Pro-Israel congressman accuses Tel Aviv of ‘mocking’ Trump with ‘suicidal’ strikes in Syria
EXCLUSIVE: In a rare public rebuke of Israeli military action, Rep. Joe Wilson, R‑S.C., issued a harsh warning that recent airstrikes on Syria are “suicidal” for Tel Aviv. “I’m the co‑chair of the Israel caucus and a lifelong supporter of the State of Israel,” Wilson told Fox News Digital in an emotional phone call, “I am heartsick.” He said the strikes on Syria’s military headquarters were “insulting and mocking to President [Donald] Trump,” who just recently lifted sanctions on Syria after meeting with leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to give Damascus a “chance” at economic prosperity after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Wilson said he had a tense phone call with Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, urging him to share his warning back home that Israel must stop the strikes. RUBIO SAYS ISRAEL STRIKE ON SYRIAN MILITARY HEADQUARTERS ‘LIKELY A MISUNDERSTANDING’ Only weeks ago, there were back-channel talks between Israel and Syria on a possible normalization deal. Now, not only are those talks out the window, but the strikes will complicate work on a U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords-style deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Wilson said. “It’s so sad to me, it’s so detrimental.” He warned that fractures in Syria could ripple across the region — undermining emerging ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, straining NATO relations with Turkey, fracturing Druze unity in Jordan and increasing instability among Kurdish populations across Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran. He added that such fragmentation would open the door for an ISIS resurgence, targeting Israel first. Wilson also pointed to broader geopolitical consequences, noting the strikes empower Iran and bolster Russia’s presence in Syria. “Efforts should be made to expel [Vladimir Putin’s forces], not to create destabilization,” he said, asserting that Moscow uses its Syrian bases to project naval power across Africa and the Mediterranean. “What is being done is actually beneficial to Iran. The more destabilization, the greater opportunity Iran has to destabilize other countries, whether it be further destabilization of Iraq, and then also it plays into the hands of war criminal Putin.” This week, Israel’s national security minister Ben Gvir said Israel must “eliminate” al-Sharaa. On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the nation struck to defend Druze minority communities in Syria, fearing the Syrian leadership would soon strike Israelis. “I did not trust Assad the father, nor Assad the son, and I certainly do not trust a leader like Julani,” he said, referring to al-Sharaa by his former name. ISRAEL-IRAN WAR DIVIDES DEMOCRATS, BUT TRUMP’S DIPLOMACY ALSO SPLITTING REPUBLICANS He claimed al-Sharaa “relies on jihadist groups that he operates against minorities in Syria, and tomorrow he will operate them against Israeli communities in the Golan Heights. “The moment we understood that the Syrian regime was behind the attacks and a partner in the massacre of the Druze — we acted against them with full force.” The Druze community also has a sizable population in Israel. Wilson called the assertion “totally contrived and misunderstood.” “It’s so sad to me that they’re taking the eye off the enemy. The enemy is Khamenei and the enemy is the head of the snake. It is not Damascus. The head of the snake is Tehran.” “They’re opening the door for Tehran to rebuild Hamas to rebuild Hezbollah, to replenish and they already have the Houthis. So, it’s just crazy. And again, it’s suicidal. If you can’t figure out who your enemy is, then you’re opening the door for massive loss of life within Israel itself.” Syria’s leader accused Israel of sowing discord by striking in defense of the Druze, who were involved in deadly sectarian clashes that threaten the nation’s fragile unity. Washington is also intensifying pressure for de-escalation. The Trump administration has formally urged Israel to halt its strikes and pursue direct talks with Damascus. Special U.S. envoy Tom Barrack reportedly made several calls to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s adviser, Ron Dermer, pressing for restraint. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the strikes as a “troubling and horrifying situation,” adding that the U.S. is “very concerned” and wants the fighting to stop. The Israeli defense ministry could not be reached for comment.
