Duffy moves to defund California high-speed rail after blistering federal review
It could be the end of the line for the “train to nowhere.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has released a scathing report exposing what he said is the unfeasibility of California’s long-troubled high-speed rail project – threatening to pull the plug on a plan that already has the federal government on the hook for $6.9 billion while Californians are underwriting an additional $9 billion. Duffy said that the federal government is moving to terminate around $4 billion it has currently obligated to the project unless the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) can prove it is tenable. ‘WHO BENEFITED?’: BLUE STATE LAWMAKER DEMANDS FBI INVESTIGATE BULLET TRAIN ‘BOONDOGGLE’ He blasted it as a “boondoggle,” as zero miles of high-speed track have been laid since ground was broken 10 years ago, and the cost continues to balloon. The 300-page report, released by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Wednesday, examined the project and found delays, missed deadlines, mismanagement, waste, skyrocketing costs, budget shortfalls and overrepresentation of projected ridership. The report states that despite the money already plowed into the project, there is a $7 billion funding gap to complete a subset of the first phase in the Central Valley from Merced to Bakersfield, known as the Early Operating Segment (EOS). “This report exposes a cold, hard truth: CHSRA has no viable path to complete this project on time or on budget,” Duffy said Wednesday. “CHSRA is on notice — If they can’t deliver on their end of the deal, it could soon be time for these funds to flow to other projects that can achieve President Trump’s vision of building great, big, beautiful things again. “Our country deserves high-speed rail that makes us proud – not boondoggle trains to nowhere.” President Donald Trump has also referred to the project as a boondoggle and said last month that it is “the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen. It’s like, totally out of control.” The project was initially touted as a two-phase visionary system connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco, and later north to Sacramento, and south to San Diego. Since then, the project’s footprint has been dramatically reduced from an 800-mile segment to a 171-mile segment. BLUE CITY’S UNDERGROUNDING PROJECT TO TAKE HUNDREDS OF YEARS TO COMPLETE The FRA estimates the EOS section of Phase 1 will now cost between $35.4 billion and $37.8 billion excluding financing costs, significantly higher than the CHSRA’a own estimate of $28.8 billion, creating a funding gap of $6.6 to $9 billion. The full cost of Phase 1 is in the range of $106 to $128 billion, per the report. Duffy said he promised the American people that the Trump administration would be good stewards of their tax dollars with the report focusing on two grants awarded to the project: a $929 million cooperative agreement from 2010 and a $3.07 billion cooperative agreement from last year. Cooperative agreements allow the federal government to retain substantial involvement in how a project is carried out. Other key findings revealed that the project faces ongoing—and likely increasing—contractor cost overruns due to delays and that the CHSRA failed to finalize contracts for its high-speed trainsets on time. Additionally, the FRA concludes there is no viable path for CHSRA to complete the EOS by the promised 2033 deadline and that the authority’s reliance on volatile, non-federal funding sources — like cap-and-trade revenue — poses significant financial risk. Despite substantial federal support and funding, the FRA said that the CHSRA does not have the capacity to deliver the full CHSR System, nor close the $7 billion funding gap. “CHSRA has not learned from its mistakes and mismanagement and has therefore failed to create an organization capable of effectively and efficiently managing project delivery,” the report reads. “Despite the substantial scope reduction, the CHSR Project still continues to face numerous delays and cost overruns. At this rate, CHSRA will never complete the CHSR System.” The FRA also accused the CHSRA of not acting in good faith in making representations to the FRA regarding its ability to complete the EOS with a reasonable budget and schedule. The FRA wrote to the CHSRA and said it has up to 37 days to respond, after which it could seek repayment of the two collective agreement grants totaling $4 billion. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office directed Fox News to a press conference he held last month, when he discussed a revised budget plan for the state. He said the state was committed to completing the project and that the revised plan would allocate $1 billion each year for the next 20 years using funds from the state’s cap-and-trade program. Fox News Digital reached out to CHSRA for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
House GOP unveils resolution to condemn Boulder terror attack, call for mass deportation of overstayed visas
