Illegal immigrant accused of raping, murdering girl, 12, wore ICE ankle monitor when crime occurred
A suspect in the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston last week was wearing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) ankle bracelet at the time of the crime. Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, one of the suspects behind the murder, appeared in court Monday at Harris County Criminal Court, where it was revealed that he was wearing the ankle monitor at the time he allegedly murdered Nungaray. The ankle bracelet was provided to him when he was arrested by Border Patrol agents after entering the country illegally and being released from custody, with ICE telling Fox News in a statement Friday that he “illegally entered the U.S. without inspection, parole or admission by a U.S. immigration officer on an unknown date and at an unknown location.” ICE also has a retainer on Ramos, the agency said. JOCELYN NUNGARAY MURDER: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING HOUSTON GIRL HAS BAIL SET AT $10M Judge Josh Hill, who presided over Monday’s proceedings, also noted that Ramos and 21-year-old Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, the other suspect in the case, faced allegations that they were attempting to gather money to flee town. The judge set Ramos’ bail to $10 million during the appearance, more than double the $5 million requested by prosecutors. Pena’s defense had suggested a bail set at $1 million, but the judge argued he represented an “astronomical” flight risk and said the chances of the suspect returning to court would be “near zero.” If Ramos were to make bail, the judge ordered that he must wear a GPS monitor, be on house arrest 24/7, remain in Harris County, have no contact with the other suspect or the victim’s family, not have contact with anyone under the age of 18, not be in possession of firearms, drugs, or alcohol, and to surrender his passport. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECTS IN TEXAS GIRL’S MURDER WERE RECENTLY CAUGHT BY BORDER PATROL, RELEASED INTO US Ramos and Martinez are accused of luring the young girl under a bridge in Houston before tying her up and killing her. “In this case the defendant lured a 12-year-old under a bridge, where he and his co-defendant remained with her for over 2 hours, took her pants off, tied her up, and killed her, then threw her body into the bayou,” Harris County Assistant District Attorney Michael Abner wrote. Investigators were able to use surveillance video to track the movements of the two before and after the killing, police said. Both suspects are charged with capital murder, while Martinez is set to appear in court for the first time on Tuesday.
Biden ‘appalled’ by violence at LA synagogue, but DOJ won’t say if it’s seeking charges
President Biden is condemning threats to Jewish members of a Los Angeles synagogue after viral videos showed pro-Palestinian activists clashing with Israel supporters over the weekend. “I’m appalled by the scenes outside of Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles. Intimidating Jewish congregants is dangerous, unconscionable, antisemitic, and un-American,” Biden wrote on X. “Americans have a right to peaceful protest. But blocking access to a house of worship – and engaging in violence – is never acceptable.” CHICAGO WOMAN BOOKED FOR VANDALIZING BUILDINGS WITH ANTISEMITIC GRAFFITI His Department of Justice (DOJ), however, has been silent. Fox News Digital sent two queries to the DOJ earlier on Monday asking whether the department would investigate or seek to prosecute the matter, both of which went unanswered. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., suggested Biden direct a probe into the incident himself. “If only you were in charge of the FBI and Department of Justice and could order them to conduct a manhunt for every one of these pro-Hamas lunatics. Like you did for every grandma in a MAGA hat within a country mile of the Capitol on January 6,” Cotton wrote on X. VIOLENCE BREAKS OUT AFTER ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS SURROUND LA SYNAGOGUE, CLASH WITH ISRAEL SUPPORTERS Biden’s supporters on the left, however, cheered his statement. Pro-Israel group Democratic Majority for Israel thanked Biden on X “for condemning the reprehensible targeting of Jewish worshipers at a Adas Torah.” “We are grateful for your unwavering commitment to fighting antisemitism and for your leadership in the face of such hatred,” the group wrote. Videos of the incident showed police in riot gear as pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel activists got into physical altercations. THREE COLUMBIA DEANS ON LEAVE AFTER REPORTEDLY DISPARAGING ANTISEMITISM PANEL In addition to Biden, it prompted criticism from Los Angeles’ progressive mayor, Karen Bass, for protesters blocking Jewish residents’ access to their synagogue. “Today’s violence in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood today was abhorrent, and blocking access to a place of worship is unacceptable. I’ve called on LAPD to provide additional patrols in the Pico-Robertson community as well as outside of houses of worship throughout the city,” Bass wrote on X. “I’ll be meeting with Chief Choi tomorrow to further discuss the safety of Angelenos. I want to be clear that Los Angeles will not be a harbor for antisemitism and violence. Those responsible for either will be found and held accountable.” It’s the latest sign of tensions rising around the country in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack in southern Israel, and Israel’s responding invasion of Gaza to eradicate the Palestinian militant group.