House Republicans face mounting resistance as third ex-Biden WH aide pleads Fifth Amendment
A top former Biden administration aide invoked the Fifth Amendment during her closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee on Friday, Fox News Digital was told. Annie Tomasini becomes the third Democratic ex-official to stonewall investigators looking into whether signs of former President Joe Biden’s alleged mental decline were covered up by his inner circle. The former White House deputy chief of staff was seen entering and exiting the committee room in under an hour, saying nothing to reporters either time. A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News Digital that she invoked the Fifth Amendment multiple times, which likely is what led to the hasty meeting. Tomasini herself did not answer when Fox News Digital asked if she did so, however. COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’ The source said Tomasini pleaded the Fifth when asked if Biden, a member of his family, or anyone at the White House instructed her to lie regarding his health at any time. She also pleaded the Fifth when asked if she ever advised Biden on the handling of classified documents found in his garage, if Biden or anyone in the White House instructed her to conceal or destroy classified materials found at the former president’s home or office, and if she ever conspired with anyone in the White House to hide information regarding the Biden family’s business dealings, the source said. Fox News Digital reached out to Tomasini’s lawyers but did not immediately get a response. Comer confirmed she invoked the right against self-incrimination in a statement after the deposition, though he was not present in-person for the staff-led meeting. “Today, the third witness in our investigation into the cover-up of President Biden’s cognitive decline and unauthorized executive actions pleaded the Fifth Amendment. There is now a pattern of key Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability for this potential conspiracy,” Comer told Fox News Digital. “It’s unbelievable that Ms. Tomasini and others refuse to answer basic questions about President Biden’s fitness to serve…There needs to be transparency and accountability, and we will continue to pursue the truth and examine options to get the answers we need. Tomasini is the third ex-Biden administration official to come before committee investigators under subpoena, and the fifth to appear overall. She was meant to appear Friday for a voluntary transcribed interview, but a committee aide previously told Fox News Digital that Tomasini’s lawyers had asked House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., to issue a subpoena specifically. Both prior officials who appeared under subpoena – ex-White House physician Kevin O’Connor and Anthony Bernal, a longtime aide to ex-First Lady Jill Biden – also invoked the Fifth Amendment. Comer is investigating allegations that Biden’s former top White House aides covered up signs of his mental and physical decline while in office, and whether any executive actions were commissioned via autopen without the president’s full knowledge. Biden allies have pushed back against those claims. FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP In an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, Biden affirmed he “made every decision” on his own. But Republicans have repeatedly accused those who have pleaded the Fifth Amendment so far of intentionally hiding critical information about the former president, even as their attorneys argue it is not an admission of guilt. A source familiar with the Biden team’s thinking called House Republicans’ probe “dangerous” and “an attempt to smear and embarrass.” “And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump’s DOJ prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge,” the source said. Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report
Trump directs AG Bondi to work on unsealing grand jury transcripts in Epstein case: ‘We are ready’
President Donald Trump late Thursday directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to work on releasing grand jury transcripts in the case of Jeffrey Epstein. It’s unclear exactly when any testimony may go public. The Justice Department is expected to file Friday asking a judge to unseal transcripts. The order came after a barrage of criticism against the Trump administration following the release of a joint DOJ-FBI memo that concluded there was no evidence that the disgraced financier had blackmailed powerful people, kept a client list or was killed while in jail. The memo has created deep fissures among Trump supporters who have complained of a lack of transparency from the administration. A source told Fox News Digital that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino had been considering resigning over the matter, though he has not stated anything publicly. The president, meanwhile, has pushed back at the criticism, calling the charges a “hoax” and contending that his supporters are being “duped” by Democrats. Trump posted to Truth Social on Friday morning, “If there was a ‘smoking gun’ on Epstein, why didn’t the Dems, who controlled the ‘files’ for four years, and had [then-Attorney General Merrick Garland] and [then-FBI Director James Comey] in charge, use it? BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING!!!” BONDI SHOULD RELEASE ‘CREDIBLE’ EPSTEIN FILES, TRUMP SAYS DOJ BRASS VOWED FULL TRANSPARENCY ON EPSTEIN BEFORE TURNING UP EMPTY-HANDED Before joining the Trump administration, Bondi was among the staunchest advocates for releasing the Epstein list, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity in 2024: “It should have come out a long time ago.” The Justice Department released a new batch of Epstein files in February, but the documents revealed no new revelations in the case. Many of the documents had already been released during the federal criminal trial of Epstein’s associate, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. MAGA WORLD ERUPTS OVER TRUMP’S DEFENSE OF BONDI AMID EPSTEIN FILES FALLOUT Trump has defended Bondi over the latest fallout, telling reporters earlier this week: “She’s handled it very well, and it’s going to be up to her, whatever she thinks is credible she should release.” On Thursday, Trump said he had directed Bondi to release all “pertinent” transcripts on the case. “Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Testimony, subject to Court approval,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Thursday. “This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!” Bondi said her team was “ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.” Epstein, a 66-year-old millionaire financier with a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, died in federal custody in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.
