Biden’s team hid the truth about his health all along: WH press sec
The Biden administration engaged in a “cover-up” by failing to disclose details about the health of former President Joe Biden, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “I can tell you there was certainly a lack of transparency from the former president, from the entire former administration,” Leavitt told reporters on Friday. “And frankly, a lot of people in this room, when it came to the health in the competence of the former President of the United States, Joe Biden — there was one of the greatest cover-ups and, frankly, political scandals this nation has ever seen. It’s been unraveled in some recent books that are being written by journalists who engaged in that cover-up in scandal, which is quite ironic.” A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. BIDEN AIDES ‘SCRIPTED’ EVERYTHING, ALLOWED HIS FACULTIES TO ‘ATROPHY,’ NEW BOOK CLAIMS New books out have detailed Biden’s mental and physical well-being during his time in the White House. “Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,” published Tuesday and authored by Chris Whipple, a former producer for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” claims that the White House kept Biden from socializing with those who previously worked alongside him — a tactic that backfired and contributed to his declining mental agility. EX-BIDEN AIDE SAYS FORMER PRESIDENT WAS ‘FATIGUED, BEFUDDLED, AND DISENGAGED’ PRIOR TO JUNE DEBATE: BOOK Leavitt’s remarks come as President Donald Trump is receiving an annual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday. The White House says it will provide a readout of the appointment. “But this president is clearly committed to transparency,” Leavitt said. “You in this room see him and hear from him on a daily basis. You in this room know from covering him. It’s hard to keep up with him. He is a machine working around the clock every single day. And the physician, after today’s physical, will provide an update on the report in the effort of transparency.”
UN agrees deal on shipping emissions despite US threats
The US pulled out of the climate talks at the International Maritime Organization in London this week. Countries at the United Nations shipping agency have struck a deal on a global fuel emissions standard for the maritime sector, which will impose an emissions fee on ships that breach it and reward vessels burning cleaner fuels. The United States pulled out of the climate talks at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London this week, urging other countries to do the same and threatening to impose “reciprocal measures” against any fees charged to US ships. Despite that, other nations have approved the CO2-cutting measures to help meet the IMO’s target to cut net emissions from international shipping by 20 percent by 2030 and eliminate them by 2050. A majority of countries at the IMO voted on Friday to approve a scheme that from 2028 will charge ships a penalty of $380 per metric tonne on every extra tonne of CO2-equivalent they emit above a fixed emissions threshold, plus a penalty of $100 a tonne on emissions above a stricter emissions limit. The deal is expected to generate up to $40bn in fees from 2030, some of which will go towards making expensive zero-emission fuels more affordable. Advertisement The talks have exposed deep rifts between governments over how fast to push the maritime sector to cut its environmental effect. A proposal for a stronger carbon levy on all shipping emissions, backed by climate-vulnerable Pacific countries – which abstained in Friday’s vote – plus the European Union and the UK, was dropped after opposition from several countries, including China, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, delegates told the Reuters news agency. Vanuatu’s climate minister, Ralph Regenvanu, said countries had “failed to support a set of measures that would have gotten the shipping industry onto a 1.5°C pathway”. Industry group the International Chamber of Shipping welcomed the deal, which it said would require a huge scale-up of such fuels. “We are pleased that governments have understood the need to catalyse and support investment in zero emission fuels,” ICS said in a statement. In 2030, the main emissions limit will require ships to cut the emissions intensity of their fuel by 8 percent compared with a 2008 baseline, while the stricter standard will demand a 21 percent reduction. By 2035, the main standard will cut fuel emissions by 30 percent, versus 43 percent for the stricter standard. Ships that reduce emissions to below the stricter limit will be rewarded with credits that they can sell to non-compliant vessels. “This is a groundbreaking moment for the shipping industry, which should signal a turning of the tide on greenhouse gases from global shipping,” Mark Lutes, senior adviser at the NGO World Wildlife Fund for Nature, said in a statement. Advertisement “However, key aspects of this agreement fall short of what is needed and risk blowing the transition off course,” he added. The carbon pricing measure must now be formally adopted at an IMO assembly in October. Adblock test (Why?)
A court upheld the impeachment last week, and removing removed him from off
NewsFeed South Korea’s ousted president Yoon Suk-yeol left the presidential residence for the final time on April 11, days after a court upheld his impeachment. Yoon, who greeted throngs of flag-waving supporters, will relocate to his private home in Seoul. Published On 11 Apr 202511 Apr 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Trump’s tariffs: Short-term damage or long-term ruin?