US Marshals protection for Dr Fauci now ‘winding down’ after death threat spike
Dr. Anthony Fauci enjoyed multiple years of U.S. Marshals protection, but that security is now “winding down,” Fox News has learned. A source briefed on Fauci’s security informed Fox News of the incoming rollback but declined to offer details on exactly when security will end. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requested security for Fauci in 2020, and he has been under U.S. Marshals protection since then. U.S. Marshals kept protecting Fauci even after he left public office due to his recent testimony on Capitol Hill. They noted that he has received countless death threats in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. News of the wind-down comes after Republicans blasted Fauci for still having security on the taxpayers’ dime. They also argued his complaints of death threats were an attempt to garner sympathy. HIGH-RANKING FAUCI ADVISER USED PERSONAL EMAIL TO AVOID FOIA REQUESTS, DISCUSS COVID ORIGIN Fauci testified before Congress this month. Lawmakers on the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic grilled him throughout the hearing, which focused on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 6-feet distancing rule, the masking of schoolchildren and other pandemic-era restrictions. Fauci responded affirmatively each time when asked by Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, whether business closures, church closures, school closures and stay-at-home orders were justified, adding that “again, this was when we were trying to stop the tsunami of deaths that were occurring early on – how long you kept them going is debatable.” “Mask mandates for children under the age of 5? There’s scientific evidence supporting that?” the congressman asked. FAUCI ADVISER’S ALLEGED DESTRUCTION OF COVID ORIGIN DOCS MUST BE PROBED BY AG: RAND PAUL “There was no study that did masks on kids before,” Fauci said. “You couldn’t do the study. You had to respond to an epidemic that was killing 4-5,000 Americans a day.” The Republican-led subcommittee has spent over a year probing the nation’s response to the pandemic and whether U.S.-funded research in China may have played any role in how it started. Democrats opened the hearing by saying the investigation so far has found no evidence that Fauci did anything wrong, while missing an important opportunity to prepare for the next outbreak. Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Democrat challenger slams Bowman’s ‘theater of conflict,’ says profanity-laced rally jeopardizes party ‘unity’
George Latimer, a Democratic congressional candidate challenging Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., slammed the “Squad” member’s recent profanity-laced campaign rally in the Bronx, arguing the progressive incumbent “bought into the theater of conflict” in Washington, D.C., jeopardizing the party and the country’s need for “unity.” Diplomatically describing the remarks from Bowman at the campaign rally that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also joined as “must-see TV,” Latimer said no matter the pressures, he personally knows to “maintain a public sense of balance and calmness even in the face of criticism.” “I think there’s been a lot of criticism lobbed at me by my opponent that’s unfair and inaccurate, but I don’t think I get the right to use my temper,” Latimer, who currently serves as Westchester County executive, said at an event with faith leaders in Mount Vernon, New York, Monday. “I don’t think I get the right to curse in public and carry on in a certain way. I’ve been that way all my life, and when I grew up on the streets of Mount Vernon, you know, there’s a lot of pressure and stress on you every day. But we try to absorb that, and I try to show respect to everybody. And even if people say mean things about me, I try not to respond unkindly.” “I went to pains not to be hypercritical in my conversations. You just said a second ago that I was diplomatic. Yes,” Latimer continued, responding to a reporter’s question. “That’s sort of my terminal guilt. The important thing is to understand that we agree on a lot of areas of public policy. We may disagree in certain areas of public policy, but what’s happened in Washington and what I’m afraid the incumbent has bought into, is that this is more about the theater of conflict than it is finding common ground. And if you have disagreements with fellow Democrats, you still have to be able to come together and work.” NY DEM SLAMS ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER’S PROFANITY-LACED RANT AT RALLY WITH AOC: ‘UNHINGED’ “And I do believe by my personality, by what I’ve done in the past, we can find common ground and make things together. I’ve already said if I lose this race, my campaign is over,” he said. “The people who support me are going to be encouraged, you know, not to have any further division. So if there’s division that comes in the future, it’s not coming from my challenge. It’s coming from the way the incumbent and his backers view these issues.” During a speech in the Bronx riddled with expletives, Bowman lashed out against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel advocacy