Biden, not Special Counsel Hur, brought up son’s death in questioning: report
President Biden attacked Special Counsel Robert Hur for bringing up his son’s death, but it was allegedly Biden who first brought up the death of Beau in an interview. According to NBC, citing multiple sources, Hur never asked the president about his recollection of his son’s death in 2015 to brain cancer during two days of interviews last October. The sources said that Biden brought up Beau’s death, not Hur nor his team. Biden first brought up his son’s death after being asked about his workflow while he and a ghostwriter were writing a memoir at a Virginia rental home from 2016 to 2018, the sources said. NEW POLL REVEALS THE TOP 2 ISSUES AFFECTING VOTER CONFIDENCE IN BIDEN The sources said that during the interview Biden began trying to recall what was happening in his life at the time and he “appeared confused” about when Beau had died. The 81-year-old president allegedly got the date of his son’s death correct– May 30, but not the year. The reported revelations came after Biden lashed out last Thursday at Special Counsel Robert Hur who investigated his handling of classified documents after the prosecutor in his final report noted that the president struggled to remember details such as when his son died. WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN COMPLAINS ABOUT MEDIA COVERAGE OF BIDEN’S COGNITIVE ABILITY: ‘STRIKING INACCURACIES’ “How in the h— dare he raise that,” Biden said in a press conference on Thursday. “Frankly, when I was asked the question I thought to myself it wasn’t any of their d— business.” While Hur’s report absolved Biden of criminal wrongdoing relating to his handling of classified documents, it characterized the president as an “elderly man with a poor memory.” The report, released last Thursday, described the president’s memory as “hazy,” “fuzzy,” “faulty,” “poor,” and suggested Biden did not remember when his son Beau Biden died. “We conclude that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter,” the report, released Thursday, states. “We would reach the same conclusion even if the Department of Justice policy did not foreclose criminal charges against a sitting president.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Politics: Borderline impeachment
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. What’s Happening? – House Republican warns of serious national security threat related to space – Mayorkas becomes first cabinet secretary to be impeached since the 19th century – Democrat Tom Suozzi triumphs in special election to replace Santos On the eve of Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached in a historic vote over his mishandling of the illegal immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Three Republican lawmakers, Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Tom McClintock, R-Calif., jumped the aisle to vote against the impeachment. The 214-213 vote came after the first impeachment failed earlier this month. Every House Democrat showed up to protect the cabinet secretary, including Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who temporarily left the hospital where he was recovering from surgery to cast his vote. Once Rep. Steve Scalise returned to D.C. from a cancer treatment, the GOP had the numbers to advance the articles of impeachment. House Republicans have accused Mayorkas of violating his oath to defend the U.S. by failing to secure the border and “refusing” to enforce immigration laws. The three Republicans who voted against impeachment on Tuesday have criticized Mayorkas’ handling of the border but expressed reservations over whether it rose to the level of impeachment. McClintock warned it could set a precedent for political impeachments that could harm Republican officials in the future. This is the first time a Cabinet secretary has been impeached by the U.S. Congress since 1876. It’s now up to the Senate — where Democrats run the show — to hold an impeachment trial. ‘SERIOUS’ THREAT: House Intel Chair Turner issues vague warning on ‘serious national security threat,’ urges Biden to declassify …Read more ‘WILLING TO TRADE’: Republican senators rally support to add ‘meaningful’ border security to House’s foreign aid package …Read more ‘DEVASTATING REPUDIATION’: White House claims Suozzi’s victory in NY special election speaks volumes about GOP, Trump …Read more WHITE HOUSE DODGE: Sullivan avoids details when pressed on ‘serious national security threat’ …Read more ‘HEY EVERYBODY!’: WH compares Ronny Jackson to ‘Simpsons’ character in email to Fox Digital …Read more BACK AGAIN: Who is Tom Suozzi? A look at the Democrat who flipped Santos’ seat blue …Read more BLAME GAME: Haley faults Trump for New York special election loss …Read more ‘EVERY SINGLE PENNY’: Lara Trump says RNC funds will go to electing father-in-law Donald Trump …Read more ‘INCOMPETENT’: New poll reveals the top 2 issues negatively affecting voter confidence in Biden …Read more PENCE HITS BACK: Former VP Mike Pence’s policy think tank pushed back on Vance claim that foreign aid has a hidden ‘impeachment time bomb’ …Read more Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Maine Gov. Mills proposes $71M supplemental budget, with focus on Lewiston massacre
Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills unveiled a $71 million supplemental budget on Wednesday that includes several initiatives following the deadliest mass shooting in state history, including more funding to boost mental health initiatives, support required assessments under the state’s so-called yellow flag law and promote an existing firearm storage program. The proposed budget adjustment, which would boost the two-year budget to $10.41 billion, follows through on the governor’s promise to set aside more than $100 million for the next budget cycle when state revenues are anticipated to level off, potentially straining state finances. PORTLAND, MAINE, RESIDENTS UPHOLD LEGACY OF LATE VALENTINE’S DAY BANDIT BY CONTINUING PAPER HEARTS TRADITION “This proposal strikes the balance between making timely investments to address urgent needs — like public safety, mental health, housing, education, and health care — and saving money to ensure that our state continues to stand on strong fiscal footing in the future,” the governor said in a statement. Some of the proposals grew out of the Oct. 25 shooting that claimed 18 lives in Lewiston. The gunman, an Army reservist, was suffering from deteriorating mental heath in the months before the tragedy, officials said. The governor’s proposal includes $1 million for the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as a clearinghouse for data on injury and violence from law enforcement, hospitals, schools and other sources to inform public policy decisions. It also includes $2.8 million for mobile crisis teams that respond to mental health emergencies, $950,000 to create a mental health crisis receiving center in Lewiston, $5 million to cover unreimbursed medical expenses for victims of “mass violence events” and $422,400 to help with a surge in mental health assessments under the yellow flag law, which allows guns to be taken from someone in a psychiatric crisis. Other highlights include $200,000 to promote a program that encourages Mainers to safely store firearms, money for 16 state trooper positions and $6 million for a funding shortfall for victims’ services. It also includes $16 million for the emergency housing relief; $10 million to build affordable housing; $6 million to repair storm-damaged state parks and public lands; and $4 million to update the judiciary’s computer systems, among other things.
Former Kentucky governor’s controversial pardons lead to legislature seeking constitutional limits
A Republican lawmaker resumed his push Wednesday to limit a Kentucky governor’s pardon powers, a fallout from the flurry of pardons granted by the state’s last GOP governor that still spark outrage. The proposed constitutional change won quick approval from the Senate State and Local Government Committee to advance to the full Senate. If the measure wins approval there, it will move on to the House. Both chambers have Republican supermajorities. KENTUCKY SENATE APPROVES BILL TO CURB DEI INITIATIVES AT PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES State Sen. Chris McDaniel said he wants to guarantee that what happened at the end of former Gov. Matt Bevin’s term never occurs again. Bevin, who lost his reelection bid, issued hundreds of pardons on his way out in late 2019 — several stirred outrage from victims or their families, prosecutors and lawmakers. McDaniel’s proposal — Senate Bill 126 — seeks to amend the state’s constitution to remove a governor’s pardon powers in the month leading up to a gubernatorial election and the time between the election and inauguration. If the proposal clears the legislature, it would go on the November statewide ballot for voters to decide the issue. “This, in essence, is a two-month period out of every four years when a governor could not issue pardons,” McDaniel said during his presentation to the committee on Wednesday. During his final weeks in office, Bevin issued more than 600 pardons and commutations. The Courier Journal in Louisville earned a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of Bevin’s actions. One of the people pardoned by Bevin was Patrick Baker, whose family had political connections to the Republican governor, including hosting a fundraiser for him. Baker was pardoned for a 2014 drug robbery killing but later was convicted for the same slaying in federal court. He was sentenced to 42 years in prison. A federal appellate court upheld the conviction. On Wednesday, McDaniel put the spotlight on the case of Gregory Wilson, who was convicted in 1988 for the rape and death of a woman. Wilson was sentenced to the death penalty, but Bevin commuted his sentence to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years. The state parole board recently decided that Wilson must serve out the remainder of his life sentence. “He should have never been eligible for parole in the first place, as he was given a sentence of death,” McDaniel said. His proposal seeks to put the same limits on gubernatorial commutations. McDaniel has pushed for the same constitutional change since 2020 but has so far been unable to get the measure through the entire legislature. In making his latest pitch Wednesday, McDaniel said his proposal would fix a “deficiency” in the state’s constitution. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I think that it is imperative to the foundational issues of justice in the commonwealth that one individual not be able to short-circuit the entirety of a justice system, McDaniel said.