What does Trump aim to achieve by making it costlier for the rest of the world to sell their goods in the US? As the US government imposed tariffs on goods from all other countries, President Donald Trump has asked Americans to “hang tough”. But economists are warning of negative consequences for American households and businesses. Georgetown University professor Michael Strain, who heads economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, tells host Steve Clemons that “the risk of recession is very, very real.” Trump believes that the tariffs will stimulate the US economy and bring jobs back after decades of outsourcing, Strain argues, but the opposite is more likely: costs will rise, manufacturing will decrease, and Trump’s approval rating will go down. Adblock test (Why?)
A message from our CEO, Sonal Shah
Since 2023, we have worked diligently to reach new audiences in Texas, increase trust in our work and expand into local news. At the end of this year, with a strong leadership team in place, I will be transitioning.
Red state lawmakers warned about allegedly accepting ‘DEI dollars’ from hospital association: Watchdog
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative nonprofit is warning Tennessee lawmakers about a hospital group it says is quietly pushing radical DEI policies — even as some of those lawmakers have taken the group’s donations. As institutions begin aligning their policies with President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Consumer’s Research Group, a nonprofit conservative consumer agency, sent a letter to several Tennessee Republican lawmakers urging them to cut ties with the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA). “Tennessee representatives who accept DEI Dollars from woke institutions like the Tennessee Hospital Association are putting themselves directly at odds with President Trump,” executive director Will Hild told Fox News Digital. “The President was clear: organizations continuing to push discriminatory DEI policies should be investigated.” RED STATES GET IN LINE WITH TRUMP’S DEI BAN IN SCHOOLS AS COMPLIANCE DEADLINE NEARS The letter, sent to Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, both Republicans, comes after the group launched a campaign last month titled “What Is Vanderbilt University Medical Center Hiding?” after finding that the university had been not just deleting some of its references to DEI commitments and resources, but also hiding them behind password-protected web pages. The letter was also cc’d to state House Majority Leader William Lamberth, state Sens. Shane Reeves, Jack Johnson, Ed Jackson, Becky Massey, Ferrell Haile and state Reps. Gary Hicks, Sabi “Doc” Kumar and Ryan Williams. Public documents indicate the lawmakers received financial backing from the THA, which the association found still promotes DEI and “‘health equity’ through its Council on Inclusion and Health Equity.” “Our campaign asking what is Vanderbilt University Medical Center hiding exposed the health system’s frantic and futile attempts to cover its widespread DEI tracks – essentially waving a great big red flag asking to be investigated,” Hild added. TRUMP ADMIN WARNS STATES TO COMPLY WITH HOUSING PRISONERS BY THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX OR FACE FUNDING CUTOFF From 2020 through 2024, the Tennessee Hospital Association’s political action committee (PAC) made $707,950 in contributions to candidates and PACs in the state, which includes both the House and Senate Republican caucuses. “This is why Consumers’ Research has significant concerns that your acceptance of THA’s DEI Dollars signals an organizational effort to prevent state investigations into hospitals, like VUMC, that have faced criticism for prioritizing equity over healthcare and providing irreversible gender transition procedures to minors,” the letter to lawmakers on Friday states. “This should be alarming to you and your constituents who rely on hospitals to provide exceptional care to patients, free of a political agenda.” DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DOLED OUT OVER $200M TO UNIVERSITIES TO INJECT DEI INTO COUNSELING COURSES: REPORT In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, VUMC spokesperson John Howser said that in light of Trump’s recent executive actions mandating an end to DEI programs, particularly in educational institutions, VUMC “is undertaking a thorough review” of its programs to figure out “where revisions may be required to remain in compliance, including updating information on websites and other public platforms.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump signed the “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” order in January to eradicate all DEI programs within federal agencies and among federal contractors. It revoked previous directives that had promoted affirmative action and required contractors to implement DEI initiatives, arguing that these programs led to “preferential treatment.” Fox News Digital has reached out to VUMC, the Tennessee Hospital Association and Tennessee Republican lawmakers who received financial donations from them. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Five news organizations join Texas Tribune and ProPublica investigative initiative
El Paso Matters, Fort Worth Report, Houston Chronicle, The Texas Newsroom and WFAA will join us to support accountability journalism in Texas.
Meet the tent company making a fortune off Trump’s deportation plans
Deployed Resources, a privately held tent company, is set to operate a new ICE tent camp to hold people awaiting deportation in El Paso, Texas.