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are unveiling a new resolution to condemn the Boulder, Colorado, terror attack against a pro-Israel demonstration over the weekend. The resolution would call for the deportation of people who overstay their visas in the U.S., as was allegedly the case with the attacker. The legislation is being led by Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., who is Jewish, and Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chair of the 189-member-strong Republican Study Committee. A man identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman allegedly threw Molotov cocktails and used a “makeshift flamethrower” to set peaceful pro-Israel activists on fire Sunday, according to officials. He allegedly yelled, “Free Palestine,” while committing the attack. HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT Officials have since said Soliman was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the attack. The Trump administration said he and his family will now be deported. “This is not an issue that just affects me as a congressman. It affects me as a father of two Jewish boys who now have to ask themselves if they’re safe in their own country,” Fine told Fox News Digital. “I’m going to lead this resolution, but this is the last thing in Congress I do that is going to be just talking. After this, it’s going to be all action.” Pfluger told Fox News Digital, “The antisemitic terrorist attack in Boulder that targeted 12 innocent Americans, including a Holocaust survivor, could have been prevented if Mohamed Sabry Soliman hadn’t been allowed to illegally overstay his visa by the Biden administration.” The Texas Republican warned of a “pattern” of violence against Jews in the U.S., citing the recent attack as well as the deadly shooting outside a Jewish museum in Washington and the attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home. Their bill text noted there was a Holocaust survivor among those who were hurt in the attack. It also said the attack “comes amidst an alarming rise in antisemitic violence sweeping the United States.” The resolution would condemn the Boulder attack and also “condemns antisemitism in all its forms, and expresses grave concern about the rise in antisemitic behavior and actions reported across college campuses, online, and in other public spaces.” On people like Soliman, the resolution “urges Congress to take immediate action to secure the border and deport migrants who overstay their visas.” MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE While the aforementioned provision will likely turn off some Democrats, the measure could get bipartisan support if it hits the House floor. Both Republicans and Democrats condemned the heinous attack over the weekend. Soliman has been hit with multiple charges, including murder in the first degree, though no fatalities have been announced by police.
Andrew Cuomo the biggest target as New York City mayoral primary shifts into high gear
With just under three weeks to go until primary day in the nation’s most populous city, the New York City mayoral race is heating up. Nine Democrats running for mayor in the Democratic-dominated city will face off Wednesday night in the first of two debates ahead of the June 24 primary, with early voting starting 10 days earlier, on June 14. And likely in the political crosshairs in the first in-person clash between the candidates will be former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the polling frontrunner. The former three-term governor, who resigned from office in 2021 amid multiple scandals, is aiming for political redemption as he works to pull off a campaign comeback. SCANDAL-SCARRED CUOMO THE POLLING AND FUNDRAISING FRONT-RUNNER IN NEW YORK CITY SHOWDOWN Cuomo has spent the past four years fighting to clear his name after 11 sexual harassment accusations – which he has repeatedly denied – forced his resignation. He was also under investigation at the time for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic amid allegations his administration vastly understated COVID-related deaths at state nursing homes. FEDS INVESTIGATING CUOMO FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING TO CONGRESS ABOUT COVID ACTIONS But thanks in part to his near-universal name recognition among New Yorkers, Cuomo was topping the mayoral polls even before he announced his candidacy on March 1. With his lead in both the polls and fundraising, Cuomo is likely to be the top target on the debate stage, as rivals zero in on the harassment allegations and his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic. While all of Cuomo’s rivals on the stage are likely to pile on, expect Zohran Mamdani, a state Assembly member from Queens, to try to go toe-to-toe with the former governor. Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is originally from Uganda, has been rising in public opinion polls and is now a clear second to Cuomo in the latest surveys. Also taking the stage will be City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, city comptroller Brad Lander, former city comptroller Scott Stringer, former state Assemblyman Michael Blake from the Bronx, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie from Brooklyn, state Sen. Jessica Ramos from Queens, and former hedge fund executive Whitney Tilson. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS, ON ANDREW CUOMO Absent from the stage on Wednesday night at a debate organized by the city’s Campaign Finance Board will be embattled incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. With his poll numbers plummeting, Adams announced in early April that he would run for re-election as an independent candidate. The winner of the Democratic Party mayoral primary will be seen as the overwhelming favorite to win November’s general election in the heavily blue city. The debate comes during reports confirmed by Fox News that the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo after Republicans accused him of lying to Congress about the decisions he made as governor during the coronavirus pandemic. The push to investigate Cuomo came after the Justice Department made the unusual decision earlier this year to dismiss an indictment against Adams on corruption charges.
