12PM ET 06/23/2026 Newscast

Summary

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Fox News Hourly Update – 12PM ET 06/23/2026

Main Theme:
An intensive federal sweep on healthcare fraud, major international negotiations around the Strait of Hormuz, key Supreme Court rulings affecting religious freedom and international liability, and an emotional update on the ongoing search for Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother.

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1. National Fraud Crackdown and Healthcare Fraud (00:02–00:52)

• Overview:
  Over 450 individuals charged nationwide in the past two weeks for fraud schemes totaling over $6 billion, with a particular focus on healthcare and hospice fraud exploiting the vulnerable.

• Key Insights:

  • The crackdown aims not only to recover taxpayer funds but also to address rampant abuse of the sick, elderly, and needy.
  • Previous administration’s approach criticized as "pay first, then chase," with little enforcement or attempt to reclaim misused funds.
  • Notable case mentioned: A defendant allegedly using fake hospice patients for fraud, even purchasing luxury items like a Rolls Royce with illicit proceeds.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Colin McDonald (Assistant Attorney General) [00:18]:
    "Our sick, needy, and elderly, placing their faith in the gift of medicine, were neglected, ignored and used for personal profit."
  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Health Secretary) [00:40]:
    "I asked people in careers at HHS, how could you do this? This is crazy because of course we never claw back anything. They said they were told to focus on enrollment and not fraud."

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2. International Affairs: Strait of Hormuz and US-Iran Negotiations (00:52–01:49)

• Evacuation Efforts for Stranded Seafarers:

  • 11,000 seafarers are stranded near the Strait of Hormuz; a coordinated evacuation is underway involving Iran, Oman, the US, and others.
  • Contextual backdrop: A ceasefire persists as the US and Iran negotiate a longer-term diplomatic agreement.

• US Stance on Iran Deal:

  • The US president clarifies that released funds or sanctions relief will be strictly controlled: money will go into an escrow account used solely for food and US agricultural products.
  • The president asserts that “red lines” will be enforced on how funds are used, preventing potential misuse for destabilizing actions.

• Iran’s Response and Ongoing Disputes:

  • Iran disputes any finalized agreement, particularly regarding allowing UN nuclear inspectors’ return.
  • Iran insists it will maintain control over spending.

• Notable Quote:

  • President of the United States (via Truth Social) [01:23]:
    "Iran will not get any money that can be used to sow chaos in the Middle East again... funds go in escrow controlled by the USA and will be used for the purchase of food and medical supplies exclusively from the United States, including corn, wheat and soybeans from our great American farmers."

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3. Supreme Court Rulings (02:31–03:17)

• Religious Freedom Behind Bars:

  • The court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled against Damon Landor, a Rastafarian inmate whose dreadlocks were forcibly cut, citing that federal law does not allow money damages for violations of religious rights in prison.
  • Recognized by the justices as a regrettable violation, but declared that suits for monetary compensation are not permitted under existing statutes.

• International Liability and Corporate Accountability:

  • The Supreme Court supports Cisco’s move to block US lawsuits alleging their technology was used to persecute a spiritual group in China, ruling US courts are not the proper forum for these international human rights claims.

• Notable Quote:

  • Tanya J. Powers (FOX News) [02:39]:
    "It was a departure from the court's rulings in recent years that have bolstered religious rights."

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4. Ongoing Missing Persons Case: Savannah Guthrie’s Mother (03:17–04:11)

• Background:

  • Savannah Guthrie renews public pleas for help finding her mother, Nancy, missing for five months from her Arizona home.

• Recent Developments:

  • Details emerge from a ransom note claiming Nancy Guthrie had “passed away after being taken from her home” and “was buried with nature.”
  • Notes’ authenticity not confirmed, but law enforcement is treating them seriously.
  • The family continues to offer a $1 million reward for any information.

• Notable Quote:

  • Savannah Guthrie (NBC’s Today Show) [03:38]:
    "This is a moment to tell you that we need your help. We're begging for your help."
  • Matt Finn (FOX News) [03:52]:
    "It is now being made public that the second note, intended for the Guthrie family, read that Nancy Guthrie had passed away after being taken from her home."

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5. Markets Update (04:11–04:26)

• Wall Street Snapshot:
  • Dow Jones: Up ~50 points
  • NASDAQ: Down over 400 points

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The Fox News Hourly Update provided a rapid-fire digest of major legal, political, humanitarian, and economic developments, highlighting the ongoing fight against fraud, the complexity of US-Iran relations, evolving Supreme Court positions on rights and accountability, and the continued effort to resolve one of the nation’s most heartbreaking missing persons cases.