Several Republican lawmakers want Schumer to reconvene Senate ‘immediately’ for Mayorkas impeachment trial
Some Senate Republicans want the upper chamber to reconvene “immediately” to proceed with an impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border. The House voted to impeach Mayorkas Tuesday night in a tight 214-213 vote. Mayorkas is the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached by the U.S. Congress since 1876. “Schumer should reconvene the Senate immediately and proceed to trial,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote in a post on X Tuesday night. Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for comment and did not hear back by time of publication. But in a statement Tuesday night after the vote, Schumer said the impeachment trial will begin later this month. The Senate is scheduled to return from recess on Feb. 26. “The House impeachment managers will present the articles of impeachment to the Senate following the state work period,” Schumer said in a statement. “Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the next day.” HOUSE VOTES TO IMPEACH DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS OVER BORDER CRISIS Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a post that the Senate “cannot fail” to “uphold” its constitutional duty and “conduct an impeachment trial for Secretary Mayorkas, who has ignored his duty to protect our country.” “Chuck Schumer is trying to sweep this travesty under the rug by violating the constitution and foregoing a trial. Republican leadership cannot stand idly by and let him,” he wrote. Echoing the urgency, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. urged the upper chamber to take quick action: “The Senate must take this up immediately.” “While some in the Senate sided with securing Ukraine’s border before our own, I’m glad to see House Republicans do the right thing and hold this lawless administration accountable,” he wrote Tuesday night. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., compared how Democrats treated Trump’s impeachment trials versus “the cabinet member responsible for 9 million illegal migrant entries on the southern border.” “They show zero interest in demanding real accountability,” Schmitt said. “This impeachment coming to the Senate will undoubtedly show how unserious Democrats have become when it comes to responsibly leading the country and protecting Americans. Mayorkas’ impeachment proceedings should be brought to the Senate floor ASAP, but don’t hold your breath for any meaningful change at the border while Democrats are in charge.” Schmitt’s sentiments are shared by several Senate Republicans who opposed the failed border bill that was in the national security supplemental package, citing concerns about increased power for President Biden and Mayorkas. They argued that shifting asylum claim responsibilities to the secretary of Homeland Security undermines immigration court processes. HERE ARE THE 3 HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO TORPEDOED MAYORKAS’ IMPEACHMENT VOTE The Senate ultimately voted to remove the border bill text and passed a standalone $95 billion foreign aid bill. “I don’t think it ever made sense to many Americans that we’re negotiating a border deal with the person we’re trying to impeach,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital in an interview ahead of the vote on Tuesday. “I welcome the impeachment,” Marshall said. “He didn’t enforce the law of the land, he broke his oath to Americans as well. So I think, for all those reasons, he should be impeached.” Tuesday evening’s vote marked House Republicans’ second attempt at impeaching Mayorkas. GOP lawmakers targeted the Biden official over the ongoing migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border, accusing him of deliberately flaunting existing immigration law and worsening the situation. OVER 40 LAWMAKERS SIGN BRIEF TO SUPPORT TEXAS IN IMMIGRATION FIGHT WITH BIDEN ADMINISTRATION Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS for comment. In a statement following the House’s vote, DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said: “House Republicans will be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border. While Secretary Mayorkas was helping a group of Republican and Democratic Senators develop bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security and get needed resources for enforcement, House Republicans have wasted months with this baseless, unconstitutional impeachment. “Without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country. Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe,” Ehrenberg added. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Families left with memories of cousins killed by Israeli snipers
NewsFeed The families of two cousins killed by Israeli snipers recall their fateful decision to go out to buy clementines from a street vendor. 20-year-old Hadeel Abu Al-Qare’a and 3-year-old Imad Abu Al-Qare’a were gunned down in Gaza City in December. Published On 14 Feb 202414 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Turkey and Egypt call for ceasefire in Gaza