group supporting Latimer. “We are going to show f—ing AIPAC, the power of the motherf—ing South Bronx!” Bowman said at Saturday’s rally held in St. Mary’s Park in Mott Haven. “People ask me why I got a foul mouth. What am I supposed to do? You’re coming after me! You’re coming after my family! You’re coming after my children! I’m not supposed to fight back?” “We’re going to show them who the f— we are!” he added, jumping around the stage. Bowman also led the crowd in a chant of “Cease-fire now. Cease-fire now.” “We are not going to stand silent while U.S. tax dollars kills babies and women and children. My opponent supports genocide.,” Bowman said. “My opponent and AIPAC are the ones destroying our democracy. And it is on us, it is on all of us to save our democracy.” Latimer on Monday said of Bowman’s use of expletives in a public setting, “That was inappropriate. Period.” REP. BOWMAN SAYS AIPAC WILL SEE ‘POWER OF THE MOTHERF—ING BRONX’ DURING RALLY SPEECH If he loses Tuesday’s primary, Latimer – who holds a double-digit lead – said he would likely come to church for “self-introspection,” and he encouraged Bowman to take the same approach if defeated. “Look at what did you do to contribute to this moment as opposed to the accusational effort that you point in the other direction. And I hope that there is a basis for us to move forward. And let me go one step further. The party may be divided over a couple of different issues, but the nation is even more divided,” Latimer said. “We have a responsibility not only to unify the party, but to unify the nation.” “I don’t accept the premise that because people hold different views on major issues, that they have become enemies. I believe we’re still all Americans,” he said. “I do believe we have underneath the same core values. Some of that come from where we have the religious tradition. Some of it comes in secular tradition, but we have to focus on that or that is how we move into democracy, by letting the differences that we have become so important to us that we lose the commonality.” “I’m not a bombastic person,” Latimer said earlier in the event, drawing contrast to his opponent. “You’re not going to get me to say those outrageous things that sometimes get you in the media. But the support of these individuals behind me is very important to me because I look forward. What I look forward to do is, if I do go to Congress, to find ways to be helpful in the programs and the services that they provide to the people that live in their communities and the Bronx is represented here, as well as Mount Vernon, Westchester County.” Latimer said a “sense of urgency” is needed in Congress, as he hears from those in the district “about them wanting to see the federal government stop this performance art and get down to some performance.” “Whether one person can make a difference. I don’t know,” Latimer said. “But I do believe every individual congressman, if you can find that willingness to work on substance and not just on the symbolic things, not just repeating what the
Faith voters will ‘decide this election,’ according to prominent GOP members
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Leaders of the GOP are encouraging voters of faith to cast their vote in November, saying the Democratic Party is targeting people of faith. Fox News Digital spoke with prominent members of the Republican Party at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference in Washington, D.C., about the role faith voters will play in the upcoming election. “They play a huge role, a decisive role,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital. “There’s no majority for the Republican Party without voters of faith. And they’re going to decide this election. So we need them to turn out.” Tulsi Gabbard, former Hawaii congresswoman and candidate on former President Donald Trump’s shortlist for vice president, said the Democratic Party “is trying to erase God from every facet of our public life.” TRUMP FIRES UP MAJOR FAITH GATHERING JUST DAYS AHEAD OF FIRST DEBATE CLASH WITH BIDEN “We will play a critical role, especially at a time where we have the Biden-Harris administration and the Democrat elite who, are fundamentally against freedom, including freedom of religion, and have a long track record that threatens people of faith and spirituality,” Gabbard told Fox. “You look at those things that happened several years ago, and you look at how that has escalated at a much higher level, an abuse of power, a targeting of people of faith and the Democratic Party that, unfortunately, is trying to erase God from every facet of our public life. Now more than ever people of faith, people of spirituality need to stand up, to defend this fundamental, God-given right and stop those who are trying to take it away from us.” Trump delivered the keynote address at the event for the major Christian grassroots organization in his continued outreach to voters of faith, a demographic that makes up a large voting block of the Republican Party. TRUMP’S POTENTIAL RUNNING MATES TO COMPETE FOR APPROVAL AT MAJOR CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE AS SPECULATION SWIRLS “This is a moment for folks of faith to stand up and be counted and be engaged in the public square, in the marketplace of ideas, and certainly in the November election,” Daniel Cameron, former attorney general of Kentucky, said. “I think the more folks that are Christians get engaged in this process, the better the turnout is going to be.” Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake told Fox that the Christian and Jewish communities are fighting for their First Amendment rights in November. “I think it’s going to be massive. I mean, we’re seeing so many things happening that go against our morals and beliefs. For people who are Christian, people who are Jewish right now of all faiths, and they’re realizing that we have a unique right in the United States is called the First Amendment, our freedom to practice a religion of our choice,” Lake said in an interview. “And if we watch our Constitution crumble, we don’t have that ability anymore. This is the last bastion for freedom of religion in this country. And we have to save that and protect that.” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said that faith voters “are going to play a huge role in this election.” Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., also noted that “voters of faith have an obligation and a responsibility to unify, to get out and vote. It will make all the difference in the world.” The Republicans also shared how their faith is at the center of their political philosophy. CLICK HERE TO GET FOX NEWS APP “The way I was raised, we weren’t raised to talk about politics. We were raised to talk about what was right, what was wrong, what was fair, what was unfair, and ultimately what God said about it,” Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital about his faith. “We learned those tenets before we ever spoke about politics, before I knew what a Republican or Democrat was. And so, while they’ve shaped me since I’ve been an adult, those issues have shaped me since I’ve been a child.”
Tapan Kumar Deka gets one year extension as Intelligence Bureau chief
Deka is a 1988-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre.
How a U.S. Supreme Court case about gender-affirming care ban could impact Texas
Texas’ ban on transition-related care for minors is currently before the Supreme Court of Texas.
Sotomayor sees added ‘burden’ on same-sex couples in scathing dissent on SCOTUS immigration case
Justice Sonia Sotomayor lashed out at her Supreme Court colleagues in a fiery dissent Friday, arguing the court’s ruling in a spousal visa case will prove especially harmful for same-sex couples. “Same-sex couples may be forced to relocate to countries that do not recognize same-sex marriage, or even those that criminalize homosexuality,” Sotomayor wrote in her dissent that was joined by Justices Elana Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The opinion comes in the case of Sandra Muñoz, an American citizen who married a citizen of El Salvador who was denied an immigrant visa to the United States. Muñoz sued the State Department over the issue, alleging the government did not provide sufficient reason to deny her husband a visa. The State Department, meanwhile, argued that officials suspected the husband of being a member of the infamous MS-13 gang, citing tattoos the man has that seemingly signal affiliation with the gang. The couple has denied the accusation. DURBIN ATTEMPT TO FORCE SUPREME COURT ETHICS VOTE BLOCKED AMID ALITO CONTROVERSY But in a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that Muñoz has a right to marry but that her husband does not have a right to live in the U.S. with her. “In fact, Congress’s longstanding regulation of spousal immigration −including through bars on admissibility − cuts the other way,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for the majority. “As a general matter, Congress sets the terms for entry, and the Department of State implements those requirements at United State Embassies and consulates in foreign countries.” Coney Barrett was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority. Yet Sotomayor said in her dissent that the majority’s ruling puts the fate of U.S. couples in the hands of other governments, a burden she argued would fall most heavily on same-sex couples. CNN’S JIM ACOSTA WARNS SUPREME COURT RISKS CREATING ‘MESS’ BY NOT RULING QUICKLY ON TRUMP IMMUNITY “The majority’s failure to respect the right to marriage in this country consigns U.S. citizens to rely on the fickle grace of other countries’ immigration laws,” Sotomayor wrote. “The burden will fall most heavily on same-sex couples and others who lack the ability, for legal or financial reasons, to make a home in the noncitizen spouse’s country of origin.” Sotomayor also took aim at the State Department’s assessment of the man’s tattoos, arguing that some of the images are symbols of “pan-Latinx identity.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Asencio-Cordero has no criminal record, but he does have several tattoos from his teenage years,” Sotomayor wrote. “They depict a range of subjects, including ‘Our Lady of Guadalipe, Sigmund Freud, a tribal pattern with a paw print, and theatrical masks with dice and cards…Some of these images have deep significance in Latin American culture.”
