George Wendt’s mistaken jabs at John Boehner link ‘Cheers’ and Ohio politics
There was no mistake when the beloved but forlorn accountant Norm Peterson chugged his way into the fictional TV bar “Cheers.” “Norm!!!” hollered the regulars in unison, ranging from mail carrier Cliff Clavin to “Mayday” Sam Malone, the former Major League pitcher-turned barkeep. If only former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, or late Rep. Buz Lukens, R-Ohio, had been as recognizable to George Wendt, the actor who played Norm on the sitcom. REMEMBERING REP. CHARLIE RANGEL — AND A VOICEMAIL I’LL NEVER FORGET Wendt died last week at age 76. The portly, everyman, “Willy Loman” character Wendt created was one of the most iconic in the history of comedic television. Wendt’s portrayal of Norm earned him six consecutive Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a primetime series. But during Boehner’s first race for Congress in 1990, Wendt inadvertently manufactured a bizarre and permanent connection to the future Speaker of the House. In 1989, Lukens represented Ohio’s 8th Congressional District. But WSYX-TV in Columbus, Ohio, secretly recorded Lukens at a McDonald’s speaking with the mother of a teenage girl. Lukens talked to the woman about getting her a government job. He hoped to keep her quiet about his sexual activities with her daughter. Lukens denied any wrongdoing in public. He was charged and later convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation. But Lukens declined to step aside. That teed up a three-way Republican primary between Lukens, the former congressman who represented the district, the late Rep. Tom Kindness, R-Ohio, and Boehner. Boehner was a state legislator at the time. The scandal embroiling Lukens created a rare opportunity to head to Washington. As strange as it seems now, Boehner was the least-known of the three Republican candidates in what turned out to be a brutal primary. But Boehner’s innate political acumen shone through – decades before he would ascend to the Speaker’s suite. Despite the scandal, Lukens remained popular in the district. He had served as the congressman decades earlier and returned to the House when Kindness ran unsuccessfully for the Senate against late-Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, in 1986. So with the Lukens scandal, Kindness wanted his job back. And Boehner hoped to capitalize on the opportunity. BY DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT: BATTLES TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ WILL FACE IN THE SENATE Can you top a name like that? “Congressman Kindness.” No wonder it was such a challenge for the upstart, future Speaker with the unpronounceable, Teutonic surname. But Boehner won. And even though he felled Lukens and Kindness, it was not a done deal that Boehner would win the general election. Boehner ran against Democrat Greg Jolivette, the mayor of Hamilton, Ohio, the biggest city in the 8th Congressional District. Jolivette was best known for changing the name of “Hamilton,” to “Hamilton!” in the 1980s. He also ran Jolly’s Drive-Ins in Hamilton. Imagine 1970s hamburger joints where you can order from your car, bedecked in orange. But we’re talking about “Cheers” here. Not “Happy Days.” Wendt was at the height of his popularity during the summer of 1990 as Boehner and Jolivette barreled toward a general election faceoff. So Wendt appeared on late-night TV on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” Look him up, kids. Hall’s syndicated show was never going to beat NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” in the ratings. But the program scored major headlines in 1992, when future President Bill Clinton played saxophone on the show in an effort to appeal to a younger demographic, which gravitated to Hall rather than Carson. Clinton’s appearance was a seminal moment in American politics and may have helped him win the election. Certainly the most important political event on Hall’s show. Wendt’s appearance proved to be the second-most important. Jolivette was Wendt’s brother-in-law. He periodically parachuted into Ohio’s 8th District to campaign for Jolivette and against Boehner. So Hall asked him about Wendt’s political involvement and Jolivette. Wendt proceeded to essentially libel Boehner on the air. Wendt never mentioned Boehner by name. But Wendt mixed up Lukens and his sex scandal with Boehner. On national TV, no less. “The guy he’s running against had some problems a while back,” said Wendt, referring to Jolivette’s opponent, but mixing Boehner up with Lukens. “The guy from the 8th District had some convictions, some felony or a misdemeanor or something. So I think it’s time for a change. One thing’s for sure, I know, Greg’s not going to be a criminal.” TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FACES CRUCIAL HOURS AS JOHNSON COURTS FREEDOM CAUCUS Hall is an Ohio native. But he was apparently not versed in the Lukens scandal – even though it was a national story and commanded daily headlines. He didn’t inquire further or correct Wendt. After all, this was a late-night comedy and variety show. Not “Meet the Press.” A publicist for Hall blamed the issue