John Kerry signals desire to remain in Biden admin ‘in one role or another’
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry suggested during the ongoing United Nations climate conference that he was open to remaining in the Biden administration for the foreseeable future. Kerry’s comments, during which he also vowed to continue his public climate advocacy until his “last breath,” come as the U.N. COP28 climate summit comes to a close. The conference is the third of its kind that Kerry has attended as President Biden’s climate czar and is one of dozens of international climate engagements he has attended since joining the Biden administration in the role in early 2021. “As long as this is a crisis, I will be organizing and speaking and active in dealing with this challenge,” Kerry said in an interview with Politico Europe last week. “Maybe in one role or another,” he said when asked how he envisioned carrying on his work as U.S. climate envoy. “I intend to be a citizen until my last breath. And by that, I mean there are obligations of citizenship, obligations of responsibility, and of speaking out and fighting for values. So, I think one should never turn one’s back on that public obligation.” WATCHDOG HITS JOHN KERRY WITH SCIENCE ETHICS COMPLAINT OVER CLIMATE CHANGE DEATHS CLAIM COP28 kicked off late last month in Dubai and is slated to conclude this week with some form of a new international agreement filled with new, and more aggressive, commitments from nations. The summit has also seen a wide range of new initiatives, including several involving the U.S. delegation led by Kerry. For example, the U.S. finalized regulations targeting methane emissions of the oil and gas sector and vowed to shutter all remaining coal-fired power plants. GOP REP INTRODUCES RESOLUTION CONDEMNING UN FOR CALLING ON AMERICANS TO STOP EATING MEAT “It’s safe to say that there literally will be hundreds of initiatives that will be announced, many of them coming from the United States, but also many coming from other parts of the world, and I think it’s going to be a very exciting presentation of a global effort that is taking place, even though it’s not happening fast enough or big enough yet,” Kerry told reporters ahead of the conference. “What is very clear to us – and we will be pushing this the next two weeks that we are here negotiating – we have to move faster,” Kerry added. “We have to be much more seized of this issue all around the planet. There’s too much business as usual still.” And in his interview with Politico Europe, Kerry reiterated why he is so passionate about combating global warming. “The bottom line is that we have to do things because it’s a crisis and life itself is at stake,” he said. “There are serious challenges right now.” In his role as special presidential envoy for climate, Kerry regularly travels around the world, attending high-profile climate summits and diplomatic engagements in an effort to push a global transition from fossil fuels to green energy alternatives. He has also received criticism for his use of a private jet owned by his family. According to flight tracking data obtained by Fox News Digital in July 2022, a Gulfstream GIV-SP jet owned by Kerry’s family made a total of 48 trips that lasted more than 60 hours and emitted an estimated 715,886 pounds, or 325 metric tons, of carbon over the course of the Biden administration’s first 18 months. However, one month after the Fox News Digital report that highlighted the jet’s extensive carbon footprint, and after lawmakers blasted Kerry for apparent hypocrisy, the Gulfstream jet was sold to an energy-focused hedge fund in New York City. Whitney Smith, a State Department spokesperson, confirmed the sale in a statement earlier this year and said Kerry travels commercially in his current role. And Kerry’s talks with his Chinese counterparts have also faced congressional scrutiny over their potential impact on national security and the U.S. economy. Kerry’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
JD Vance says US must accept Ukraine will ‘cede some territory’ to Russia ahead of Zelenskyy’s DC visit