Stefanik uses viral CEO cheating photo to slam Mamdani, Hochul
It was the Kiss Cam seen around the internet, and now one House Republican is using it as a political cudgel. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., used the viral moment caught during a Coldplay concert that sparked allegations that Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his head of human resources, Kristin Cabot, were having an affair, to bash New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. HOCHUL FAILS TO CRACK 50% BUT TOPS POTENTIAL GOP CHALLENGES BY DOUBLE DIGITS IN NY GOVERNOR RACE: POLL “Commie Mamdani holding [Gov. Kathy Hochul] headed for re-election in 2026,” Stefanik said on X. Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul and Mamdani’s offices for comment. Stefanik has so far flirted with a bid for the New York governor’s mansion, but has yet to throw her name into the race. She was previously the number three Republican in House GOP leadership until she was tapped to be President Donald Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. However, Trump pulled his nomination and Stefanik returned to the House, where she again earned a spot in leadership. MAJOR REPUBLICAN RUMORED FOR GUBERNATORIAL RUN, HITS BACK AGAINST DEM: ‘WORST GOVERNOR IN AMERICA’ However, Stefanik is not the only House Republican eying a challenge against Hochul, who first took office in 2021 after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is now battling Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral contest, resigned. She won her first full term in 2022. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is also mulling a bid against Hochul, and like Stefanik, has yet to announce his intentions. Lawler has twice won in typically Democratic districts, while Stefanik has held her seat in a deep red portion of upstate New York. ELISE STEFANIK UNVEILS NEW PAC AS NEW YORK GOVERNOR’S RACE BUZZ GROWS But a recent poll found that if either entered the race, along with a potential third in Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, they would have an uphill climb against Hochul. A recent poll from Sienna College found that Hochul leads each potential gubernatorial candidate by at least 20 points each. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Meanwhile, Mamdani is fresh from Washington D.C., where he met with the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. He’s now back in New York to meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a bid to secure their endorsements in his quest to beat New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Mamdani-mentum: Who are the other socialist candidates soaring among Democrats
Could Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh, who’s running for mayor of Minneapolis, become the next Zohran Mamdani? Mamdani, the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from New York City, stunned the nation’s political world last month by coming from behind to convincingly win the Democratic Party mayoral nomination in the nation’s most populous city. With his victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates, Mamdani took a big step toward becoming New York City’s first Muslim and first millennial mayor. Like Mamdani, Fateh is a Muslim Democratic socialist and, at 35, a fellow member of Generation Y. MAMDANI NYC MAYORAL PRIMARY VICTORY FURTHER INFLAMES LONGSTAND DEMOCRATIC PARTY DIVIDES Mamdani, as he runs for mayor, is pushing an agenda that includes eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores. Fateh, the son of immigrant parents from Somalia who five years ago became the first Somali-American elected to the Minnesota Senate, pledges if elected mayor to raise the city’s minimum wage, increase the supply of affordable housing, and combat what he calls police violence. RNC CHAIR ARGUES MAMDANI ‘FACE OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY’ Republicans have been relentless in taking aim at Mamdani and his far-left proposals. They are repeatedly trying to make him the face of the Democratic Party while also attempting to anchor him to vulnerable Democrats up for re-election in next year’s midterms. While not grabbing the kind of media frenzy that surrounds Mamdani, Republicans and conservatives have started targeting Fateh. Charlie Kirk — the conservative host and MAGA-world rockstar who leads the influential Turning Point USA political youth organization – recently took aim at Fateh over his Muslim identity. POTUS PUNDITRY: TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON MAMDANI-CUOMO NYC MAYORAL FACEOFF On