NewsFeed A call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza topped the agenda for Turkish and Egyptian presidents – who met in Cairo for the first time in over a decade. The two leaders – Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi are making efforts to repair years of strained relations, signing trade, tourism and defence deals during their summit. Published On 14 Feb 202414 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
‘Multiple people’ hit in shooting during Kansas City Superbowl celebrations
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Police take two armed people into custody for investigation after shooting during parade. Shots have been fired at a parade to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs’ Superbowl victory, with local police declaring that “multiple people” had been struck. Kansas City Police added that two armed people had been taken into custody “for more investigation” following the shooting near the US city’s Union Station on Wednesday. “Anyone nearby needs to leave the area as quickly and safely as possible to facilitate treatment of the shooting victims,” the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department said in a social media post. “We are still trying to determine the number of shooting victims,” the police also said. Fire Department Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins told the Associated Press that eight to 10 people had been injured after the shooting, but declined to give further comment, saying that more information would be released soon. Kansas City Chiefs players and fans had been supporting the team’s second successive victory in American football’s most prestigious event, after the franchise defeated the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Fans had filled the centre of Kansas City, with cannons firing confetti at the crowds, and DJs playing music. However, that mood of celebration quickly turned into fear, with police officers rushing towards the area where the shooting took place with their guns drawn, and ambulances quickly arriving. Kansas City police said that “child reunification stations” were set up at the main entrance to Union Station, and at 2301 Main Street. “We still have several needing reunification,” the department. Police also asked witnesses to the shooting to go to a corner near Union Station. Adblock test (Why?)
Virginia Dems advance bill through Senate to provide taxpayer-backed health insurance to illegal immigrants
Virginia Democrats have advanced a bill that would expand taxpayer-backed health insurance to illegal immigrants. On Tuesday, the Democrat-controlled state senate propelled the “Cover All Kids” Act on a 21-19 party-line vote. The legislation seeks to provide illegal immigrants under 19 years of age who are not covered by a group health plan or insurance program access to “state-funded comprehensive health care coverage.” While the eligibility requirements are similar to the commonwealth’s Medicaid program, the bill differs by including the language, “but for their immigration status would be eligible for medical assistance services,” expanding access to illegal immigrants. CHINESE MIGRANTS POURING ACROSS SOUTHERN BORDER SPARK NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS “Because of President Biden’s open-border policy, every state is now a border state––including Virginia,” State Sen. Glen Sturtevant, a Republican, previously told Fox News Digital. “Meanwhile, Virginia Democrats in the General Assembly are making every effort to undermine legal immigration and incentivize illegal immigration into the commonwealth.” “This session, Virginia Democrats have introduced bills that directly incentivize illegal immigration,” Sturtevant said. “They want to grant illegal immigrants driver’s licenses that are valid for up to eight years. Now, they’re also working to divert limited resources from low-income Virginians to pay for healthcare for illegal immigrants. That will cost Virginia taxpayers more than $100 million just in this decade.” “These bad policies jeopardize not just Virginia’s healthcare system but create perverse incentives that illegal immigrants will see as a green light to travel to Virginia for free schooling, driver’s licenses, and now, free healthcare,” Sturtevant continued. “We have seen the mess that sanctuary city policies have created in places like Chicago and New York. We must protect the rule of law in Virginia and ensure that Virginia citizens come first.” MAYORS WANT WORK PERMITS EXTENDED TO KEEP MIGRANTS EMPLOYED, RECEIVE NEW ASYLUM SEEKERS The “Cover All Kids” legislation would extend coverage to uninsured illegal immigrants whose families are at 205% of the federal poverty level. The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, a supporter of the bill, assessed this to be around $51,000 for a family of three. The legislation’s proponents reason that 12 states and Washington, D.C., similarly use or plan on using state funds to cover illegal immigrants, and Virginia should follow suit. “Health care is a human right, and we know how vital access to care is to a child’s health, well-being, and development,” Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said following the vote. “With this legislation, we are making a commitment to Virginia’s families that all children will have access to essential health care.” The bill will now make its way to the Democrat-controlled House of Delegates. If approved, it would then go to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk, who has taken a hardline stance on securing the border.