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, said on Sunday that the United States needs to accept that Ukraine must “cede some territory” to Russia and that American leadership must ensure the U.S. is “not writing more blank checks” to fund Kyiv’s forces ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington, D.C., this week. “We can’t make strategic decisions based on stark morality tales. We have to figure out what is in America’s best interest,” Vance said Sunday during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We have a food crisis that’s getting worse because of the prolonged war in Eastern Europe. We have an energy crisis that’s threatening to swamp multiple allied governments in Western Europe. What’s in America’s best interest is to accept Ukraine is going to have to cede some territory to the Russians, and we need to bring this war to a close. When I think about the great human tragedy here, hundreds of thousands of eastern Europeans, innocent, have been killed in this conflict. The thing that’s in our interest and in theirs is to stop the killing.” “On the Ukraine question in particular, everybody knows everybody with a brain in their head … knows that this was always going to end in negotiation,” Vance added. “The idea that Ukraine was going to throw Russia back to the 1991 borders was preposterous. Nobody actually believed it. So what we’re saying to the president and really to the entire world is you need to articulate what the ambition is. What is $61 billion going to accomplish? That $100 billion hasn’t reached.” “Ukraine is functionally destroyed as a country. The average age of a soldier in the Ukrainian army right now is 43. That’s tragic. That’s older than me. I’m 39,” Vance told host Jake Tapper, who later disagreed with the “age graphic” but told viewers he himself is 54 years old. “If this thing goes on a little bit longer, the average age of a Ukrainian soldier is going to be older than you,” Vance continued. “And then a year later, could be Wolf Blitzer. That is a tragedy. What does it look like?” WH SECURITY COUNCIL’S JOHN KIRBY MOCKS PUTIN RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN Regarding America’s role in the conflict, Vance said, “We are getting to a place where we’re going to be functionally on the hook to pay for Ukrainian pensioners to rebuild the entire country. We need to bring the killing to a stop. And that’s what American leadership should be doing, not writing more blank checks to the war.” Zelenskyy will meet with President Biden at the White House on Tuesday as the administration steps up the pressure on Congress to provide billions more in aid to Kyiv in its war with Russia. The visit is intended “to underscore the United States’ unshakeable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal invasion,” the White House said in a statement Sunday. “As Russia ramps up its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine, the leaders will discuss Ukraine’s urgent needs and the vital importance of the United States’ continued support at this critical moment.” Zelenskyy’s office confirmed that he had accepted Biden’s invitation. He also has been asked to speak to a meeting of all senators. STATE DEPARTMENT BYPASSES CONGRESS TO CLEAR TANK AMMUNITION SALE TO ISRAEL: ‘VITAL TO US NATIONAL INTERESTS’ Biden has asked Congress for a $110 billion package for wartime funding for Ukraine ($61.4 billion) and Israel, along with other national security priorities, but the request is caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security. Congress already has allocated $111 billion to assist Ukraine, and Biden’s budget director, Shalanda Young, said in a letter this past week to House and Senate leaders that the U.S. will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year, which would “kneecap” Ukraine on the battlefield. “It’s time to cut a deal that both sides can agree to,” Young said Sunday. The stakes are especially high for Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during two TV interviews Sunday, given that “we are running out of funding” for the Ukrainians. “This is a time to really step up because if we don’t, we know what happens. Putin will be able to move forward with impunity and we know he won’t stop in Ukraine.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
US Air Force moves to discipline 15 personnel related to leak case
The United States Air Force moved to discipline 15 personnel over the leaking of classified military information allegedly by Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, the military said on Monday.
State Rep. Victoria Neave Criado challenges fellow Dallas Democrat Sen. Nathan Johnson
Neave Craido revealed her decision to the Dallas Morning News in an interview published Monday, saying Johnson has not fought hard enough to push back against the Republican agenda.