Ex-White House doctor Ronny Jackson calls on Biden to take drug test before Trump debate
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, the White House physician-turned-House lawmaker, is demanding in a new letter that President Biden submit to a drug test before his Thursday “CNN Presidential Debate” with former President Trump. Jackson made his request for a “clinically validated drug test” in a three-page message to Biden and his physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor. “This drug test should be administered both immediately before and after the debate and should include, but not be limited to, performance enhancing drugs,” Jackson wrote. He said debates “have given the American public the opportunity to gain critical insight into specific policy positions held by individual candidates, to demonstrate each candidate’s leadership qualities and style, and to observe the candidates’ ability to perform in an unscripted and high-pressure environment.” CNN HOST CUTS OFF TRUMP SPOKESWOMAN FOR CRITICIZING NETWORK DEBATE MODERATORS: ‘I’M GOING TO STOP THIS’ “American citizens must have absolute confidence in their President’s ability to perform his or her duties as Head of State and Commander in Chief, and the debate performance absolutely should be indicative of an individual’s ability to perfo1m these critical duties free of any performance enhancing drugs or mood-altering medications,” the letter said. He pointed to a recent Wall Street Journal report that cited interviews with more than 40 people to paint a picture of an 81-year-old leader losing his sharpness even as problems both at home and abroad grow more complex. Biden and his Democratic allies furiously pushed back on that report, calling it a GOP hit piece. EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP TAKES DEBATE PREP TO CAMPAIGN TRAIL, CALLS IT A WINNING STRATEGY Jackson also brought up special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with Biden regarding his handling of classified documents, when Hur said a jury could see the president as a “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” He then accused Biden of using performance-enhancing drugs during the State of the Union, describing the president as having been “profusely sweating, yelling at the camera, not blinking, and frequently moving and gesturing with his hands at a rapid rate.” There have been several recent polls that show Biden’s age is a top concern for voters. A March New York Times/Siena College poll found that 61% of respondents who voted for Biden in 2020 agreed with the statement, “Joe Biden is just too old to be an effective president.” “President Biden, throughout your presidency, over one hundred Members of Congress have called on you on five separate occasions to submit to a cognitive exam, however each of those requests have been ignored by you and your physician Dr. O’Connor,” Jackson wrote. “President Donald J. Trump set a precedent during his presidency to document and demonstrate the sound mental abilities necessary to fulfill the duties of the Office of the President.” “Unfortunately, President Biden, your refusal to submit to a cognitive exam, and Dr. O’Connor, your unwillingness to address the American people regarding the President’s true mental and physical fitness for duty, has created a condition of great concern for our country as Americans watch the continued decline in our president’s cognitive performance.” CNN DEBATE MODERATOR JAKE TAPPER’S SHARPEST ANTI-TRUMP COMMENTARY OVER THE YEARS Before being elected to the House of Representatives, Jackson served as White House physician under both Trump and former President Obama. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP When asked if he believes Trump should also undergo the same drug testing before the “CNN Presidential Debate,” Jackson’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “This is a Biden specific concern based on the unexplained change in his demeanor during the [State of the Union]. President Trump has been the same his entire life, and there have definitely been no concerning changes. President Trump has also previously offered to take one if Biden does.” White House spokesman Andrew Bates responded to Jackson’s comments by comparing him to a character from “The Simpsons” who is known to have questionable medical practices.
