Inside the Biden cover-up probe: 8 aides questioned, more on the way
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is investigating whether former President Joe Biden’s closest aides worked to conceal evidence of mental decline in the octogenarian Democrat during his White House term, and whether an autopen was used for executive decisions without his knowledge. Biden himself asserted to the New York Times that he “made every decision” regarding autopen pardons specifically, and his allies have dismissed the GOP-led probe as a partisan show. Several ex-senior White House officials are due in the coming weeks, including former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and ex-White House chief of staff Jeff Zeints. But Comer’s staff have also met with a number of people so far – some who have said very little, while others have given no information at all. COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’ Below are the eight people who have sat down with House investigators so far: Former White House staff secretary Neera Tanden appeared for a voluntary interview on June 24. A source familiar with Tanden’s interview said she described having “minimal interaction” with Biden during her sit-down with investigators. Tanden also said she would submit requests for autopen signatures to members of Biden’s team, but was not aware of what actions or approvals occurred between the time she sent the memo and the time she received it back with the president’s approval, the source said. Tanden’s lawyer told Fox News at the time that she “consistently followed a protocol” that was used by both Republican and Democratic administrations in the past. “That same protocol existed in the Clinton and Obama administrations, which Ms. Tanden learned in discussions with previous staff secretaries from those administrations. She further understood and believed that the same process was followed in the Trump 1 and Bush administrations,” the lawyer said. Tanden had been tapped to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) early in Biden’s term, but she withdrew after bipartisan pushback in the Senate. Former White House physician Kevin O’Connor was the second ex-Biden administration official to appear when he came in on July 9, and the first to appear under subpoena. Before serving as White House doctor, however, O’Connor was known to be a close associate of the Biden family for years. Investigators were hoping to learn whether O’Connor knowingly obscured signs of advanced aging or loss of mental acuity in Biden. He notably met with a Parkinson’s Disease expert at the White House at one point, according to the New York Times – though the revelations were downplayed by the White House at the time. O’Connor’s lawyers had attempted to delay his scheduled deposition date over concerns that the scope of the committee’s investigation would violate doctor-patient confidentiality. He ultimately did appear when Comer rejected his delay request, but O’Connor was in and out of the committee room in less than an hour after pleading the Fifth Amendment to all questions, save for his name. FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP Ashley Williams is a longtime Biden advisor who still works for the former president, according to her LinkedIn. She appeared for a voluntary transcribed interview on July 11. The close Biden ally’s time with him goes back to assisting then-second lady Jill Biden during the Obama administration, according to a 2019 profile of Biden staffers. She served as his trip director for the 2020 campaign before being hired to the White House as deputy director of Oval Office Operations and a special assistant to the president. Williams repeatedly told committee staff during her sit-down that she did not “recall” various things “an untold number of times,” but that she believed Biden was fit to be president today, a source told Fox News Digital. “Examples include she could not recall if she spoke with President Biden in the last week, if teleprompters were used for Cabinet meetings, if there were discussions about President Biden using a wheelchair, if there were discussions about a cognitive test, if she discussed a mental or physical decline of President Biden, if she ever had to wake President Biden up and how she got involved with his 2020 campaign,” the source said. Anthony Bernal, who was nicknamed Jill Biden’s “work husband” for their close relationship, was the second person subpoenaed to appear. Like O’Connor, Bernal’s July 16 deposition lasted less than an hour after he pleaded the Fifth Amendment to investigators. Bernal served as former Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the First Lady. He also still appears to work for the Bidens, according to LinkedIn, which says he works for Jill Biden specifically. “During his deposition today, Mr. Bernal pleaded the Fifth when asked if any unelected official or family members executed the duties of the President and if Joe Biden ever instructed him to lie about his health,” Comer said in a statement after Bernal’s deposition. RON KLAIN DODGES REPORTERS AFTER MARATHON GRILLING IN BIDEN COVER-UP PROBE Former Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations Annie Tomasini had been scheduled to appear for a transcribed interview, before her counsel requested a subpoena from Comer shortly before her July 18 appearance. Tomasini followed O’Connor and Bernal’s lead in pleading the Fifth Amendment, which people coming in voluntarily cannot do. “During her deposition today, Ms. Tomasini pleaded the Fifth when asked if Joe Biden, a member of his family, or anyone at the White House instructed her to lie regarding his health at any time,” Comer said in a statement after her deposition. “She also pleaded the Fifth when asked if she ever advised President Biden on the handling of classified documents found in his garage, if President Biden or anyone in the White House instructed her to conceal or destroy classified material found at President Biden’s home or office, and if she ever conspired with anyone in the White House to hide information regarding the Biden family’s