Trump picks up more Senate GOP endorsements
More GOP senators are rallying behind former President Trump for the 2024 general election, boosting his momentum in the Republican Party. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., announced last week on X he is endorsing Trump in the GOP primary. “I am honored to stand with Donald J. Trump as he embarks on a mission to restore peace, prosperity and freedom in our great nation,” Cramer wrote. “Lets consolidate Republican support around the leader of our GOP and ensure a Republican victory in 2024. Work with him to Make America Great Again!” His endorsement came as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum backed out of the race last Monday. Cramer previously supported Burgum. TRUMP HOLDS MASSIVE LEAD IN IOWA 5 WEEKS FROM CAUCUSES THAT KICK OFF GOP RACE: POLL Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., also endorsed Trump after Burgum dropped out. “President Trump is strong on the issues that are important for North Dakota. That includes making America energy dominant, reducing the regulatory burden, securing our border, growing our economy and strong support for our military,” Hoeven wrote on Facebook last week. Hoeven added he had the opportunity to work with the former president “to support our farmers” and that he “understands how vital strong farm policy is to our state and our nation.” Republican Alabama Senator Katie Britt also endorsed Trump right before the GOP debate Wednesday night with an op-ed in the local news outlet Yellowhammer. WAS THE REAL WINNER SO FAR IN THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES THE GUY WHO DIDN’T SHOW UP? “One candidate has already proven he’s more than up for the job – because he’s done the job successfully. There is one candidate I know will secure the border — because he’s done it. There is one candidate I know will achieve peace through strength — because he’s done it,” she wrote. “And that’s why President Donald Trump has my endorsement to be our 47th President.” Britt went on to say that “results matter” and that the former president’s track record “are clear for all to see.” “These past three years have felt like an eternity, but I’m sure you recall how much better off we were under the Trump Administration,” she wrote. Trump, the first major GOP leader to announce his candidacy, has now secured backing from every GOP member in Alabama’s Congressional delegation. SEN MARSHALL ENDORSES TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT, CALLS FOR END TO ‘POLITICAL PRIMARY CHARADE’ The endorsements come as there are only a few GOP candidates left in the running — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Trump. Trump leads the GOP nomination race with the backing of a record 62% of Republican primary voters in a Fox News survey released last month. So far, 16 senators and more than 80 House members have announced their support for Trump in 2024. Seven governors also support his bid for the presidency.
SCOTUS takes a pass on challenge to blue state’s gay ‘conversion therapy’ ban
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a case challenging Washington state’s so-called gay “conversion therapy” ban on licensed therapists, keeping the law intact despite concerns it restricts freedom of speech. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh publicly dissented from the denial, all saying they would have granted a review of the case. It takes four justices to agree to place a case on the docket. The case was brought by Brian Tingley, a licensed counselor practicing in the state for more than 20 years. He challenged the state law, claiming it violates his First Amendment rights by dictating what he can discuss with patients in “talk therapy,” particularly those dealing with gender dysphoria and other related issues. “Under SB 5722, licensed counselors cannot voice anything other than the state-approved opinion on minors with gender dysphoria without facing punishment,” Thomas wrote in his dissent. SUPREME COURT ASKED TO RULE ON STATE LAW THAT PROHIBITS THERAPISTS FROM COUNSELING AGAINST GENDER TRANSITION “The Ninth Circuit set a troubling precedent by condoning this regime. Although the Court declines to take this particular case, I have no doubt that the issue it presents will come before the Court again. When it does, the Court should do what it should have done here: grant certiorari to consider what the First Amendment requires,” he said. Lawyers at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a nonprofit civil rights firm representing Tingley, had argued the high court should reverse a 9th Circuit ruling that upheld a district court’s decision to toss out Tingley’s challenge to the law. When that case was decided in the 9th Circuit, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson praised that court for upholding the state’s ban on “conversion therapy,” or efforts by therapists to get people to identify with the gender they were born with. But ADF attorney John Bursch said in a statement that “the government can’t control a counselor’s speech. Washington’s counseling censorship law violates freedom of speech and harms counselors as well as clients.”. SUPREME COURT HEARS ARGUMENTS IN $6 BILLION PURDUE PHARMA SETTLEMENT THAT WOULD GRANT IMMUNITY TO SACKLERS “Brian has counseled all types of people for more than 20 years, and those conversations are private — certainly not open for the government to censor. The government has no business dictating what personal goals a client can pursue in counseling,” Bursch said. ADF says the law threatens fines of $5,000 per violation, suspension from practice, and possible permanent revocation of a counselor’s license. “There is little question that SB 5722 regulates speech and therefore implicates the First Amendment. True, counseling is a form of therapy, but it is conducted solely through speech,” Thomas wrote in his dissent. REAGAN HISTORIAN LOOKS BACK AT HISTORIC O’CONNOR APPOINTMENT: ‘MOST QUALIFIED’ “’If speaking to clients is not speech, the world is truly upside down,’” Thomas said, quoting another free speech case, King v. Governor of New Jersey. “’If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein,’” Thomas added, citing from another case, West Virginia Bd. of Ed. v. Barnette.