Saturday, the Minneapolis Democratic Farmer Labor Party (the name of the Democratic Party in Minnesota) meets to decide whether to make an endorsement in the city’s mayoral race. Insiders say the party will likely either back Fateh or stay neutral and not endorse any candidate. There are other candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) that are grabbing attention in municipal races across the country. Among them is Michigan’s Denzel McCampbell, who is running for the Detroit City Council in District 7. McCampbell has a history of working on issues like voting rights. In Ithaca, New York, student organizer Hannah Shvets won a primary to represent the city’s Ward 5. Shvets, who is pushing a platform focused on affordable housing, climate action, public safety reform, and government transparency, is supported by the Ithaca chapter of the DSA.
Unearthed social media posts expose radical views of anti-ICE suspect captured by FBI
EXCLUSIVE: A social media account that is believed to belong to anti-ICE Texas attack suspect Benjamin Song, 32, who was captured Tuesday evening, contains anti-Israel, anti-police and anti-Trump rhetoric, according to posts reviewed and verified by Fox News Digital. Song was arrested by the FBI Dallas Field Office after the FBI offered a $25,000 reward for his capture regarding the attempted murder of federal officers and firearms crimes in an Independence Day riot at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. A local police officer is now recovering after being shot in the neck, and 11 other individuals are also facing charges, including 10 others for the aforementioned charges. “Do you want to end mass shooting? Abolish the police,” he posted in June 2022 under the X handle, BubbleBreakBS. FBI CAPTURES FORMER MARINE CORPS RESERVIST ACCUSED OF SHOOTING AT ICE OFFICERS AT TEXAS DETENTION CENTER Fox News Digital was able to confirm that the “BubbleBreakBS” account belonged to Song after reviewing several social media posts, including a 2019 post when he thanked “Behind the Masks,” a Facebook group that was dedicated to telling stories of protesters in the Free Hong Kong Movement, for telling his story, referring to their post as “my story.” The link that the account shared highlighted how “Ben Song, a 26-year-old Uber driver from Arlington,Texas who has been a political activist since he was 13, was moved by Hong Kong’s fight for freedom and flew from the US to show his support.” The post went on to describe Song as “half Korean and half Japanese” and said he “gained many unforgettable moments during his hands-on participation in the movement.” BubbleBreakBS also posted out a couple of posts days later that appeared to link to a podcast “episode” on YouTube that he was featured in. The X posts, which included several pro-Hong Kong hashtags in light of the uprising against the CCP, mentioned Song’s name. However, the YouTube channel appears to be private, and Fox News Digital could not access them. Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, appears to have been more conservative-leaning in his early college days, listing the College Republicans and martial arts clubs at the University of Texas at Arlington on his LinkedIn profile. He also listed being a contributor to a “Conservative Camp” blog for 11 months. However, during the last several years, his social media account has been littered with rhetoric attacking law enforcement, Republicans, President Donald Trump, Israel, Christians and other radical views. WHO IS BENJAMIN SONG? NEW DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT ANTI-ICE SUSPECT CAPTURED AFTER MAJOR TEXAS MANHUNT In June 2020, Song replied to a post from Trump in which the president wrote, “Biden wants to Defund the Police!”, and Song replied, “Defund the Police! Defund the Baby Bunker B–ch!,” a Trump nickname that the resistance movement used frequently online in 2020. In a 2022 post, Song called Trump “stupid as hell” and “easily controlled.” “Really f—ed to ‘both sides’ this right now. All of Palestine is fighting for its life at this moment. The Joint Command says it had actionable intelligence that Netanyahu was going to extinguish Gaza soon. This is a death camp breakout. This is the Warsaw Uprising,” he said on Oct. 10, 2023, just three days after the Hamas attack on Israel. “Sick.” “Hitler is scared now. Little baby Hitler-Netanyahu doesn’t want to be bullied for his heinous war crimes,” he wrote on Oct. 17, 2023. “Israel is a vicious apartheid colony committing genocide every day. Zionism is racism. Zionism is white settler colonialism. Move Israel to Sardinia or Sicily or Goteland,” he posted in March 2022. “ACAB because they are class traitors and white supremacist btw,” he posted about police, using the “All cops are bastards” acronym in June 2021. “There is no world where they ‘hold each other accountable.’ Cops were created by the upper class for the upper class. They protect property and keep the poor in line. They have no other purpose.” “Landlords are bad just like ACAB. It doesn’t matter what individual actions there are, the institution is bad. There are no good slave owners,” he said in June 2021. “Conservatives believe in prejudice + power when it affects them (in their imagination),” he posted in July 2021. “I’ve realized this is all fascist violence,” he posted in March 2021. “The conservatives cry mental health, the liberal cry gun control. But every time it’s white men killing people because they are black, Asian, women. This is the rising force of fascism within the neoliberal order.” While Song’s social media profile was littered with anti-GOP posts, he also attacked some Democratic leaders, like former President Joe Biden, failed Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas and others. “Joe Biden is a racist. He is a sex offender. He is a corrupt puppet. His policies are s—. He engenders no hope or excitement amongst those who need it…” Song said in June 2020. “I used to support [Andrew] Yang, even though he had some lilly livered responses when I met him in Texas. Now he’s gone full fascistic bootlicker. He will lose thankfully. A new wave movement has moved against fascism. Jan 6th was the high water mark,” he wrote in May 2021. “Beto is a dangerous Billionaire family, racist and anti-immigrant far right fascist,” he said in February 2022. In addition to Song’s X handle, Fox News Digital was able to verify through online records and Instagram videos that Song was using the same martial arts studio that lists his mom as a “program director” and “owner” for filming different tactical exercises and self-defense training in the years before the attempted murder charges. It is unclear whether the groups of people with blurred-out faces in the social media posts were part of the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club (EFJBGC), a left-wing “anti-fascist,” or Antifa, gun group that Song is allegedly tied to. A Fox News Digital review revealed that Song’s X account tagged the EFJBGC X
NYC Democratic socialist Mamdani to meet top Democrat with endorsement decision on the line
Controversial Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is working to secure key endorsements ahead of New York City’s November election. On Friday, Mamdani is expected to meet with House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in Brooklyn to discuss key issues. However, Jeffries did not give the press any hint whether he was ready to give Mamdani his endorsement. “As has been the case with every single high-profile endorsement decision that I’ve made in the past, I have a sit-down conversation, and then I take it from there,” Jeffries told reporters on Thursday. ZOHRAN MAMDANI PRESS CONFERENCE ABRUPTLY ENDS WITH AIDE PULLING HIM AWAY DURING REPORTERS QUESTIONS The self-professed socialist is also expected to meet with Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., though no date has been set. Many have speculated on how the two Democrats’ opposing stances on Israel will play into the meeting and Schumer’s decision. Longtime Democratic lawmaker Schumer, who is Jewish, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and has condemned the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Meanwhile, Mamdani, who is Muslim, has been a staunch critic of Israel and a supporter of BDS. Mamdani has faced backlash over his statements on Israel, including declining to say whether Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state and his initial refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” However, he recently began distancing himself from the phrase. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Mamdani told business leaders that he would not use the phrase and would “discourage” others from doing so. He is expected to clarify his position on the phrase as soon as this week. JEFFRIES GIVES ANSWER FOR NOT YET ENDORSING MAMDANI FOR NYC MAYOR While Schumer has not yet offered his endorsement, he has defended Mamdani from GOP critics. When President Donald Trump said he would “have to arrest” Mamdani if the controversial candidate were to become mayor of NYC and refused to work with ICE, Schumer called the threat a “pathetic absurdity.” “Trump keeps talking about great American values, but threatening to arrest politicians who disagree with him is as un-American as it gets. This would make America a dictatorship,” Schumer wrote on X. Mamdani may not have Schumer’s endorsement, but he did score the support of another prominent N.Y. Jewish Democrat, Rep. Jerry Nadler. MAMDANI’S FAR-LEFT ALLIES AIM TO PRIMARY HAKEEM JEFFRIES AND OTHER NYC HOUSE DEMOCRATS The meeting with Jeffries comes on the heels of Mamdani’s recent visit to D.C., where he attended a breakfast hosted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and mingled with some of the party’s most powerful players. Since then, he secured the endorsement of Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who serves as the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. “He’s a very charismatic, relatable person,” Khanna told FOX & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones on Thursday. Mamdani is running in a crowded race against former N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, both of whom are running as independents, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Longtime Joe Biden aide appears under House subpoena after Jill’s ‘work husband’ pleads Fifth
Former Biden administration staffer Annie Tomasini is on Capitol Hill Friday after being subpoenaed by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. She did not say anything to reporters on her way into her closed-door deposition with investigators. Tomasini, former Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for ex-President Joe Biden, was previously scheduled to appear for a voluntary transcribed interview on Friday. A committee aide told Fox News Digital earlier this week that Tomasini’s counsel requested the subpoena, but did not say why. COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’ She is the third ex-Biden administration aide to come under subpoena in Comer’s probe in recent weeks. Comer is investigating allegations that Former President Joe Biden’s former top White House aides covered up signs of his mental and physical decline while in office, and whether any executive actions were commissioned via autopen without the president’s full knowledge. Biden allies have pushed back against those claims. In an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, Biden affirmed he “made every decision” on his own. Just before Tomasini, House investigators heard from Anthony Bernal, a longtime aide to ex-first lady Jill Biden. Bernal pleaded the Fifth Amendment on all questions about Biden and was out of the committee room less than an hour after going in. Lawmakers are largely not expected to attend the closed-door deposition, which is traditionally staff-led. Comer has been to several so far, and progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has made surprise appearances as well. CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson revealed in their book, “Original Sin,” that Tomasini and Bernal “loaded a written Q&A into a prompter ahead of a local interview – a document that the campaign had used in prep with Biden.” Tomasini and Bernal brought out the teleprompter as his aides were trying to soften his blunders as Biden struggled to stay on message, according to the book. But the teleprompter fiasco became an easy attack line throughout Biden’s re-election campaign, as President Donald Trump “weaved” through his myriad unscripted moments. The book described how Tomasini and Bernal grew closer to Biden during the pandemic, eventually becoming Joe and Jill Biden’s most trusted aides. Tapper and Thompson describe the “intensely loyal” duo – Tomasini and Bernal – as taking on an “older-brother-and-little-sister vibe” among Biden’s inner circle. FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP Bernal and Tomasini later took on some of the residence staffers’ roles in the White House. Tapper and Thompson said the aides “had all-time access to the living quarters, with their White House badges reading ‘Res’ – uncommon for such aides.” “The significance of Bernal and Tomasini is the degree to which their rise in the Biden White House signaled the success of people whose allegiance was to the Biden family – not to the presidency, not to the American people, not to the country, but to the Biden theology,” the authors wrote. A source familiar with the Biden team’s thinking called House Republicans’ probe “dangerous” and “an attempt to smear and embarrass.” “And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump’s DOJ prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge,” the source said.