Transcript

[Lisa Brady]

A record fraud crackdown on Lisa Brady, FOX news. More than 450 people now charged across the U.S. in just the past two weeks for schemes totaling more than $6 billion in fraud. And Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald says it's more than just stealing taxpayer dollars.

[Colin McDonald]

Are sick, needy and elderly placing their faith in the gift of medicine were neglected, ignored and used for personal profit.

[Lisa Brady]

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Says the goal now is to stop and prevent fraud. He says under the previous administration it was pay first, then chase and when

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

I asked people the careers at hhs, how could you do this? This is crazy because of course we never claw back anything. They said that they were told to focus on enrollment and not fraud.

[Lisa Brady]

One of the latest defendants charged with hospice fraud is accused of buying a Rolls Royce while using names from to make it appear he was treating actual patients who were dying. An evacuation plan underway for some 11,000 seafarers stranded around the Strait of Hormuz. A UN agency just announcing it saying the large scale operation will be a coordinated effort involving Iran, Oman, the US and others to help get ships through the strait. This as a ceasefire continues while the US And Iran negotiate a longer term deal, though there's already disagreement on progress made so far.

[President of the United States]

Truth Social the president saying that Iran will not get any money that can be used to sow chaos in the Middle east again. He adds that the money and or sanctions that the US treasury is releasing goes in escrow controlled by the USA and will be used for the purchase of food and medical supplies exclusively from the United States, including corn, wheat and soybeans from our great American farmers. Now in the Oval Office yesterday the president says that his red lines will be met.

[Lisa Brady]

Fox Business Edward Lawrence Iran says it will control spending, also disputing any agreement yet on allowing UN Nuclear inspectors to return. America is listening to Fox News Drink

responsible

[Pfizer Representative]

at Pfizer, we are committed to listening to and learning from patients and their care teams so that we can work to help address their unmet needs. From early discovery to clinical trials through approval and use of our medicines, patients are at the heart of everything we do. Learn [e-mail].

[Lisa Brady]

The U.S. supreme Court has sympathy for a former prison inmate who sued corrections officers over religious freedom but still rules against him.

[Tanya J. Powers]

Supreme Court justices and a 6 to 3 vote sided against Damon Lander who claimed that his religious freedom rights were violated when prison guards at the Raymond Laborde Correctional center in Louisiana cut off his dreadlocks in 2020. Landor is a devout Rastafarian whose beliefs forbid the cutting of hair. The Trump administration and Lander's lawyers had urged the court to allow his lawsuit to proceed while the high court condemned what had happened to him. They ruled that a federal law designed to protect the religious rights of inmates does not permit lawsuits for money damages, even when rights are violated. It was a departure from the court's rulings in recent years that have bolstered religious rights. Tanya J. Powers, FOX News.

[Lisa Brady]

Also today, the US Supreme Court granting tech giant Cisco's bid to shut down a lawsuit claiming the company's technology was used to persecute members of a spiritual movement in China. The justice's ruling US Courts are the wrong forum for those suits. A renewed plea from Savannah Guthrie, five months since her mom, Nancy went missing from her Arizona home.

[Savannah Guthrie]

This is a moment to tell you that we need your help. We're begging for your help.

[Lisa Brady]

On NBC's Today show, appealing again for anyone who knows anything to come forward. This is new. Details were revealed from an earlier ransom note.

[Matt Finn]

These notes are not new and some of their content was reported. But it is now being made public that the second note, intended for the Guthrie family, read that Nancy Guthrie had passed away after being taken from her home. Sources tell FOX the wording is believed to have read that Nancy Guthrie was buried with nature.

[Lisa Brady]

Fox's Matt Finn. The family is still offering $1 million reward. Law enforcement has not confirmed whether any notes were authentic, but they're believed to be being treated as if they're real. A mixed day on Wall Street. The dow's up about 50 points, but the NASDAQ down more than 400.

Lisa Brady, Fox News Cheers to America's 250th birthday. Get 20% off your first purchase at foxnewswineshop.com with code FNRADIO20. 20% discount excludes wine club offers and cannot be combined with any other promotion. Expires July 31, 2026. Must be 21 or older to order. Please drink responsibly.