‘Shameful’: AOC blasts Biden admin for blocking UN Gaza cease-fire resolution
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is criticizing the Biden administration after the U.S. vetoed a United Nations resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. The progressive “Squad” member wrote, “Shameful” above an X post showing the U.S. as the lone “no” vote against the resolution last week. “The Biden [administration] can no longer reconcile their professed concern for Palestinians and human rights while also single-handedly vetoing the UN’s call for ceasefire and sidestepping the entire US Congress to unconditionally back the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. MIT, HARVARD FACE MOUNTING PRESSURE ON ‘CHOICE TO DEFEND TERRORIST SYMPATHIZERS’ AFTER UPENN PRESIDENT RESIGNS Asked for a response to the congresswoman’s comments, a U.S. official told Fox News Digital on Monday, “Despite a rushed process and lack of consultation by the resolution’s authors, the United States engaged in good faith on the resolution. Nearly all of our recommendations were ignored.” Thirteen countries voted in favor of demanding an immediate cease-fire and a release of all hostages in the conflict between Israel and Hamas on Friday. The U.S. voted against it, and the U.K. abstained. Robert Wood, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., maintained the U.S. wanted to see peace between Israelis and Palestinians but was critical of how the resolution would go about it. HOUSE REPS ANNOUNCE INVESTIGATION INTO HARVARD, MIT, UPENN AFTER ‘MORALLY BANKRUPT’ TESTIMONY ON ANTISEMITISM “It would simply leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat what it did on Oct. 7. Colleagues, a senior Hamas official recently stated the group intends to repeat the vile acts of Oct. 7, quote, again and again and again, unquote. And yet this resolution essentially says Israel should just tolerate this, that it should allow this terror to go unchecked,” Wood said on Friday. “Although the United States strongly supports a durable peace in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, we do not support this resolution’s call for an unsustainable cease-fire that will only plant the seeds for the next war.” Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people – mainly innocent civilians. JAYAPAL LIT UP BY WOMEN’S GROUPS FOR ‘REVOLTING’ REMARKS ON HAMAS RAPES: ‘IT IS CHILLING’ Israel has responded with force, bombarding Gaza with rocket fire and sending in ground troops. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has said about 18,000 Palestinians have been killed. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Israel’s retaliatory efforts have been a wedge between progressive U.S. Democrats and more traditional liberals who view the relationship between Tel Aviv and Washington as critical. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., an ally of Ocasio-Cortez, was censured along bipartisan lines last month for her anti-Israel comments.
Over 500 Harvard faculty members support university president in letter to board after antisemitism hearing
More than 500 Harvard faculty members supported University President Claudine Gay in a letter to the school’s board Sunday, following intense blowback from a congressional hearing about the rise in antisemitism on campus, where Gay failed to clearly state whether calls for the genocide of Jews violated the Ivy League school’s rules. The Harvard Corporation and the Harvard Board of Overseers, the university’s second-highest governing body, met Sunday amid mounting pressure from donors and lawmakers to remove Gay from her post. The Harvard Corporation is also scheduled to meet again on Monday. According to the Harvard Crimson, the Harvard Corporation is weighing whether to make a public statement in support of Gay. University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, who testified alongside Gay at a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing last week, resigned on Saturday. By contrast, just two days after the fiery hearing, MIT’s executive committee had pledged “full and unreserved support” for MIT President Sally Kornbluth, issuing a statement that championed “her outstanding academic leadership, her judgment, her integrity, her moral compass, and her ability to unite our community around MIT’s core values.” MIT, HARVARD FACE MOUNTING PRESSURE ON ‘CHOICE TO DEFEND TERRORIST SYMPATHIZERS’ AFTER UPENN PRESIDENT RESIGNS Sunday’s letter, with 511 signatures, said those Harvard faculty members “urge you in the strongest possible terms to defend the independence of the university and to resist political pressures that are at odds with Harvard’s commitment to academic freedom, including calls for the removal of President Claudine Gay.” “The critical work of defending a culture of free inquiry in our diverse community cannot proceed if we let its shape be dictated by outside forces,” the letter – organized in part by history professor Maya R. Jasanoff and sent to the Corporation Sunday evening – added, according to the Harvard Crimson. Jasanoff told the student newspaper that “soundbites” from