Texas A&M closes satellite Qatar campus citing ‘heightened instability in the Middle East’
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents voted Thursday to end its contract with the foundation that funds its remote campus in Qatar, citing “heightened instability in the Middle East.” The vote to end the contract with the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, which is run by the Qatar government, means the school will start winding down the Doha campus over the next four years before officially closing its doors, ending the 20-year-old program. The move by the board of regents follows revelations in a recent report published by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism & Policy (ISGAP) that highlighted Qatar’s relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and uncovered “its extensive financial arrangements with Texas A&M University.“ Qatar and Texas A&M’s partnership, according to the ISGAP, included significant access to and ownership of intellectual property on many research projects, including nuclear energy research, which in their view raises safety and security concerns. HOUSE COMMITTEE ASKS COLUMBIA FOR RECORDS OF FOREIGN DONATIONS, DEI AND MORE IN ANTISEMITISM PROBE “This is an important statement affirming that there is no place in U.S. academia for billions of dollars coming from a state that supports and funds terror, and promotes and spreads the extremist Islamist ideology from the Muslim Brotherhood,” Dr. Charles Asher Small, director of ISGAP, said of the school’s decision. ISGAP states in its November 2023 report, “For decades, Qatar strategically positioned itself as an international funder of education, finance, science, health, sports, arts and culture, communications and development.” As part of this positioning, since 9/11, Qatar has become the largest foreign donor to US universities, ISGAP says. ISGAP said it discovered that Qatar provides Texas A&M with more than a billion dollars of funding both in the U.S. and at Education City in Doha, which hosts a vast spectrum of research fields, including scientific, nuclear and weapons. HOUSE COMMITTEE THREATENS HARVARD SUBPOENA, ACCUSES IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL OF ‘OBSTRUCTING’ ANTISEMITISM PROBE ISGAP says they obtained the agreement that Qatar has made with Texas A&M, which created the Texas A&M University in Qatar (TAMUQ). According to ISGAP, the agreement involved more than $1 billion USD of funding and more than 500 research projects. ISGAP also says the foreign donations from Qatar to higher education in the United States, “have had a substantial impact on fomenting growing levels of antisemitic discourse and campus politics at U.S. universities, as well as growing support for anti-democratic values within these institutions of higher education.” “By reevaluating Texas A&M’s presence in Qatar, the Board has demonstrated a commitment to academic integrity, ethical principles, and national security concerns,” Small said in a statement. TEXAS COLLEGE PROGRAM SUPPORTING UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS CUT DUE TO DEI BAN, SPARKS PROTEST The university responded in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling the report a “misinformation campaign” that they claim “had no bearing on Thursday’s decision by the Board of Regents, which was made following a close analysis of the university’s mission and the evolving political situation in the Middle East. Discussions about branch and remote campuses are ongoing and were underway long before false information was reported about Texas A&M and Qatar.” Retired Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, university president, said in a statement on Jan. 7 in response to the report that “[d]espite what recent online reports have stated, Texas A&M at Qatar does not offer a nuclear engineering program or any classes on the subject.” “The research conducted at this campus focuses on energy, water and environment, carbon capture, smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data science, and data analytics in the energy sector,” Welsh said. “Contrary to what these articles have implied, no nuclear technology, weapons/defense or national security research is conducted at this campus. Nor does the Qatar campus have any connection to nuclear reactor research done in Texas or the Los Alamos National Lab,” he said. “The insinuation that we are somehow leaking or compromising national security research data to anyone is both false and irresponsible,” he added. The Qatar Foundation slammed the board’s decision Thursday. In an email attributed to an unnamed spokesperson, the foundation accused the board of being influenced by a disinformation campaign “aimed at harming the interests” of the Qatar Foundation. “It is disturbing that this disinformation has become the determining factor in the decision and that it has been allowed to override the core principles of education and knowledge, with no consideration to the significant positive impact that this partnership has brought for both Qatar and the US,” the foundation said, adding that “it is deeply disappointing that a globally respected academic institution like Texas A&M University has fallen victim to such a campaign and allowed politics to infiltrate its decision-making processes.” The foundation said that “at no point did the Board attempt to seek out the truth from Qatar Foundation before making this misguided decision.”