New York lawmaker sounds alarm on potential ‘devastating’ effects of Mamdani victory: ‘Chaos’
EXCLUSIVE: Republican New York State Sen. Bill Weber told Fox News Digital about what he believes will happen to New York City in a variety of areas if socialist Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor in November. “It could be in chaos,” Weber, who represents New York’s 38th State Senate district along the Hudson River outside New York City, told Fox News Digital about the prospect of a Mamdani victory. “I mean, we even see some of those big issues happening now in the city. Anyone that’s gone into the city recently sees a lot of just unsafe situations.” Weber, the son and brother of NYPD officers, spoke to Fox News Digital days after the city witnessed the deadliest mass shooting in half a century in Midtown Manhattan, sparking a bitter war of words between all four mayoral candidates about public safety in the city. UNEARTHED VIDEO EXPOSES MAMDANI’S ‘UNABASHED’ COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING ANTI-ISRAEL SANCTIONS AS LAWMAKER Mamdani has been heavily criticized for previous calls to defund the police, which he attempted to walk back in a Wednesday press conference, which is a critique that has been amplified in the wake of the shooting on Monday. Weber told Fox News Digital that the police department in New York City needs more resources, not less. “We’ve got to continue to fund the police department and when you hear rhetoric starting in 2020, and even continuing today with some political figures, including, you know, Mamdani, who could be the next mayor of New York City, in the past talking about defunding the police and really taking a different approach to law enforcement. It’s a real concern, not only now, but what could happen in the future.” Weber continued, “So I’m hopeful that clearer minds will prevail, and we will continue to support the police department, which is the best in the world, and we need to make sure that we continually support them financially and all the tools that they need to do their jobs effectively.” ‘CULTURE OF SHAME’: NYC COUNCIL MEMBER SOUNDS ALARM OVER MAMDANI VOTERS FALLING FOR ‘PIPE DREAM’ Weber told Fox News Digital he represents a district with either the first or second most Jewish residents per capita in the state and that many Jewish voters have expressed concern to him about Mamdani’s long history of anti-Israel stances. “A lot my Jewish residents are very concerned,” Weber, who recently penned an op-ed on the subject of Mamdani and Israel, explained. “They have family that live in the boroughs of New York City. A lot of them commute into the city as well. So they’re very worried about the rhetoric that Mamdani has really spewed over a long time. And you know. Even up until recently, he still refuses to condemn the globalized intifada, which is very concerning because we saw what happened on October 7th.” Political experts have suggested that the three candidates other than Mamdani need to coalesce around one candidate in order to defeat Mamdani, which Weber said he supports but says it’s unclear whether that will happen or who that candidate will be to form a one-on-one matchup. “The opposition, whoever that candidate is going to be, they need to really rally behind and unify behind one candidate, whoever it is, and I even offered to be a liaison to try and facilitate one of, or at least getting them all together into a room to have one candidate to run against Mamdani because I’m fearful that the rest of them will split the vote and then Mamdani will sneak in,” Weber said. In terms of what New York City’s economy will look like in four years if Mamdani becomes mayor, Weber pointed out that New York City drives most of the revenue back to the state in Albany and suggested a bleak outlook if Mamdani, who has been labeled a communist by some, were to win. “I think he’s very serious about what he’s indicating that he wants to do, which would really be a devastating impact on New York City,” Weber said. “If we chase out building owners, if we chase out the wealthy people to go to Florida or other states that are more tax friendly, it will have a devastating impact not only on New York City, but on New York state as a whole.” “So, you know, we should take him at his word. He wants to have government-run supermarkets. I mean, these are all code words of what we’ve heard from socialist nations around the world, socialist nations that have failed, and we don’t want to see a failure in New York City. So we need to take him, listen to him, take him at his word and really fight back to make sure that none of those programs get implemented in that. Really, that starts with defeating him at the polls in November.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.