the hearing obscured Gay’s message. “There is, as I’ve said, definitely room to explore the parameters and clarify the parameters of free speech, and free expression, and academic freedom, and so on on campuses,” Jasanoff said, placing blame instead on the House committee leadership. “I don’t think that the people who were taking the lead in the congressional inquiries were doing so with good faith intentions.” In a standout moment, House GOP Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., demanded Gay, Magill and Kornbluth answer whether calls on campus for intifada or the genocide of Jews violated their universities’ codes of conduct or rules against bullying and harassment. “At Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and harassment?” Stefanik asked. “It can be, depending on the context,” Gay responded. However, Stefanik implored her for a yes or no answer. “Antisemitic speech when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation — that is actionable conduct, and we do take action,” Gay said. HOUSE REPS ANNOUNCE INVESTIGATION INTO HARVARD, MIT, UPENN AFTER ‘MORALLY BANKRUPT’ TESTIMONY ON ANTISEMITISM “So the answer is yes, that calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard code of conduct, correct?” Stefanik asked. “Again, it depends on the context,” Gay said. “It does not depend on the context. The answer is yes, and this is why you should resign,” Stefanik responded. “These are unacceptable answers across the board.” Gay apologized after the hearing. “I got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures,” Gay said. “What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community — threats to our Jewish students — have no place at Harvard and will never go unchallenged. Substantively, I failed to convey what is my truth.” Seventy-four House members sent a bipartisan letter to the governing boards of Harvard, MIT and UPenn, calling on all three to immediately remove the president of each institution. Billionaire Harvard alum Bill Ackman sent a letter of his own to the Harvard governing boards of directors on Sunday, arguing that because of Gay’s “failure to condemn the most vile and barbaric terrorism the world has ever seen, for supporting rather than condemning 34 Harvard-branded student organizations who hold Israel ‘entirely responsible’ for Hamas’ barbaric acts, for failing to enforce Harvard’s own rules on student conduct, and for her other failures of leadership, President Gay catalyzed an explosion of antisemitism and hate on campus that is unprecedented in Harvard’s history.” Sharing the letter on X, Ackman wrote that he was aware that Gay’s failures “have led to billions of dollars of canceled, paused, and withdrawn donations to the university,” including from some of the most generous Jewish donors. Derek J. Penslar, another Harvard history professor who helped spearhead the letter defending Gay, told the Crimson he does not think “that signing this letter is an exoneration of the University for its handling of issues involving antisemitism and Islamophobia over the last couple of months,” but argued that decisions on university leadership should not be made by alumni or politicians. Among the more than 500 signatories are Harvard Law School professor Laurence H. Tribe ’62, Economics professor and former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Jason Furman ’92, and Pulitzer Prize winner and University Professor Annette Gordon-Reed. Tribe, notably, was critical of Gay’s testimony, posting on X that her “hesitant, formulaic, and bizarrely evasive answers were deeply troubling to me and many of my colleagues, students, and friends[.]” Along with Jasanoff and Penslar, history professor Alison Frank Johnson was also among the group of faculty to organize Sunday’s letter. Government professor Ryan D. Enos told the Crimson about 10 of those faculty organizers already sent an earlier letter last week urging the Corporation “to resist any outside pressure on how they handle leadership in the University.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We want them to state this publicly: that they support the leadership of President Gay and the ability
House Oversight Democrat quietly meeting with GOP lawmakers in effort to quash impeachment inquiry: Sources
EXCLUSIVE: The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee has been informally meeting with Republicans behind closed doors in an effort to persuade them to abandon the impeachment effort against President Biden, as GOP lawmakers prepare to vote to formalize the inquiry, Fox News Digital has learned. Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has been quietly discussing impeachment with House Republicans with whom he has close relationships, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the conversations told Fox News Digital. CONGRESS AIMS TO HOLD VOTE TO INITIATE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY Sources said Raskin has been meeting with “right-wing to more moderate members” in an effort to counter GOP arguments, investigative steps, and evidence collected throughout the investigation. Those sources told Fox News Digital that some Republicans, in recent days, have been “especially receptive to seeing the Administration’s record of cooperation with investigators.” Meanwhile, Fox News Digital has obtained “fact sheets” House Oversight Democrats plan to share with both Democrats and Republicans to support their efforts to quash the impeachment inquiry. HUNTER BIDEN’S EX-BUSINESS ASSOCIATE TONY BOBULINSKI DEMANDS BIDEN ‘STOP LYING’ ABOUT 2017 MEETING “These fact sheets are a hat in hand, fact-based appeal to House Republicans,” a senior House Democratic aide told Fox News Digital. “Republicans may not be getting all of the facts from Mr. Comer, so we are making sure that they have the full picture as they decide whether to endorse this impeachment effort.” One memo, obtained by Fox News Digital, is focused on obstruction in an effort to defend the Biden administration, as well as banks and private citizens, for providing “extraordinary cooperation” with the committee’s investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings and whether President Biden, himself, was involved. NATIONAL ARCHIVES TO HAND OVER 62,000 BIDEN RECORDS TO HOUSE GOP, INCLUDING EMAILS USING ALIASES Another memo defends the firing of Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. Joe Biden, as vice president, boasted that he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin. The then-vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired. Shokin, at the time, was investigating Burisma Holdings — a Ukrainian natural gas firm where Hunter Biden sat on the board and collected highly-lucrative monthly payments. But Democrats on the committee echoed past statements from the White House and the president, that Shokin’s firing was actually the “culmination of a years-long effort by a bipartisan, international coalition to address and root out corruption in Ukraine.” EXCLUSIVE: JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY PAID $5M BY BURISMA EXECUTIVE AS PART OF A BRIBERY SCHEME, ACCORDING TO FBI DOCUMENT Republicans, as part of the impeachment inquiry, have been investigating an FBI-generated FD-1023 form, which alleged a bribery scheme between Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky. That FD-1023 — a confidential human source (CHS) reporting document — reflects the FBI’s interview with a “highly credible” confidential source who detailed multiple meetings and conversations he or she had with a top executive of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings over the course of several years starting in 2015. The document includes allegations from Zlochevsky that he was “coerced” into paying Joe Biden and Hunter Biden millions of dollars to get Shokin fired. BIDENS ALLEGEDLY ‘COERCED’ BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM That document has been passed to Special Counsel David Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2018. When tapped as special counsel in August, Attorney General Merrick Garland expanded Weiss’s scope to include any other issues that have come up, or may come up, related to that investigation. But House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital it is “ironic Democrats continue to say there is no evidence and then at every turn seek to prevent the Oversight Committee from gathering evidence.” “Despite Democrats’ best efforts, the House Oversight Committee has produced evidence revealing Joe Biden knew about, participated in, and benefited from his family cashing in on the Biden last name,” Comer told Fox News Digital. “We will continue to follow the facts and hold this president accountable for his corruption.” Meanwhile, the Democrats also prepared a memo focused on the funds Joe Biden received from his brother, James Biden, in 2017 and 2018. Both checks, one for $200,000 and one for $40,000, were both labeled as a “loan repayment” in the memo section. JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN ‘LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY’ FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS Democrats stress that Joe Biden, as a private citizen, did, in fact, make “short-term, interest-free loans to his brother, James, who later repaid him.” But House Oversight Republicans are demanding documentation from the White House to prove that there were, in fact, loans, to be repaid. Republicans have also pointed to the timing of those payments to Biden—specifically the 2018 $40,000 check—as it came just days after James Biden was wired funds from Hunter Biden, after he received a $5 million wire from a Chinese energy company. Republicans say this is an example of how Joe Biden benefited from his family’s foreign business dealings. BIDEN WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HUNTER’S BUSINESS PARTNERS USING EMAIL ALIAS AS VP Hunter Biden received a $5 million wire from the Chinese company in August 2018 to his bank account, Hudson West III. Hunter Biden then transferred $400,000 to his Owasco PC account. Funds were then transferred to a business account belonging to James Biden and later transferred to a personal account belonging to James Biden and Sara Biden. Comer claims they used those funds to then cut a check to Joe Biden for $40,000. That check was labeled as a “loan repayment.” DOJ DEVIATED FROM ‘STANDARD PROCESSES,’ GAVE HUNTER BIDEN ‘SPECIAL TREATMENT’ IN PROBE, HOUSE GOP REPORT SAYS President Biden has maintained that he was never in business with his son, and never discussed his son’s foreign business dealings. Fox News Digital first reported last week metadata revealing that Biden communicated with his son and his son’s business partner Eric Schwerin hundreds of times using an email alias