Comer widens Biden ‘cover-up’ probe, seeks interviews with Anita Dunn and Ron Klain
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is widening his investigation into the alleged “cover-up” of former President Joe Biden’s mental decline by seeking interviews with five more former White House aides. Comer sent letters to five more top former Biden staffers, putting his total outreach in the investigation to 10 people so far. The latest round of letters are being sent to former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, former senior communications advisor Anita Dunn, former top advisors Michael Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Bruce Reed. “The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating the role of former senior White House officials in possibly usurping authority from former President Joe Biden and the ramifications of a White House staff intent on hiding his rapidly worsening mental and physical faculties,” Comer wrote to the five former aides. HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT “The Committee has been investigating this issue for nearly a year. The Committee seeks to understand who made key decisions and exercised the powers of the executive branch during the previous administration, possibly without former President Biden’s consent. The Committee requests your testimony to evaluate your eye-witness account of former President Biden’s decline.” Each letter also detailed specific reasons the committee is seeking to speak to each person. “You served as Chief of Staff for former President Biden. Before departing the White House in 2023, you had been by former President Biden’s side ‘for more than three decades.’ You returned to the former president’s side in 2024 to aid his campaign and prepare him for the June 27, 2024, debate with President Donald Trump,” the letter to Klain read, citing a recent Politico article. “According to an interview, you cut short the debate prep ‘due to the president’s fatigue and lack of familiarity with the subject matter’ and said that the former president ‘didn’t really understand what his argument was on inflation.’ The scope of your responsibilities—both official and otherwise—and personal interactions within the Oval Office cannot go without investigation.” To Dunn, Comer wrote, “Former President Biden confided in you extensively over the past decade. The Committee seeks to understand your observations of former President Biden’s mental acuity and health as one of his closest advisors. “If White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executive’s condition—or to perform his duties—Congress may need to consider a legislative response,” the letter said. Comer has asked each of the five aides to appear for closed-door transcribed interviews. He told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that it was a more effective investigation tactic than a public hearing that could easily devolve into an unproductive spectacle. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE “You’ve got one hour, you’re not interrupted, you don’t have to go five minutes back and forth,” Comer said. “So to extract information, we’re going to go with the interviews.” Comer previously reached out to former Biden doctor Kevin O’Connor and former White House aides Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams and Neera Tanden to appear. The committee said it expects the witnesses to voluntarily comply with the investigation and will release transcribed interview dates later this week. Comer has not ruled out the threat of subpoenas, however, if talks go awry.
Putin tells Trump Russia will respond to Ukrainian attack on warplanes
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he spoke over the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that Russia would have to respond to a recent Ukrainian attack on Russian warplanes. Trump said the phone call with Putin lasted about one hour and 15 minutes, noting that it was “not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace.” “We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.” On Sunday, Ukrainian forces destroyed 40 of Russia’s most powerful bomber jets and surveillance planes in “Operation Spider’s Web,” a series of coordinated drone strikes penetrating deep into Russian territory. Russia’s defense ministry confirmed the attack, saying it struck five airfields. UKRAINE DESTROYS DOZENS OF RUSSIAN WARPLANES WITH DRONE ATTACK DEEP INSIDE RUSSIA President Volodymyr Zelensky personally oversaw the strike, which sources told Fox News was more than 18 months in the making. The White House confirmed to Fox News that the Trump administration was not informed about the attack in advance. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Security Service said Ukraine carried out a massive underwater blast targeting a bridge linking Russia to Crimea. Zelenskyy also said Tuesday that Russia launched a “savage strike” on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, “directly targeting the city and its ordinary streets with rocket artillery. This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.