What are ICE’s visiting policies, and why are Democrats suing over them?
After Democratic lawmakers filed a lawsuit over being denied access to a Maryland ICE facility, DHS is clarifying its simple procedures for members of Congress to request a visit to its facilities. According to ICE’s Office of Congressional Relations website, members of Congress need only submit a request via email at least seven days in advance of their desired visit. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson explained to Fox News Digital that the seven-day requirement is to “prevent interference with the President’s Article II authority to oversee executive department functions.” “A week is sufficient to ensure no intrusion on the President’s constitutional authority,” the spokesperson said, adding, “To protect the President’s Article II authority, any request to shorten that time must be approved by the Secretary.” BORDER APPREHENSIONS HIT RECORD LOW IN DRAMATIC TURNAROUND FROM BIDEN ERA The spokesperson also noted that “ICE law enforcement has seen a surge in assaults of 830%, as well as disruptions and obstructions to enforcement, including by politicians themselves.” A dozen Democrats are suing the Trump administration for “unlawful obstruction of congressional oversight” after Democratic members of the Maryland congressional delegation were denied entry to a Baltimore ICE facility on Monday. Maryland Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, along with Reps. Glenn Ivey, Johnny Olszewski, Sarah Elfreth and Kweisi Mfume, showed up in Baltimore at the Fallon Federal Building on Monday but were denied entry into an ICE detainment facility in the building. After being denied access to the facility, the group held a press conference outside the building in which Mfume said, “We had to stand outside, bang on the door and ultimately sit in front of the door.” The Democrats filed their lawsuit against the administration on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., said in a statement announcing the suit that “blocking Members of Congress from oversight visits to ICE facilities that house or otherwise detain immigrants clearly violates Federal law — and the Trump administration knows it.” FEDERAL JUDGE HALTS TRUMP TPS POLICY, ACCUSES DHS OF MAKING MIGRANTS ‘ATONE FOR THEIR RACE’ In response, DHS Assistant Secretary for Communications Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that “these Members of Congress could have just scheduled a tour; instead, they’re running to court to drive clicks and fundraising emails.” After the incident, Ivey’s office shared a letter with Fox News Digital dated July 21 in which the delegation informed Noem and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons of their intent to visit the Baltimore facility. The letter did not appear to be making any request. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., were also included in the letter. A person familiar with the Democrats who attempted to visit the Maryland facility told Fox News Digital that “the letter sent to Secretary Noem was a notice given, not a ‘request,’ because under the law, Members of Congress, doing their oversight responsibilities, don’t have to ask for permission, but as a courtesy, they notified DHS a full seven days before the visit.” The person added that “under the law the co-equal branch of government has the right to conduct ‘surprise’ inspections to ensure American taxpayer dollars are being spent appropriately.” DHS SCOOPS UP TRANS ILLEGAL ALIEN CHARGED WITH HEINOUS CRIME ON CHILD IN SANCTUARY CITY: ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ Commenting on the lawsuit, National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella remarked to Fox News Digital that Democrats “have gone from ignoring the border to targeting the men and women who enforce it.” “This is the Democrat Party’s platform, and they’re not even trying to hide it,” said Marinella.
