President Trump just put the entire country on notice: clear Thursday night at 9 p.m. Eastern. The White House has scheduled a rare primetime address to the nation, and the president initially offered no hint about the subject. In a terse official announcement, President Trump said he will deliver the speech Thursday evening and thanked Americans for their attention to the matter. The post went live at 1:45 p.m. Eastern on Monday. It named the date and time, but revealed nothing about what the president intends to tell the country. That silence immediately raised the stakes. Presidents do not reserve a national television audience for routine housekeeping. A formal address can signal a major policy decision, a national-security development or the release of information the White House believes every American needs to hear at once. Here is the announcement that sent speculation into overdrive:

Today, over a dozen federal agents were spotted at late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s residence in D.C. Nearly 20 agents from the FBI and other various agencies visited the home, along with Capitol Police officers. This comes just two days after Sen. Graham’s unexpected death, which happened right after he returned from a visit to Ukraine. Here’s some footage from the scene: JUST IN: Nearly 20 federal agents from various agencies, including the FBI, have been spotted at Lindsey Graham’s home in DC today, per NBC Agents are there “out of an abundance of caution,” and “there is no new evidence that has arisen since his death on Saturday night to… — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 13, 2026 JUST IN: Nearly 20 Federal Agents along with Capitol Police were spotted at Sen. Lindsay Graham’s residence today. FBI agents entered his home and were seen around the perimeter. Law enforcement sources say federal agents are investigating the Senator’s death out of an… pic.twitter.com/Fd66D4zfLD — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 13, 2026 Despite its suddenness, there have been no signs of foul play in the 71-year-old senator’s death. The medical examiner’s report says that Graham died from aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, it will take awhile to receive a full toxicology report. Reportedly, federal agencies are only investigating his death “out of an abundance of caution.” After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry. More from NBC News: Nearly 20 agents from the FBI and other federal agencies were with U.S. Capitol Police officers entering Graham’s D.C. residence today, two days after his death. Two law enforcement sources familiar with the scene at Graham’s house say federal agents continue to investigate his death out of an abundance of caution. There is no new evidence that has arisen since his death on Saturday night to indicate foul play. NBC News reached out to Graham’s office for comment. FBI agents were also seen visiting the home yesterday, after Kash Patel announced that the agency would be assisting with local authorities’ investigation into Graham’s death. On Monday, The Hill reported: FBI personnel visited late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) home in Washington, D.C., on Monday, less than 48 hours after he died of an aortic dissection. At least six men and two women in FBI gear were at Graham’s row house in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of D.C., according to footage shot by Nexstar’s Vinay Simlot. At one point, an FBI agent entered the home after a man wearing a U.S. Marshals Service jacket exited it. Later on, two agents wearing blue and yellow FBI windbreakers entered the home. While agents went into and out of the home, a man wearing an FBI jacket stood watch outside near a large black container — at one point, another man wearing bureau gear retrieved a manila folder from the container. What do you think? Do you support the FBI investigating Lindsey Graham’s death? What are your thoughts? TAP HERE TO ADD YOUR VOTE This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here. The post JUST IN: Nearly 20 Federal Agents Spotted at Lindsey Graham’s Residence appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

A referee who was dropped from officiating at the World Cup due to sexual assault allegations has been found dead. Dutch official Rob Dieperink, 38, was removed from the tournament in May following an arrest in London. Dieperink, who was supposed to be a VAR official during the tournament, was suspected of sexually assaulting an underage boy. The charges were dropped for lack of evidence. The Dutch Football Association revealed that Dieperink has died. World Cup referee Rob Dieperink dies weeks after being fired over sexual assault arrest. https://t.co/LJp0VuMcNH pic.twitter.com/84hEbFusYM — TMZ (@TMZ) July 13, 2026 More from the New York Post: Following his removal from the World Cup, Dieperink told De Telegraaf that he had been “wrongly accused” and was “disappointed” to miss out on the World Cup. “From the beginning, I have fully cooperated with the police investigation and also immediately provided full disclosure to FIFA, UEFA, and the KNVB (Dutch FA),” he said. “I am grateful for the support I have received from the KNVB and the way they have handled this matter.” Dieperink, who debuted as a ref in 2012, was arrested by police in London following a Conference League match between Crystal Palace and Fiorentina. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said that Dieperink was arrested following an alleged incident in Croydon, South London. “With Rob, the refereeing community loses a highly valued referee with international experience, but above all, a fine and dedicated colleague,” the Dutch Football Association said, according to the outlet. “Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and everyone who held him dear. We wish them much strength and support in coping with this great loss,” it added. BBC shared further: Dieperink was the VAR for Crystal Palace’s 3-0 Europa Conference League quarter-final first-leg win over Fiorentina on 9 April. A Metropolitan Police statement said: “On Thursday, 9 April, officers responded to a report of a sexual assault against a teenage boy, which occurred at an address on Wellesley Road, Croydon. “A man in his 30s was subsequently arrested on suspicion of sexual assault. “Officers completed a thorough investigation and reviewed all available evidence, including gathering CCTV and examining digital devices. “Following these enquiries, they concluded that the evidential threshold had not been met. No further action will be taken.” The post 38-Year-Old Referee Dropped From World Cup After Being Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Teenage Boy Found Dead appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