entirely on Wendt, saying the host has no control over “what (guests are) going to say.” Things then turned nasty when Boehner’s team put out a statement. “We, like a lot of viewers, are confused about the conversation last night. We don’t know if they were talking about Congressman Lukens’ problems or perhaps the theft complaint filed with the Hamilton (Ohio) Police against Greg Jolivette,” said the Boehner campaign. Jolivette’s campaign argued this was an old allegation and it wasn’t true. They then demanded that Boehner fire Barry Jackson, Boehner’s campaign manager. Jackson called the episode “cheap gutter politics.” Boehner himself pinned the case of mistaken identity on Wendt. He believed the actor should have been more responsible for what he said on national TV. Boehner didn’t fire Jackson. Jackson worked with Boehner for years and later served as his chief of staff when he became House speaker. Wendt’s gaffe was not fatal for Boehner. Even though there were nearly as many Democrats as Republicans registered in the 8th District in those days, it had elected Republicans for years. And Boehner vanquished Jolivette 61-39 percent in
Trump warns Rand Paul he’s playing into ‘hands of the Democrats’ with ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ opposition
President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., he would be “playing right into the hands of the Democrats” if he votes against Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” “If Senator Rand Paul votes against our Great, Big, Beautiful Bill, he is voting for, along with the Radical Left Democrats, a 68% Tax Increase and, perhaps even more importantly, a first time ever default on U.S. Debt,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday afternoon. “Rand will be playing right into the hands of the Democrats, and the GREAT people of Kentucky will never forgive him! The GROWTH we are experiencing, plus some cost cutting later on, will solve ALL problems. America will be greater than ever before!” Paul told “Fox News Sunday” last weekend he supports the tax and spending cuts in the bill, which he still slammed as “wimpy and anemic, but I still would support the bill, even with wimpy and anemic cuts if they weren’t going to explode the debt. The problem is the math doesn’t add up. They’re going to explode the debt by, the House says, $4 trillion. The Senate’s actually been talking about exploding the debt $5 trillion.” INSIDE THE LATE-NIGHT DRAMA THAT LED TO TRUMP’S TAX BILL PASSING BY 1 VOTE The bill narrowly passed the House May 22 and will soon be voted on in the Senate, where Republicans can only afford to lose three votes. Others, like Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have also expressed concerns about the bill. TRUMP SLAMS REPUBLICAN ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ OPPOSING BUDGET BILL, PREDICTS MASSIVE US TAX INCREASES IF IT FAILS Last weekend, Trump told reporters he was open to changes in the bill. “I want the Senate and the senators to make the changes they want,” he said. “It will go back to the House, and we’ll see if we can get them. In some cases, the changes may be something I’d agree with, to be honest.” Along with tax cuts, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act also includes stricter requirements for accessing Medicaid, changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program and no taxes on overtime or tips. Democrats have slammed the Medicaid reform section of the bill, mentioning possible cuts as a driving issue ahead of competitive midterm elections in 2026. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan analyst for the U.S. Congress, estimates that 8.6 million people in the United States will lose health insurance by 2034 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Medicaid reform. “The Democrats have been focusing on this specific line of attack that 13.7 million Americans are going to lose their health care, and that’s just blatantly false,” Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview this week. “Five million of those people are receiving a tax credit under the Affordable Care Act that was passed by the Democrats with a sunset date that was implemented by the Democrats. We’re simply allowing the sunset date to expire as the Democrats originally intended,” Houchin said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP CBO estimates that 13.7 million Americans will lose coverage by 2034, which also includes the 5 million Americans who were already about to lose coverage. A number of Democrats have already deployed the figure in campaign messages rejecting Trump’s bill passing in the House. “I don’t trust the CBO score, nor should the American people, because it’s been proven again and again to be wildly off,” added Houchin, who served on three major committees leading budget markup, including the House Rules, Budget and Energy and Commerce committees. Fox News’ Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
White House urges Iran to accept nuclear deal as IAEA reports uranium enrichment spike