Appeals court denies Trump admin’s request to lift limits on Los Angeles immigration raids
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected the Trump administration’s request for an emergency stay of a federal injunction restricting federal immigration agents from targeting migrants in Southern California based on characteristics such as ethnicity or language. The three-judge panel issued a unanimous ruling that maintains the restraints on federal agents during immigration raids in the Los Angeles area. The limitations include prohibiting targeting people based on their ethnicity, accent, language or location, including being at a Home Depot or a car wash. The ruling requires federal agents to have more specific probable cause to make an arrest instead of generalized suspicion about a person’s citizenship status. TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPLOYMENT OF ADDITIONAL NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO LOS ANGELES Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass celebrated the court’s decision as “a victory for the rule of law and for the City of Los Angeles.” “The Temporary Restraining Order that has been protecting our communities from immigration agents using racial profiling and other illegal tactics when conducting their cruel and aggressive enforcement raids and sweeps will remain in place for now,” Bass said in a statement. “We must still fight for justice,” she continued. “Los Angeles will stand together against this Administration’s efforts to break up families who contribute every single day to the life, the culture and the economy of our great city. No matter what, I will continue to stand by you and fight for your rights, your dignity and your place in this city we all call home.” This comes after recent raids in the Los Angeles area targeted illegal immigrants working at local businesses, sparking weeks of unrest over immigration arrests and the administration’s mass deportation efforts. About 4,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines were deployed to Los Angeles to gain control over the protests despite opposition from state and local leaders. At this point, most of the National Guard troops and all the Marines have since been withdrawn. The administration was sued last month over alleged “unlawful stop-and-arrest practices” and “illegal conditions of confinement.” A federal judge then issued two temporary restraining orders, including one to stop generalized raids based on the idea that many Spanish-speaking Hispanics are known to be in a certain location. Lawyers for the administration filed an emergency appeal asking the court to temporarily pause the injunction as it would cause “irreparable harm” and put immigration officials in a “straitjacket.” The appeal was denied in court on Friday. PENTAGON ORDERS 700 MARINES TO WITHDRAW FROM LOS ANGELES AS STABILITY RETURNS FOLLOWING ICE PROTESTS During arguments, one of the judges repeatedly asked the lawyer for the government about a reported 3,000 daily quota for immigration-related arrests — a quota policy the lawyer claims does not exist — in reference to comments made by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity in May. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are looking to set a goal of a minimum of 3,000 arrests for ICE every day, and President Trump is going to keep pushing to get that number up higher each and every single day,” Miller said at the time. Fox News’ Lee Ross contributed to this report.
DOJ targets noncitizens on voter rolls as part of Trump election integrity push
Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed Department of Justice (DOJ) officials to probe election practices throughout the country as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on federal election laws. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is largely leading the effort, which has involved seeking information from states about their election practices and voter registration lists, sometimes known as “voter rolls,” and placing an emphasis on identifying any noncitizens on them. “Election integrity starts with clean voter rolls. That’s the foundation for secure elections,” a DOJ source told Fox News. “There’s been a culture of noncompliance from several states that don’t keep their roles updated. This DOJ is cracking down.” TRUMP APPOINTEE VOWS TO FOCUS DOJ’S LARGEST DIVISION ON DEI, DENATURALIZATION Some states, like Wisconsin and Utah, shared recent election-related correspondence they had with the DOJ on state websites. New Hampshire’s Republican secretary of state rejected a request to provide the DOJ with a statewide database of voters, saying laws do not allow the state to do that. The department sent more unusual demand letters to numerous local election offices in California, asking for extensive personal data about any noncitizens who ended up on voter registration lists. At least one of the recipients, Orange County, resisted the request, prompting the DOJ to sue. Attorneys for the county responded that county election officials were authorized under federal law to withhold sensitive information about voters. The flurry of activity stems from an executive order Trump signed in March tasking the attorney general with coordinating with states on election integrity, which has been a top priority for him since his 2020 election loss. Trump ordered the DOJ to review how states manage their voter registration lists, enter into information-sharing agreements with the states, aid states with prosecuting election-related crimes, and punish uncooperative states where possible. DOJ LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO BLUE STATE CITY OVER ALLEGED RACE-BASED HIRING Several Democrat-led states sued over the order, and a federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked parts of it, saying “the Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections.” The DOJ is appealing the ruling. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., blasted the DOJ’s efforts, suggesting they were designed to hinder racial minorities’ ability to vote. “These efforts, made under the guise of combating fraud, will disproportionately endanger voters of color, low-income communities, and active-duty military personnel,” Durbin said. Trump has frequently voiced his grievances about voter fraud, saying it is widespread and that illegal immigrants are voting, but there is scant evidence to support those claims. While states have identified noncitizens on voter rolls and removed them as part of routine voter list maintenance, rarely have they been found to have cast ballots. “Existing safeguards are broadly effective,” a Center for Election Innovation and Research analysis recently found. Last October, a Chinese national allegedly voted in the 2024 election in Michigan. The suspect, a University of Michigan student living legally in the country, used his student identification information and other data to complete a same-day voter registration form. He was charged with voter fraud and perjury.