Pharmacist GOP Rep Carter urges Biden to take cognitive test in letter to White House: ‘Fragile mental state’
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga., wrote a letter to the White House on Monday calling on President Biden to take a cognitive assessment over concerns about his “fragile mental state” and ability to uphold his duties. In a letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, Carter, who is also a pharmacist, wrote to White House chief of staff Jeff Zients expressing “serious concern” with Biden’s cognitive state and “ability to execute the duties of the Presidency.” “After numerous examples of the President’s declining mental acuity, it is imperative that the White House remains transparent about the President of the United States’ honest ability to uphold the duties of the office to which he swore an oath,” Carter wrote. This comes after a recent report from The Wall Street Journal stating that the 81-year-old president was showing signs of poor cognitive performance in private meetings with congressional lawmakers, including by closing his eyes for extended periods, speaking so softly at times that people struggled to hear him and forgetting details about his own energy policy. BIDEN DISPLAYS SIGNS OF DECLINE IN PRIVATE MEETINGS WITH CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS: REPORT In January, Biden mixed up the names of his two Hispanic cabinet secretaries – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, according to the report. During a meeting that month with congressional leaders, the president also reportedly moved slowly around the room and started the meeting by reading from notes to make broad points about the need to provide Ukraine with additional aid despite the lawmakers in the room already supporting more funding for the country. Biden also claimed in February that he spoke at the 2021 G-7 Summit with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who died in 2017, and former French President François Mitterrand, who died in 1996. The president has also appeared to stumble – on multiple occasions – as he attempted to board Air Force One. “As a consultant pharmacist for several decades, I have treated patients in nursing homes and recognize the signs of cognitive decline,” Carter wrote in his letter. “The patients I treated slowly experienced mental decline and forgetfulness. This includes repeatedly forgetting names and confusing prior experiences with current events – the same behaviors that the American public and congressional lawmakers have witnessed from the President of the United States.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment on Carter’s letter. The White House has previously pushed back on criticisms of Biden’s mental acuity as politically motivated. “Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders and nonpartisan national-security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a savvy and effective leader who has a deep record of legislative accomplishment,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month. “Now, in 2024, House Republicans are making false claims as a political tactic that flatly contradict previous statements made by themselves and their colleagues.” BIDEN’S FRENCH PRESIDENT GAFFE JUST THE LATEST INSTANCE OF HIS CONFUSION ABOUT LONG-DEAD PEOPLE Carter wrote that Biden, as president, must possess a strong cognitive ability when carrying out the domestic and international duties he was elected to do, noting that Americans are concerned about his mental fitness. “The President of the United States is a position which requires strong mental awareness to protect the interests of the American people,” Carter wrote. “Throughout recent domestic and international crises, Americans are rightly concerned that the President’s fragile mental state is creating a leadership vacuum in a position that demands utmost competence.” SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS OVER BIDEN STUMBLING UP AIR FORCE ONE STEPS AGAIN: ‘VIGOR ON DISPLAY’ Several Republicans have placed increased pressure on the president this year over his age and mental acuity ahead of November’s presidential election between Biden and former President Trump. Trump, 78, has been criticized by Democrats for his mental acuity after also showing signs of poor memory, giving inaccurate facts and slipping up in public remarks. Earlier this month at a Turning Point Action event in Detroit, he called on Biden to take the same cognitive test he “aced” while confusing the name of Texas GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson, who served as his White House physician and medical adviser, and instead referred to him as “Ronny Johnson,” The Associated Press reported. Jackson said Sunday on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that he has sent multiple letters to the White House asking Biden to take a cognitive test, and that he will now be demanding drug tests from the president before and after the upcoming debate with Trump, citing this year’s State of the Union Address in which Biden appeared sharper than his other public appearances. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The American people deserve to know that the President can perform the duties of Head of State and Commander-in-Chief, and they deserve full transparency on the mental capabilities of their highest elected leader,” Carter wrote in his letter. “That is why I encourage the President to perform a cognitive test immediately,” the letter continued. “I implore you to then publish the test results, so the American people know the full mental and intellectual health of their President. The American people can no longer be left to wonder about their safety and security because of the President’s deteriorating mental state.”