Trump’s modest spending cuts package survives narrow Senate vote as some Republicans break ranks
What can you get for $9.4 billion? 3G Capital recently purchased footwear giant Skechers for $9.4 billion. $9.4 billion could cover your rent for a pretty nice apartment in New York City for more than 40,000 years. Yes, it will just be you and the cockroaches by then. Or, you could pay the cost of every major disaster in the past four decades – ranging from Chernobyl to Fukushima to Hurricane Sandy. ‘LONG OVERDUE’: SENATE REPUBLICANS RAM THROUGH TRUMP’S CLAWBACK PACKAGE WITH CUTS TO FOREIGN AID, NPR But $9.4 billion isn’t a lot when cast against nearly $7 trillion in annual spending by the federal government. And it’s really not much money when you consider that the U.S. is about slip into the red to the tune of $37 trillion. Which brings us to the Congressional plan to cancel spending. That is, a measure from Republicans and the Trump Administration to rescind spending lawmakers already appropriated in March. The House and Senate are now clawing back money lawmakers shoved out the door for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and foreign aid programs under USAID. The original proposal cut $9.4 billion. But that figure dwindled to $9 billion – after the Senate restored money for “PEPFAR,” a President George W. Bush era program to combat AIDS worldwide. In other words, you may have a couple thousand years lopped off from your rent-controlled apartment in New York City. Of course that hinges on what Democratic mayoral nominee Zorhan Mamdani decides to do, should he win election this fall. Anyway, back to Congressional spending. Or “un-spending.” The House passed the original version of the bill in June, 216-214. Flip one vote and the bill would have failed on a 215-215 tie. Then it was on to the Senate. Republicans had to summon Vice President Vance to Capitol Hill to break a logjam on two procedural votes to send the spending cancellation bill to the floor and actually launch debate. Republicans have a 53-47 advantage in the Senate. But former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., along with Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted nay – producing a 50-50 tie. Fox is told some Senate Republicans are tiring of McConnell opposing the GOP – and President Trump – on various issues. That includes the nay votes to start debate on the spending cancellation bill as well as his vote against the confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January. “He used to be the Leader. He was always telling us we need to stick together,” said one GOP senator who requested anonymity. “Now he’s off voting however he wants? How time flies.” Note that McConnell led Senate Republicans as recently as early January. But McConnell ultimately voted for the legislation when the Senate approved it 51-48 at 2:28 am ET Thursday morning. Murkowski and Collins were the only noes. The services of Vice President Vance weren’t needed due to McConnell’s aye vote and the absence of Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. She fell ill and was admitted to George Washington Hospital for exhaustion. As for the senior senator from Alaska, one GOP senator characterized it as “Murkowski fatigue.” “She always asking. She’s always wanting more,” groused a Senate Republican. Murkowski secured an agreement on rural hospitals in exchange for her vote in favor of the Big, Beautiful Bill earlier this month. However, Murkowski did not secure more specificity on the DOGE cuts or help with rural, public radio stations in Alaska on the spending cut plan. SENATE TO DEBATE TRUMP’S $9B CLAWBACK BILL AFTER DRAMATIC LATE-NIGHT VOTES “My vote is guided by the imperative of coming from Alaskans. I have a vote that I am free to cast, with or without the support of the President. My obligation is to my constituents and to the Constitution,” said Murkowski. “I don’t disagree that NPR over the years has tilted more partisan. That can be addressed. But you don’t need to gut the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting.” In a statement, Collins blasted the Trump administration for a lack of specificity about the precision of the rescissions request. Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee in charge of the federal purse strings, also criticized the administration a few months ago for a paucity of detail in the President’s budget. “The rescissions package has a big problem – nobody really knows what program reductions are in it. That isn’t because we haven’t had time to review the bill,” said Collins in a statement. “Instead, the problem is that OMB (the Office of Management and Budget) has never provided the details that would normally be part of this process.” Collins wasn’t the only Republican senator who worried about how the administration presented the spending cut package to Congress. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., fretted about Congress ceding the power of the purse to the administration. But unlike Collins, Wicker supported the package. “If we do this again, please give us specific information about where the cuts will come. Let’s not make a habit of this,” said Wicker. “If you come back to us again from the executive branch, give us the specific amounts in the specific programs that will be cut.” DOGE recommended the cuts. In fact, most of the spending reductions targeted by DOGE don’t go into effect unless Congress acts. But even the $9.4 billion proved challenging to cut. “We should be able to do that in our sleep. But there is looking like there’s enough opposition,” said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Fox Business. So to court votes, GOP leaders salvaged $400 million for PEPFAR. “There was a lot of interest among our members in doing something on the PEPFAR issue,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “You’re still talking about a $9 billion rescissions package – even with that small modification.” The aim to silence public broadcasting buoyed some Republicans. HOMELAND SECURITY HALTS $18.5M IN TAXPAYER FUNDS FOR ‘RADICAL’ PROGRAMS “North Dakota Public Radio – about 26%
Trump calls for immediate end to ‘unjust’ trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
President Donald Trump is calling for an immediate end to the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who he said is the victim of “unjust” politically motivated attacks. The Brazilian leader is facing an investigation and an upcoming trial accusing him of leading an attempted coup to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat. Earlier this week, Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, was at the White House for meetings. He later said in a video posted to social media that “decisions are being made” with respect to possible sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes that the U.S. has been considering. “I have seen the terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you. This should end immediately!” Trump wrote in a letter he sent to Bolsonaro, which the president posted on his Truth Social account Thursday evening. PROSECUTORS TIED TO JAN. 6 CAPITOL RIOT CASES FIRED BY JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: REPORTS “I share your commitment to listening to the voice of the people and I am very concerned about the attacks on free speech – both in Brazil and in the United States – coming out of the current government. I have strongly voiced my disapproval both publicly and through our Tariff policy.” Last week, Trump threatened a 50% tariff on products from Brazil in a letter to the country’s president that cited the ongoing case against Bolsonaro. In November, Federal Police filed a 884-page report with Brazilian Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet detailing the scheme that alleged Bolsonaro and 33 others participated in a plan to remain in power despite losing to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. They allege it involved systematically sowing distrust of the electoral system among the populace, drafting a decree to give the plot a veneer of legality, pressuring top military brass to go along with the plan and inciting a riot in the capital. A panel of justices on Brazil’s Supreme Court accepted the charges against Bolsonaro in March, and it ordered the former leader to stand trial. All five justices ruled in favor of accepting the charges, which included accusations involving a plan to poison Bolsonaro’s successor and kill a Supreme Court judge. WHITE HOUSE PUSHES BACK FORCEFULLY ON EPSTEIN FILE CRITICISM: ‘ASININE SUGGESTION’ Under Brazilian law, a coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years. When combined with the other charges, it could result in a sentence of decades behind bars. In his letter to Bolsonaro, Trump said it was his “sincere hope” that the government in Brazil “changes course, stops attacking political opponents, and ends their ridiculous censorship regime.” “I will be watching closely,” Trump added. For his part, Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing, telling reporters, “I have no concerns about the accusations, zero.” TRUMP’S TREASURY DEPARTMENT TARGETS DANGEROUS VENEZUELAN PRISON GANG WITH SANCTIONS ON 6 TOP LEADERS The Washington Post reported Thursday that, according to four sources familiar with the situation, the U.S. is considering levying sanctions against Judge Moraes, who is leading the case against Bolsonaro. The sanctions, according to the sources who spoke with the Post, would come under the Magnitsky Act, which allops the U.S. to impose sanctions against foreign nationals accused of corruption. After Trump threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil over the case against Bolsonaro, his successor, Lula, vowed retaliation. “If there’s no negotiation, the reciprocity law will be put to work. If he charges 50 (% tariffs) from us, we will charge 50 from them,” Lula said, according to The Associated Press. “Respect is good. I like to offer mine, and I like to receive it.”