WATCH: Dem senator agrees with GOP that Trump’s making progress on trade war
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman admitted that his party had gotten it wrong about President Donald Trump’s tariffs, saying that, so far, the U.S. trade war is “going well.” Asked by Fox News Digital whether he thought the Trump administration was winning the trade war, Fetterman responded, “Absolutely.” “I’m a huge fan of Bill Maher, and I mean, I think he’s really one of the oracles for my party, and he acknowledged it, it’s like, hey, he thought that the tariffs were going to tank the economy, and then he acknowledged that it didn’t,” said Fetterman. “So, for me,” he went on, “it seems like the E.U. thing has been going well, and I guess we’ll see how it happens with China.” This comes as Trump is increasing the tariff on Canada from 25% to 35% beginning on Friday, after the U.S. neighbor to the north failed to help curb the imports of fentanyl and other illicit drugs. The White House noted that Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to increase the tariff in an effort to hold Canada accountable for its role in the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S. Additionally, Trump signed another executive order on Thursday to modify the reciprocal tariff rates for some countries to further address the United States’ trade deficits. The action reflects Trump’s efforts to protect the U.S. from foreign threats to national security and the economy by securing “fair, balanced and reciprocal trade relationships,” the White House said. TRUMP AIMS TO RESHAPE GLOBAL ECONOMY WITH HISTORIC NEW TARIFFS Earlier this year, Trump announced an additional 10% tariff on all countries as well as higher tariffs for countries the U.S. has large trade deficits with. The tariffs became effective on April 9. Since then, Trump and his team have since made several trade deals with several countries. The U.S. struck a deal with the European Union in which the EU agreed to purchase $750 billion in U.S. energy and make new investments of $600 billion by 2028. The EU also agreed to accept a 15% tariff rate. The U.S. also made a deal with Japan, which agreed to invest $550 billion in the U.S. to rebuild and expand core American industries. Japan also agreed to further its own market to U.S. exports, and like the EU, Japan agreed to a baseline 15% tariff rate. However, many Democrats are digging in their heels against Trump’s tariffs strategy, saying the negative effects are still on the horizon. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., forecast that, despite the increased revenue, “within a few weeks or months, you’ll start seeing significant increases in most things you buy. And also, you will see disruption in terms of a lot of our industries, because they’re not able to access product or supply.” TRUMP IMPOSES SWEEPING TARIFFS ON DOZENS OF COUNTRIES AFTER LANDING MASSIVE TRADE DEALS “When you have across-the-board tariffs, it does operate like a national sales tax, and I think people are going to be more and more hurt,” predicted Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. “This is the president who said he was going to come in and reduce prices. Prices are going to rise, and they’re going to rise more over time,” said Van Hollen. Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren said that “Donald Trump may beat his chest and say, ‘Man, I made him take a 15% tariff or 25% tariff,’ but also understand that every one of those trading partners is now looking hard all around the rest of the world to find other customers, because Donald Trump is signaling loud and clear that the United States under Donald Trump is not a reliable trading partner. And that’s not good for any of us.” Warren also claimed that Trump’s tariffs are the reason the Federal Reserve has not lowered U.S. interest rates. “Jerome Powell said last month that he would have lowered interest rates back in February if it hadn’t been for the chaos that Donald Trump was creating over trade. And the consequence has been that American families have, for six months now, been paying more on credit cards, more on car loans, more home mortgages, all because Donald Trump has created chaos,” she said. US-CHINA TRADE DEAL ON THE HORIZON, SAYS TREASURY SECRETARY Meanwhile, Republicans whom Fox News Digital spoke with urged the president to double down on his tariff strategy. “I think it’s exactly the right approach. It’s what I have been urging the president to do, and I think the successes he’s winning are big wins for America,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. In response to Democrats still predicting economic fallout because of the tariffs, Cruz sarcastically remarked, “I’m shocked, shocked that Democrats are rooting for the economy to do badly under President Trump.” “It’d be nice if some Democrats would put their partisan hatred for Trump aside and actually start working together for American workers and American jobs. Unfortunately, I don’t see a whole lot of Democrats interested in doing that right now,” said Cruz. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., while agreeing that the tariffs have been successful, voiced that he hopes the goal is to ultimately achieve reciprocal zero percent tariffs between the U.S. and its trade partners. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ADDRESSES WHETHER KAMALA HARRIS HAS REACHED THE END OF HER POLITICAL CAREER “Clearly, the president got a good deal from one perspective. The Europeans just caved, they did. Fifteen percent tariffs on them, zero on us, commitment to invest in our country. But the part of the deal I like the most, the E.U. and the president agreed that a whole bunch of goods would be tariff-free. That is, no American tariffs and no E.U. tariffs. It’s called reciprocity, and ideal reciprocity is zero on both sides,” he explained. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “That’s what I would like us to achieve in all the trade deals,” Kennedy explained. “Let the free enterprise system work. May the best product at the best price win. That, to me,
Gridlock crumbles as Senate advances spending bills in race against shutdown
The Senate advanced a package of spending bills late Friday night, breaking a partisan gridlock that threatened to derail the government funding process. Moving the three bills, including funding bills for military construction and Veterans’ Affairs, agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the legislative branch, appeared on ice for much of the week as lawmaker after lawmaker on either side of the aisle looked to block the bills. But a path forward was found, and the bills were put on the floor, and after several votes on amendments, the final package passed. However, the bill to fund the legislative branch was added to the package separately in response to a roadblock by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who ultimately relented to allow the bill to hit the floor. He announced his plan to vote against that piece of the package because the bill increased spending, like the others, but specifically for Congress. SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS TRY TO SAVE FACE, BLAME GOP FOR POSSIBLE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “I just think we need to set an example, and when we’re increasing our spending 6% and others less,” Kennedy said on the Senate floor. “We’re sending a message that we’re special, and I don’t think we are.” Now it heads to the House, where Republicans are already incensed that the Senate’s bills go over their approved spending levels. The advancement of the bills is a victory for members of the Senate Appropriations Committee and for Republican leadership, who are working to ward off a possible government shutdown as tensions over the “big, beautiful bill” and President Donald Trump’s $9 billion clawback package linger. It’s also the first time since 2018 that the upper chamber passed spending bills before September. SENATE WEATHERS DEM OPPOSITION, ADVANCES FIRST GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL “These bills all mean a great deal to each of us,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said on the Senate floor. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., previously threatened that if Republicans went through with the rescissions package, it would have grave effects on the forthcoming sprint to fund the government. But, with the deadline to fund the government by Sept. 30 — or to pass a short-term funding extension — fast-approaching, neither party wants to carry the blame for blowing up the appropriations process, at least for now. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN While passing the spending package out of the upper chamber proved a bright spot, lawmakers are still looking for a path forward in confirming a slew of Trump’s nominees. The president re-upped his call for Senate Republican leadership to cancel recess to pass each nominee on the Senate’s calendar, which has now ballooned to over 150 picks, as Democrats continue their blockade of the process. Lawmakers are set to vote on a trio of nominees Friday night and are expected to run through nearly a dozen more over the weekend, unless a deal is made.