The Senate chamber went still Monday when Majority Leader John Thune reached the final lines of a tribute he could barely finish. Thune was honoring his longtime friend and colleague, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died Saturday at 71 after a sudden medical emergency. For several minutes, the South Dakota Republican spoke about Graham’s loyalty, humor and relentless energy. Then his voice tightened. “I will miss Lindsey’s friendship more than I can say,” Thune told the chamber. He paused, fought through the emotion and finished with one line that landed like a punch: “We will laugh together again.” Watch the moment here: Senate Majority Leader John Thune grew emotional as he honored the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on the Senate floor Monday. — CBS News (@CBSNews) July 13, 2026 This was not a manufactured cable-news moment. It was the Senate majority leader, a man accustomed to negotiating through pressure and speaking through chaos, trying to complete a goodbye on the floor he and Graham shared for more than two decades. Thune said he took comfort in believing that his friend had merely “changed his address.” Then, in the formal language of the chamber, he yielded the floor. His own account later put the loss in even simpler terms: the Senate already feels empty. It is difficult to believe that Lindsey Graham is no longer here with us. The halls of the Senate already feel empty. — Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) July 13, 2026 The Associated Press reported that Graham’s Senate desk had been draped in black cloth and topped with a vase of white roses when lawmakers returned to Washington, the chamber’s traditional display when a sitting senator dies. Thune told the chamber it was difficult to count all the ways Graham’s friendship had made the work richer and its burdens lighter. He remembered Graham as a fiercely loyal friend and a trusted adviser whose presence could change the energy of a room, ease the strain of a difficult vote and make long days in the Capitol feel shorter. The tribute carried extra weight because Graham’s death came with almost no warning, just hours after he returned from overseas and one day after he and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal announced progress on a major Russia sanctions package. His office said preliminary medical findings pointed to an aortic dissection associated with cardiovascular disease, a tear in the inner wall of the body’s main artery. A final official cause of death is expected after toxicological and microscopic testing is completed. Graham’s empty chair also changed the work waiting for senators after their two-week recess. He chaired the Senate Budget Committee and held seats on the Judiciary and Appropriations committees, placing him at the center of fights over spending, national security and President Trump’s nominees. The chamber returned with government funding, defense legislation, major confirmations and a bipartisan Russia sanctions package all demanding action. Graham had helped drive several of those efforts right up until the final day of his life. With former Republican leader Mitch McConnell still away from the Capitol while recovering from a fall and pneumonia, Graham’s death also left Thune managing a narrower working majority during a packed election-year calendar. Graham’s political legacy was never small or simple. The Air Force veteran served in Congress for more than three decades, became one of Washington’s most forceful national-security hawks and emerged as a crucial Senate ally of President Trump. He could infuriate Republicans, work with Democrats and then walk onto television five minutes later ready for another fight. That combination made him one of the chamber’s most recognizable and consequential figures. On Monday, however, the policy fights briefly gave way to grief. In an official White House proclamation, flags were ordered lowered to half-staff at federal buildings, military posts, naval stations and U.S. vessels through 6 p.m. on July 18. The date and hour establish a national period of mourning rather than a ceremonial gesture confined to Monday’s Senate session. The directive is not limited to Capitol Hill or Washington. It applies at the White House and across all federal buildings and grounds in the United States, its territories and possessions. It also reaches American embassies, consular offices and other facilities abroad, including military ships and stations. By including those overseas sites, the order extends the visible tribute to American diplomats and service members around the world. The proclamation described the nationwide honor as a mark of respect for Graham’s memory and longstanding service. The loss recognized inside one grieving Senate chamber will therefore be reflected far beyond the Capitol at American installations across the globe for the rest of the week. The order was issued Monday, two days after Graham’s death, and gives the country a formal period of mourning while his family, staff and colleagues prepare to say goodbye. The respect crossed party lines inside the Senate, too. C-SPAN captured Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging Thune to bring Graham’s Russia sanctions package to the floor in the late senator’s honor. “I urge Senator Thune, in honor of Lindsey, to put the Russia sanctions bill on the floor immediately.” — CSPAN (@cspan) July 13, 2026 Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal had announced progress on that sanctions package just one day before Graham died. Even in death, the work he championed was shaping the Senate’s next debate. Washington will argue over Graham’s record for years. He would probably have preferred it that way. But what Thune showed on the Senate floor was not an argument about legislation, party strategy or power. It was a man saying goodbye to his friend. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here. The post WATCH: Senate Majority Leader John Thune Breaks Down In Tears On Senate Floor appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.