Federal judge delivers one-two punch to Trump in Abrego Garcia case
A federal judge granted a request Wednesday from more than a dozen major news outlets and publishers to unseal certain records in the case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Salvadorian migrant and alleged MS-13 member who was deported from Maryland to El Salvador in March in what administration officials have acknowledged was an administrative error. Separately on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis granted a request from Abrego Garcia’s legal team to file a motion for sanctions against the Trump administration. That filing is due June 11, she said in an order. The one-two punch from Xinis could give plaintiffs new ammo to pursue more formal punishments against the Trump administration if officials are found to have been acting in bad faith or knowingly defying court orders. It will also give new access to media outlets covering the case. Xinis agreed to grant in part a request from a group of 14 major media outlets and publishers – including Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, New York Times, the Washington Post and NPR – who filed a motion to unseal records in the Abrego Garcia case, citing concerns over the lack of public access, as well as over government efforts, or lack thereof, to facilitate his return to the U.S. JUDGE PRESSES TRUMP DOJ ON ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION; ANSWERS LEAVE COURTROOM IN STUNNED SILENCE In her order, Xinis agreed with the contention of the news outlets – referred to jointly as the “Press Movants” – that the public “enjoys a presumptive right to access court records, overcome only when outweighed by competing interests.” As such, Xinis ordered the Trump administration to unseal a handful of documents that have so far been filed under seal, as part of a protracted legal battle over the status of Abrego Garcia. Xinis also ordered them to unseal a transcript from an April 30 hearing in his case. “The right to public access of court records remains critical to promoting ‘trustworthiness of the judicial process, to curb judicial abuses, and to provide the public with a more complete understanding of the judicial system, including a better perception of fairness,’” she said Wednesday. The order comes amid a months-long court fight over the status of Abrego Garcia, who remains in El Salvador. Xinis in April ordered the Trump administration to comply with an expedited discovery schedule to determine whether they were complying with the directive to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., which was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this year. Since then, she has struggled to ascertain the status of Abrego Garcia, or efforts made to return him to the U.S. TRUMP’S REMARKS COULD COME BACK TO BITE HIM IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION BATTLE Trump officials, for their part, have repeatedly alleged that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, though any formal ties remain unproven. Lawyers for the government and Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have sparred with Xinis in court over what exactly it means to “facilitate” his return – a months-long fight that Xinis most recently described as beating a “frustrated and dead horse.” Xinis previously took aim at what she deemed to be the lack of information submitted to the court as part of an expedited discovery process she ordered last month, describing the government submissions as “vague, evasive and incomplete” responses, and which she said demonstrated “willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations.” The order is the latest development in the ongoing feud between Trump officials and the courts over the use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law used earlier this year to quickly deport migrants from the U.S. To date, the Trump administration has not knowingly complied with any court orders to return migrants who were removed and sent to El Salvador in the early wave of deportation flights, despite earlier court orders from Xinis, Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and others. It is unclear whether Xinis plans to begin contempt proceedings against the administration, though the federal judge in D.C. said earlier this year that he had found probable cause to do so.
Top Dems claim 51K people will die annually from the ‘big beautiful bill’ and its Obamacare freeze
Two top Democrats claimed the Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill and its proposal to let enhanced Obamacare credits expire will cause the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced findings that an estimated 51,000 Americans could die each year due to Republican-led changes to the federal healthcare system and the broader reconciliation bill. The national debt — which measures what the U.S. owes its creditors — fell to $36,214,400,664,854.53 as of June 3rd, according to the latest numbers published by the Treasury Department. That is down about $1.4 billion from the figure reported the previous day. Wyden called the “stakes” of the ‘big, beautiful bill’ debate “truly life and death,” as a statement from his office read that “a new analysis estimates that more than 51,000 people will die per year as a direct result of the Republican reconciliation bill, and their refusal to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.” “Taking away health insurance and benefits like home care and mental healthcare from seniors, people with disabilities, kids, and working families will be deadly,” Wyden said. “This analysis shows the dire consequences of moving ahead with this morally bankrupt effort,” he said, referring to a study he and Sanders asked the University of Pennsylvania and Yale to conduct. LIBERALS BLAME BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’S LOSS ON DYING DEMS The Democrats employed the Philadelphia college’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, as well as the Yale School of Public Health’s Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis. “Let’s be clear,” Sanders said in a statement, “The Republican reconciliation bill which makes massive cuts to Medicaid in order to pay for huge tax breaks for billionaires is not just bad public policy.” “It is not just immoral. It is a death sentence for struggling Americans.” “[N]ot only will some of the most vulnerable people throughout our country suffer, but tens of thousands will die. We cannot allow that to happen,” Sanders added. WINNERS, LOSERS AND GRAB-BAGS FROM HOUSE GOP’S NARROW PASSAGE OF ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ In a copy of the study posted on UPenn’s website, economics and health-centric academics found 7.7 million people would be estimated to lose Medicaid or Obamacare coverage by 2034, and 1.38 million “dual-eligible beneficiaries” would find themselves “disenroll[ed].” In a statement, Wyden cited figures of 11,300 deaths from the loss of Medicaid or Obamacare coverage, 18,200 deaths from the loss of Medicaid coverage among low-income beneficiaries and 13,000 deaths of Medicaid enrollees in nursing homes due to the rollback of a “nursing home minimum staffing rule” from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Wyden attributed an additional projected 8,811 deaths per year to the “failure to extend the enhanced [Obamacare] premium tax credits,” citing the academics’ analysis. Fox News Digital reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., — who spearheaded the “big, beautiful bill” in the House — for comment. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A representative for UPenn told Fox News Digital the university sent the results of their analysis to Wyden and Sanders in response to a request on the matter. “The estimates of mortality that are contained in the letter were based on peer-review research that was done independently and well before their request,” the UPenn representative said. “The senators’ request was to take the research results and translate into the estimated number of deaths.”