SCOOP: Biden-era grant program described as ‘gold bar’ scheme by Trump EPA administrator under scrutiny
FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in Congress are launching a probe into a Biden-era green energy grant program that sent billions in funding to climate groups tied to Democrats and former President Joe Biden’s allies. GOP leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent letters to the eight nonprofits awarded grants from the $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), seeking answers to ensure the Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) followed proper ethics and conflict of interest protocols in distributing the funds. In February, the Trump administration’s EPA announced it would take steps to get the money back, citing concerns over a lack of oversight related to how the money was being disbursed. In the announcement, new EPA administrator Lee Zeldin cited comments from a former Biden EPA political appointee, who described disbursements made through GGRF as akin to “tossing gold bars off the Titanic,” because Biden officials were allegedly trying to get money out the door before Trump took over. EPA ADMINISTRATOR ROLLS BACK 31 BIDEN-ERA REGULATIONS It was also revealed that $2 billion from GGRF went to a Stacy Abrams-linked group, Power Forward Communities, which had not been established until after the Biden administration announced the GGRF application process. Meanwhile, during Power Forward’s first few months of operations – prior to receiving the funding – the group reported just $100 in revenue. Climate United, another group that received the most money from the GGRF, roughly $7 billion, currently staffs a former Biden climate advisor who worked during the last two years of the former president’s term. The same group is also run by a CEO with ties to the Obama administration and a board member who was among those invited to Biden’s signing ceremony for his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure bill in 2021. Several GGRF grant recipients have ties to Democrats and Biden advisors, and some were reportedly founded shortly before or after the Biden administration announced the program. Meanwhile, these groups, according to Zeldin, had sole discretion on how to use the funds. COMER PROBES NGOS THAT RECEIVED $20B IN BIDEN EPA GRANTS DESPITE ALMOST NO REVENUE: ‘SHADY DEAL’ House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., alongside fellow committee members Reps. Gary Palmer of Alabama and Morgan Griffith of Virginia, both Republicans, said in a joint statement that their investigation into the GGRF recipients will be “key” to understanding whether these funds were allocated “fairly and impartially to qualified applicants,” while also helping to determine the manner in which the money has been used. “The Committee has had concerns about the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program since its creation—including concerns about the program’s unusual structure, a potential lack of due diligence in selecting award recipients, and the recipients’ ability to manage the large influx of federal dollars they received from the EPA,” the lawmakers said in their statement. “A recent Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing that examined these concerns coupled with the speed with which money was pushed out the door by the Biden Administration’s EPA heightened the Committee’s concerns and raised additional questions about certain Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund recipients.” LEE ZELDIN STANDS FIRM ON EFFORTS TO CLAW BACK BIDEN-ERA EPA FUNDING: ‘I’M NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE’ Several of the groups that were recipients of GGRF money sued the Trump administration in March over its attempts to rake back the funds. Subsequently, Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order preventing the EPA from freezing $14 billion in GGRF funds awarded to three of the climate groups.
Democrat Massachusetts lawmaker arrested for fraud, used stolen funds to purchase ‘psychic services’: feds
A Democratic lawmaker in Massachusetts was arrested and charged after he allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars from a local trade association to fund both personal and political expenses. Massachusetts state Rep. Christopher Flanagan, 37, was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records on Friday, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Flanagan served as the executive officer of the Home Builders Association in Cape Cod and received a salary and benefits ranging from $65,800 to $81,600 from 2019 to 2024, when he was working there. Flanagan also received $97,546 and $100,945 in 2023 and 2024, from his position as a legislator. Beginning around October 2021, Flanagan was facing financial trouble and stole $36,000 in Home Builders Association funds through bank wire transfers, according to the DOJ. CONNECTICUT HOUSE OF HORRORS STEPMOM DENIES CHILD ABUSE ACCUSATIONS THAT CAME AS ‘EXTREME SHOCK’: ATTORNEY From Nov. 18, 2021 and Jan. 28, 2023, Flanagan wired anywhere from $1,500 and $10,000 on several separate occasions. The Justice Department said Flanagan used the funds to pay mortgage bills, pay down debt, and even used it to pay for personal psychic services. In an expense report, the DOJ said Flanagan claimed to have spent $159.36 on “technology services” at Best Buy and $537.26 on “Office Supplies” at 4Imprint, but records showed the money was used to buy a Bluetooth speaker and T-shirts for his political campaign. JUDGE DISMISSES CHARGES IN ALLEGED CAMPUS VIGILANTE ‘CATCH A PREDATOR’ STING TARGETING ARMY SOLDIER Another expense report shows $3,784.84 was spent on office supplies. The DOJ, however, said that $2,118.10 was used for personal expenses at Best Buy, Macy’s and Target. Federal authorities also alleged that Flanagan obstructed an investigation by the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance when he attributed the source of a campaign mailer to “Jeanne Louise,” a false persona that he allegedly created. Flanagan faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge and up to 20 years for the falsification of records charge. READ THE INDICTMENT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan and his attorney for comment.