Department of New York Chief John Esposito confirmed the building continues to move, making it a dangerous situation. Builders say the 37-story tower is part of the city’s largest office-to-residential conversion project, with over 1,600 planned units.
Le Pen says she’ll run for French presidency next year despite court-ordered monitor
PARIS (AP) — Far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she’ll run for the French presidency next year despite being sentenced Tuesday to wear a court-ordered electronic monitor for embezzlement. The decision by the 57-year-old veteran of three presidential races sets up a fourth campaign like no other. She potentially could be seeking votes while subject to electronic monitoring and a judge’s determination of how, and for how long, the punishment is applied. Le Pen said she will appeal the ruling to France’s highest court.
Investigator says video shows defendant going onto roof to kill Charlie Kirk
PROVO, Utah (AP) — An investigator says the man charged with killing Charlie Kirk strolled Utah Valley University in shorts and a T-shirt and bought a meal at Chick-fil-A on the morning of the conservative activist’s assassination. The investigator testified Tuesday that defendant Tyler Robinson later returned to the campus in different clothes to shoot Kirk from a rooftop. Prosecutors are seeking to convince a Utah judge to put Robinson on trial on a charge of aggravated murder. They intend to seek the death penalty. Robinson has not yet entered a plea. His attorneys have sought unsuccessfully to get the death penalty taken off the table.
Reform UK’s Farage says he’ll quit as lawmaker and seek reelection amid donation allegations
LONDON (AP) — Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says he’ll quit his Parliament seat and seek reelection in an attempt to clear his name over financial allegations. Farage said in a broadcast statement Tuesday that he has “done nothing wrong” and has not “broken the law in any way.” He did not take questions. Farage faces a probe by Parliament’s standards watchdog over a $6.7 million gift from a Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire. Opposition lawmakers seek another investigation over separate donations. Farage is a prominent ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and had been considered a favorite to be prime minister after the next national election.