Massie calls on Elon Musk to fund primary challenges against Republicans who backed Trump tax bill
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Elon Musk should fund primary challenges against almost every Republican who voted for President Donald Trump‘s “big, beautiful bill” last week. “I don’t primary my colleagues, but I feel pretty good about him doing it,” Massie told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “There’s a few others that should be spared,” when asked to clarify if he meant all 215 House Republicans who supported the legislation. “But people want term limits, right? Elon can bring term limits.” Musk came out against the massive Trump agenda bill that House Republicans passed last week. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” Musk first posted. It was followed by several posts on the national debt, and one that read, “In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.” Massie said on Wednesday, “I just think he made one mistake when misstatement – he said take them out in November. I would take them out in primaries if I were Elon Musk.” Both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the White House have closed ranks around the legislation. Johnson issued a rare forceful response to Musk from the podium of his weekly press conference on Wednesday, calling the billionaire “flat wrong.” SCOOP: HOUSE GOP MEMO HIGHLIGHTS REPUBLICAN WINS IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ “Elon and I left on a great note. We were texting one another, you know, happy texts, you know, Monday and then, and then yesterday, you know, 24 hours later, he does a 180, and he comes out and opposed the bill,” Johnson told reporters. “And it surprised me, frankly. And, I don’t take it personal…I think he’s way off on this, and I’ve told him as much, and, I’ve said it publicly and privately.” The massive budget reconciliation bill is aimed at advancing Trump’s priorities on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the debt limit. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected it would add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years, but House GOP leaders have dismissed that modeling as inaccurate representations of economic growth. Massie was one of three House Republicans to vote against the bill. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, also voted “no,” while House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., voted “present.” Massie is also no stranger to clashing with both Trump and Johnson. He has faced primary threats from the former and led an unsuccessful bid to remove the latter from House leadership. Massie has been consistent, however, in his opposition to legislation that would have any chance of adding to the federal debt – now currently nearly $37 trillion. Republican supporters of the bill, however, have contended that it is the best possible vehicle to radically reform government programs plagued with waste, fraud and abuse, and restore much-needed funding to the border, while extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. However, the legislation is now in the Senate, where Republicans have already signaled they would want to see changes to the final bill. Fox News Digital reached out to the National Republican Congressional Committee for comment on Massie’s remarks.
Here are Biden’s most controversial pardons, with most signed using AutoPen
The Justice Department is reviewing the list of people that were granted pardons by former President Joe Biden, amid new concerns about his use of an AutoPen to automatically sign documents, as well as concerns about his state of mind and mental acuity in his final months in office. TRUMP DOJ INVESTIGATING BIDEN-ERA PARDONS AMID CONCERNS OVER STATE OF MIND Biden used his final weeks as commander-in-chief to grant clemency and pardon more than 1,500 individuals, in what his White House described as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president. But critics blasted Biden for some of the pardons and preemptive pardons for members of his family, inner circle, and some allies, amid concerns that the Trump administration would investigate and attempt to punish their actions. WHAT IS AN AUTOPEN? THE SIGNING DEVICE AT THE HEART OF TRUMP’S ATTACKS ON BIDEN PARDONS Biden signed the pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, by hand. But the others appear to have been signed by AutoPen. Here is a list of the former president’s most controversial pardons: Former President Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden in December 2024—after vowing to the American people for months that he would not do so. Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony firearm offenses stemming from Special Counsel David Weiss’ investigation. The first son was also charged with federal tax crimes regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. Before his trial, Hunter Biden entered a surprise guilty plea. Biden, in December, announced a blanket pardon that applies to any offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. HUNTER BIDEN: A LOOK AT HOW THE SAGA SPANNING OVER SIX YEARS UNFOLDED “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” Biden said. “There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.” Biden added, “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.” Just a day before leaving office on Jan. 20, 2025, Biden signed an Executive Grant of Clemency for his brother James Biden and his wife Sarah Jones Biden; his sister Valerie Biden Owens and her husband John T. Owens; and his brother Francis W. Biden. The “full and unconditional” preemptive pardon for his family members covered “any nonviolent offenses against the United States which they may