WATCH: Trump says he is hopeful Hillary Clinton will be investigated for election fraud
Speaking with reporters on Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump expressed that he is hopeful that former presidential opponent Hillary Clinton will finally be investigated for election fraud. Shortly before departing for New Jersey, Trump was asked by a reporter, “Will Hillary Clinton finally be investigated for election fraud?” Trump answered, “I hope so, I hope so. I don’t know whether or not that’ll happen, but I hope so.” During his brief exchange with reporters outside the White House, Trump also repeatedly criticized Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, whom he recently removed. The president connected his recent decision to fire McEntarfer, whom he accused of falsifying jobs report numbers, to efforts to sway previous elections against him. TRUMP CLASHES WITH REPORTER OVER TARIFFS, CITING PANDEMIC AND ‘FIGHTING LUNATICS’ “You have to have honest reports and when you look at those numbers or when you look at just before the election and then after the election, they corrected it by 8 or 900,000 jobs,” he said. “Why should anybody trust numbers? You go back to election day. Look what happened two or three days before with massive, wonderful jobs numbers, trying to get him elected or her elected, trying to get whoever the hell was running because you go back and they came out with numbers that were very favorable to Kamala,” he went on. “And then on the 15th of November or thereabouts, they added 8 or 900,000 overstatement reduction right after the election.” Addressing a reporter directly, Trump added, “It didn’t work, because, you know who won, John? I won.” Trump’s comments regarding Clinton hearken back all the way to his first presidential campaign during which he warned that if he were president he would get his attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate her behavior. In one of the 2016 debates, Trump famously quipped to Clinton that if he were president: “you’d be in jail.” CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING ANNOUNCES IT WILL SHUT DOWN AFTER TRUMP, CONGRESS CUT FUNDING As president, however, Trump has not moved to prosecute Clinton, who served as former President Barack Obama’s secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. This July, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released evidence that she said suggests the Obama administration promoted a “contrived narrative” that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. “There is irrefutable evidence that details how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false,” Gabbard said. “They knew it would promote this contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help President Trump win, selling it to the American people as though it were true. It wasn’t.” “We have referred and will continue to refer all of these documents to the Department of Justice and the FBI, to investigate the criminal implications of this for the evidence,” Gabbard said. “The evidence that we have found, and that we have released, directly point to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment. There are multiple pieces of evidence and intelligence that confirm that fact.” FEDERAL APPEALS COURT WEIGHS TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER AS ADMIN OUTLINES ENFORCEMENT DETAILS In a July interview, Trump described the Russiagate allegations against Obama and members of his administration as “serious treason.” “What they’ve done is so bad for this country. And it really started right at the 2016 election,” Trump claimed of Gabbard’s findings. “And there’s a difference when you know it — and when you know it, and it’s all written down for you. I mean, it’s all there. It’s right there. The orders, the memos, the whole thing. It’s right there.”
Mamdani reportedly eyeing former ‘Squad’ member for top position despite controversial track record
New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is reportedly considering former Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman as his choice to lead the city’s schools despite Bowman’s controversial track record on a variety of issues. Bowman could become the New York City Chancellor of Schools if Mamdani were to become mayor in November, in a position where he will oversee more than 1,000 schools with almost a million students, the New York Post reported last month. Bowman, a progressive Democrat and former member of “The Squad” in Congress, once called standardized testing in public schools a “form of modern-day slavery” when he was serving as a Bronx public school principal in 2015. “Slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, crack cocaine and now standardized testing were all … designed to destroy the mind, body and soul of black and brown people,” Bowman said. FLASHBACK: ZOHRAN MAMDANI SAYS ‘ISRAEL IS NOT A PLACE’ AND ‘NOT A COUNTRY’ According to a New York Post report on Friday, Bowman operated a radical public school without a license for about two years. Bowman, who gained national notoriety in 2023 for pulling a fire alarm in Congress in the middle of a dramatic House floor vote which led to him being censured, has drawn heated criticism in recent years for controversial anti-Israel comments. ‘DAMAGE CONTROL’: MAMDANI’S ‘BLATANT FLIP-FLOP’ ON DEFUNDING POLICE RIPPED AS ‘POLITICAL THEATRE’ Bowman has defended the pro-Palestine chant “From the river to the sea,” which many in the Jewish community view as a call to eradicate Israel. He has been a staunch critic of Israel, especially since the start of its ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza. Last year, he attended a fundraiser co-hosted by an Islamic leader who said he was “happy to see” the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians. Bowman was also forced to apologize for denying that Hamas had raped women and committed other atrocities during the terror group’s Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. Bowman sparked outrage from