Former Kentucky Gov. Julian Carroll dead at 92
Former Kentucky Gov. Julian Carroll, who led efforts to improve public schools and modernize the state’s judicial system in the 1970s — and who later rekindled his political career as a state legislator — died Sunday, his family said. He was 92. Carroll ascended to the governorship during an era when Bluegrass State governors still dominated the legislative agenda, enabling him to shape a wide spectrum of Kentucky policies. But his administration later became tainted by a kickback scandal that engulfed a former state Democratic Party chairman. Carroll, a Democrat, served as governor from 1974 to 1979 and made a successful comeback in 2004 when he was elected as a state senator. KENTUCKY GOV. BESHEAR URGES FUTURE ADOPTION OF DISASTER RELIEF MODEL TO AVOID DELAYS “As a family, it is with the heaviest of hearts that we grieve the loss of our beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather,” his family said in a statement. “His steadfast faith and positive outlook on life … and constant love for his family and his giving heart and warm embrace will forever be missed.” Kentucky’s current Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, said in a social media post that Carroll “dedicated his career to public service. For decades he worked to support public education and those he represented in Frankfort.” In his tribute to Carroll, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, a Republican, said that “few will have a career as distinguished as his.” Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne, also a Republican, offered “deepest sympathies” to Carroll’s family and noted the former governor’s decades long political life. “May his family find comfort in that service,” Osborne said in a statement. Carroll served five terms in the Kentucky House, including a stint as House speaker from 1968 to 1970. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1971 and ascended to the governorship in December 1974 when Gov. Wendell Ford resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. Running a year later as an incumbent, a rarity in a time when Kentucky governors were barred from succeeding themselves, Carroll easily won election to a full term of his own. He governed during a time of prosperity. An oil embargo by Arab countries triggered a boom in the coal industry, and Carroll’s administration was awash in money from the coal severance tax. Carroll led the push to eliminate the private bail bond system and the state invested heavily in teacher salaries and provided free textbooks. He established a School Building Authority to help poor school districts build new schools. Vocational and special education systems were also bolstered. The state parks systems expanded under his leadership, too, and Kentucky strengthened fire-safety laws following the deadly blaze that tore through the Beverly Hills Supper Club in northern Kentucky. Carroll took on a national leadership role as chairman of the National Governors Association. But his administration was scarred by a federal grand jury investigation after he left office. The investigation led to the indictment of the former chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party, Howard “Sonny” Hunt, on 22 counts for his alleged participation in a fraud scheme involving workers compensation insurance. Hunt pleaded guilty and served time in prison. Carroll was never charged. JUANITA CASTRO, ANTI-COMMUNIST YOUNGER SISTER OF CUBA’S FIDEL AND RAÚL, DEAD AT 90 After leaving office in 1979, Carroll opened a law practice. He attempted a comeback in 1987 but finished far behind in the crowded Democratic gubernatorial primary. A few decades later, in 2004, he won a seat in the Kentucky Senate, where he served until 2020. His booming voice became a staple during debates. Julian Morton Carroll, a native of McCracken County in western Kentucky, was born on April 16, 1931, the third of 11 children born to Elvie Buster and Eva Heady Carroll. He served as an Air Force attorney for three years after graduating from the University of Kentucky law school in 1956. In 1960, Carroll led a a public referendum campaign to allow the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide electricity to McCracken County. The referendum, which led to lower electric costs, passed overwhelmingly, a success that set the stage for Carroll’s long political career. His wife, Charlann Harting Carroll, died in 2014 at the age of 81 after more than 60 years of marriage. Funeral arrangements for the former governor were pending, his family said.