have committed or taken part in during the period from Jan. 1, 2014, through the date of this pardon,” which was signed on Jan. 19, 2025. The pardon appears to have been signed with AutoPen. Members of the Biden family had fallen at the center of the congressional investigation into their business dealings. The House of Representatives launched an impeachment inquiry against Biden, finding that Biden committed “impeachable conduct” during his time as vice president and “defrauded the United States to enrich his family.” PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONS HIS SIBLINGS JUST MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE During the inquiry, congressional investigators heard testimony from James Biden, who ultimately was referred to the Justice Department for prosecution for making false statements to Congress about “key aspects” of the impeachment inquiry. The House of Representatives found that the Biden family and its associates received more than $27 million from foreign individuals or entities since 2014. They also alleged that the Biden family leveraged Biden’s position as vice president to obtain more than $8 million in loans from Democrat benefactors. The loans “have not been repaid and the paperwork supporting many of the loans does not exist and has not been produced to the committees.” The Republicans said the alleged conspiracy took place while Biden was serving as vice president. Biden, on Jan. 19, 2025, pardoned Milley, after an administration marred by the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has admitted the withdrawal where 13 U.S. troops lost their lives was a “strategic failure.” BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ ‘DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT “My family and I are deeply grateful for the President’s action today,” Milley said in a statement, accepting the pardon. “After forty-three years of faithful service in uniform to our Nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights.” The pardon appears to have been signed with AutoPen. Biden, also on Jan. 19, 2025, pardoned former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci also served as Biden’s chief medical advisor and oversaw the U.S. public health response and research on the COVID-19 virus and vaccine development. Fauci accepted the pardon in a statement shortly after Biden announced the move, claiming he was subject to “politically motivated threats of investigation and prosecution.” DR. FAUCI SAYS HE APPRECIATES PRESIDENT BIDEN’S PARDON BUT INSISTS ‘NO CRIME’ WAS COMMITTED “Let me be perfectly clear: I have committed no crime and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me. The fact is, however, that the mere articulation of these baseless threats, and the potential that they will be acted upon, create immeasurable and intolerable distress for me and my family. For these reasons, I acknowledge and appreciate the action that President Biden has taken today on my behalf,” Fauci said. Fauci’s pardon also appears to have been signed with AutoPen. Biden, also on Jan. 19, 2025, used AutoPen to sign a pardon for members of Congress who served on the House Select Committee to
Fetterman dismisses questions as another top staffer reportedly jumps ship
Another member of Sen. John Fetterman’s staff is reportedly leaving his office, and the maverick lawmaker doesn’t want to talk about it. Fetterman’s office has been plagued by a string of departures since he came to Washington in 2023, and his alleged erratic behavior, concerns over his health and decision to skip certain votes have led to a wave of scrutiny in recent weeks. FETTERMAN DEFIES ‘PUNITIVE’ PUNISHMENT FOR BREAKING WITH DEMOCRATIC PARTY DURING BIPARTISAN DISCUSSION And now, Fetterman, D-Pa., is set to lose another top staffer. Axios first reported that Krysta Sinclair Juris, who has been the lawmaker’s chief of staff since April 2024, is set to leave his office. Fox News Digital reached out to Juris and Fetterman’s office for comment. When pressed about the situation in his office, Fetterman didn’t want to talk about it. “Well, have you, have you spoken to the significant number of my colleagues that have much higher staff turnover?” Fetterman asked Fox News Digital. FETTERMAN ADDRESSES CALLS TO STEP ASIDE, SAYING RECENT ALLEGATIONS ARE ‘NOT ACCURATE’ He doubled down when asked again if Axios’ reporting was accurate. “I think you should talk to my colleagues that have much higher turnover,” he said after ducking into an elevator. Politico later reported that Cabelle St. John would take over the chief of staff position. SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS PLOT COORDINATED RESISTANCE TO TRUMP’S ‘ONE UGLY BILL’ The latest departure is not the first instance where staffers have left this year. Two aides left last month after a bombshell report from New York Magazine detailed rising concerns among his staff about his health. And in February, his deputy chief of staff and communications director hit the exits, too. Fetterman has been no stranger to controversy since winning his seat two years ago and has made a name for himself by often bucking his party’s marching orders and siding with Senate Republicans on thorny policy issues. For example, Fetterman has often broken with Democrats on Israel and immigration, saying his party has lost the argument on both issues. The lawmaker acknowledged his unique brand of bipartisanship during a forum alongside fellow Pennsylvania Sen. David McCormick, a Republican, moderated by Fox News’ Shannon Bream on Monday. “That’s part of the bipartisanship where, you know, it’s getting more and more kind of, punitive to just agree with some of these things in the middle of the party right now,” he said.