Jewish groups in 2024 for defending a mural of Louis Farrakhan, who has infamously made disparaging comments about Jews, including calling them “the synagogue of Satan” and “termites.” He also came under fire that same year when an unearthed video showed him honoring a radical Black activist and convicted murderer during a special project at a New York City middle school while serving as its principal before being elected to Congress. A 2014 video centered on Cornerstone Academy for Social Action Middle School’s (CASA) then-“Wall of Action” project shows Bowman praising various historical Black and Latino figures being honored on the wall, including Assata Shakur, who was convicted in the 1973 killing of a New Jersey state trooper. Bowman referred to the people on the wall as “tremendous, tremendous figures.” Shakur, whose real name is JoAnne Chesimard, was a member of the Black nationalist group Black Liberation Army and was serving a life sentence for the fatal shooting of the officer before escaping from prison in 1979 with the help of Mutulu Shakur, another radical Black activist praised by Bowman in the video. She fled to Cuba, where she remains a wanted domestic terrorist today. Mamdani has faced criticism for numerous anti-Israel positions of his own dating back to his college days when he called for academic sanctions against Israel. He has often spoken out in favor of BDS, sanctions against Israel that Influence Watch describes as “an international campaign to delegitimize the State of Israel as the expression of the Jewish people’s right to national self-determination by isolating the country economically through consumer boycotts, business and government withdrawal of investment, and legal sanctions.” Mamdani has also faced criticism for refusing to condemn the phrase “Globalize the intifada,” and Fox News Digital reported this week that Mamdani had said in 2023 that Israel is “not a place” and “not a country.” Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. “I am not thinking about any of that,” Bowman told the New York Post in early July about the possible appointment. “I want to help my brother get elected. I am exceptional in compartmentalizing. Right now, I want to help Zohran win the general election.” Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed reporting.
Trump moves nuclear submarines weeks after praising sub’s power in Iran strikes
President Donald Trump unveiled plans Friday to reposition two nuclear submarines as he and Russia’s former president sparred over Trump’s increased pressure on Moscow to end the war with Ukraine. After Trump announced a new deadline for Russia to end the conflict with Ukraine in early August, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that the announcement is an additional “step towards war.” “Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social Friday. MEDVEDEV WARNS THAT TRUMP’S NEW DEADLINE TO END RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT IS A ‘STEP TOWARDS WAR’ The announcement comes just weeks after Trump praised the contributions of a guided-missile submarine involved in the strikes against Iran, which launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at key Iranian targets, officials said. “By the way, if anyone thinks our ‘hardware’ was great over the weekend, far and away the strongest and best equipment we have, 20 years advanced over the pack, is our Nuclear Submarines,” Trump said June 23 in a Truth Social post. “They are the most powerful and lethal weapons ever built, and just launched the 30 Tomahawks — All 30 hit their mark perfectly. So, in addition to our Great Fighter Pilots, thank you to the Captain and Crew!” The mission, which targeted Iranian nuclear facilities Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, also involved more than 125 U.S. aircraft, including B-2 stealth bombers, according to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. TRUMP ATTACKS IRAN NUCLEAR SITES: ARE OUR TROOPS IN DANGER FROM RETALIATORY STRIKES? Caine did not disclose the name of the submarine that was involved in the Iran strikes. However, he said that a “guided-missile submarine” was involved. Four of the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class submarines were converted into guided-missile submarines to accommodate conventional land attacks, as well as Special Operations Forces platforms. These submarines are the Ohio, Florida, Michigan and Georgia, according to the U.S. Navy. All U.S. Navy submarines are nuclear-powered, and Trump did not disclose additional details surrounding the submarines that would be repositioned amid increased tension with Russia. It is incredibly rare for defense officials to comment or reveal the locations of submarines, given the highly classified nature of their deployments and movements. Trump initially announced on July 14 that he would sign off on “severe tariffs” against Russia if Moscow were to fail to agree to a peace deal within 50 days. However, Trump said Monday that waiting that period of time was pointless as negotiations have continued to drag on for months. “I’m going to make a new deadline, of about 10 — 10 or 12 days from today,” Trump told reporters in Scotland Monday. “There’s no reason for waiting. It was 50 days. I wanted to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made.” RUSSIAN LEADER CLAIMS MULTIPLE COUNTRIES PREPPED TO PROVIDE IRAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOLLOWING US STRIKES In response, Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, accused Trump of playing the “ultimatum game.” “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10 … He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,” Medvedev said in a post on X on Monday. Trump’s new deadline comes amid heightened frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid stalled progress toward peace between Russia and Ukraine, and just days after Russia launched more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles into Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force.