President Trump just put a prime-time speech on America’s calendar without telling anyone what he plans to say. The President announced Monday that he will address the nation from the White House on Thursday evening at 9 p.m. Eastern. That was the entire official explanation. No subject. No preview. No list of policy announcements. Just a date, a time, and a message that sounded deliberately formal. Fox News tied the announcement to the rapidly changing situation with Iran, but the White House has not said that will be the topic. BREAKING: President Trump announces he will address the nation Thursday evening at 9 p.m. ET as tensions with Iran continue to escalate again. Trump said earlier the U.S. will begin charging a fee for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, also announcing the return of the… pic.twitter.com/vfsflhWKhn — Fox News (@FoxNews) July 13, 2026 The Associated Press confirmed that the speech is scheduled for Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern, which is 8 p.m. Central. The announcement came in a brief Truth Social post that offered no further explanation. AP reported that the President did not disclose what he intends to discuss. The announcement arrived after he said the United States would restore its blockade of Iranian ports and charge eligible cargo a 20 percent fee for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM separately announced that blockade enforcement would resume Tuesday afternoon and warned vessels that force could be used against ships that refuse to comply. That timing naturally pushed many observers toward Iran as the likely subject. But another report points in a very different direction. CNBC reported that MS NOW, citing two unnamed White House officials, expects the address to focus on newly declassified intelligence involving foreign plans to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. The report described material that the White House believes exposed those plans, but it did not say which foreign nations or documents would be featured during the televised address. That report is unusually specific. It is also not an official public White House confirmation. The President’s own announcement did not mention the election, intelligence agencies, Iran, the military, or any other subject. Until the White House publicly identifies the topic or the documents are released, the anonymous-source account remains a report, not a settled fact. The declassification angle does have a real trail behind it. CNN, in a report carried by ABC 17, said earlier this month that President Trump instructed acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to declassify almost everything he legally could. That directive came less than two weeks before Monday’s address announcement. The report said election-related intelligence was among the material of particular interest to the President. Trump had placed Pulte in the acting intelligence role after previously naming him to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The appointment gave Pulte temporary authority over an intelligence community spanning 18 agencies. The declassification push has drawn sharp opposition from Democrats and former intelligence officials, while Trump allies argue that the public has waited too long to see records bearing on past elections and government decision-making. If Thursday’s speech is built around those documents, the documents themselves will matter far more than anonymous previews. Names, dates, sourcing, agency conclusions, and the distinction between foreign influence and actual interference will have to be examined on the page. A televised claim cannot substitute for evidence. But evidence should not be hidden merely because its release could embarrass powerful people. The Iran possibility cannot be dismissed either. CBS News reported Monday that the United States and Iran were again trading attacks as both governments asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said its new Strait Authority had closed passage until stability returned, while CENTCOM insisted traffic was still moving. The waterway carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas. A prolonged fight over passage, blockades, and fees could quickly reach American gas pumps and the wider economy. President Trump said the United States would keep the strait open for countries willing to pay for American protection while blocking Iran-linked traffic. That policy would put U.S. forces directly between commercial shipping and Iranian threats. That is a major military and economic policy, and it would easily justify a formal address to the nation. The point is that both storylines are moving at once. One involves war, shipping, energy prices, and American forces operating in a dangerous waterway. The other involves classified intelligence, the 2020 election, and a promised wave of government transparency. The announcement immediately set off the obvious question.