The White House on Saturday said it is in Iran’s “best interest to accept” its proposal on a nuclear deal following a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency saying the country is swiftly increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade enriched uranium. “President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Special Envoy [Steve] Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it. Out of respect for the ongoing deal, the administration will not comment on details of the proposal to the media.” The IAEA’s report said Iran had increased its stockpile to 900.8 pounds of uranium enriched by up to 60% as of May 17, a nearly 50% increase since the agency’s last report in February, which put the stockpile at 605.8 pounds. The report said Iran is “the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material,” which is a “serious concern.” IRAN CONDEMNS AUSTRIA OVER REPORT ON ADVANCED NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM The IAEA added that just 92 pounds of 60% enriched uranium is enough to produce an atomic bomb if it is enriched to 90%. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but U.S. intelligence agencies say the country has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said in a joint statement that the report was based on “unreliable and differing information sources,” claiming that it was biased and unprofessional. The statement added, “The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its disappointment about the report, which was prepared by imposing pressure on the agency for political purposes, and expresses its obvious objection about its content.” On Thursday, Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that he was unsure a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal could be imminently reached. “Iran is sincere about a diplomatic solution that will serve the interests of all sides. But getting there requires an agreement that will fully terminate all sanctions and uphold Iran’s nuclear rights — including enrichment,” he wrote. IRAN FOREIGN MINISTER VOWS NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT WILL CONTINUE ‘WITH OR WITHOUT A DEAL’ Oman Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi presented the Trump administration’s first formal proposal in Tehran Saturday, which calls for Iran to cease all uranium enrichment and for a regional consortium that includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states and the U.S. for producing nuclear power, The New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the document. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office also put out a rare statement on a Saturday about the IAEA’s report, calling it “grave.” “The agency presents a stark picture that serves as a clear warning sign: Despite countless warnings by the international community, Iran is totally determined to complete its nuclear weapons program,” Netanyahu’s office said. “The report strongly reinforces what Israel has been saying for years — the purpose of Iran’s nuclear program is not peaceful. This is evident from the alarming scope of Iran’s uranium enrichment activity. Such a level of enrichment exists only in countries actively pursuing nuclear weapons and has no civilian justification whatsoever. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The report clearly indicates that Iran remains in non-compliance of its fundamental commitments and obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and continues to withhold cooperation from IAEA inspectors. The international community must act now to stop Iran.”
Trump admin pulls Jared Isaacman’s nomination for NASA administrator, replacement to be announced ‘soon’
The Trump administration recently pulled Jared Isaacman’s nomination to be NASA administrator, alluding that he was not in “complete alignment” with the president’s agenda. “The Administrator of NASA will help lead humanity into space and execute President [Donald] Trump’s bold mission of planting the American flag on the planet Mars,” White House Assistant Press Secretary Liz Huston told Fox News Digital on Saturday. Huston added it is “essential” that the next leader of NASA “is in complete alignment” with President Trump’s “America First” agenda. A replacement will be announced directly by Trump “soon,” according to the White House. ASTRONAUTS TO STAND WITH NASA ADMINISTRATOR NOMINEE JARED ISAACMAN AT SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING Isaacman is the billionaire founder and CEO of Shift4 payments, a credit card payment processing company. He reportedly dropped out of high school as a teen, using a $10,000 check from his grandfather to form his tech business. SPACEFLIGHT FIRST PRIVATE SPACEX POLAR MISSION SPLASHES DOWN NEAR CALIFORNIA Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., who introduced Isaacman to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, described him as “a successful innovator, entrepreneur, pilot, and astronaut.” “Jared believes in NASA’s core mission,” Sheehy told Fox. “He has the experience and skillset to ensure we continue to lead in the greatest frontier ever known, and I look forward to adding NASA administrator to his already remarkable resume.” RESCUED NASA ASTRONAUTS DELIVER MESSAGE TO TRUMP, MUSK AFTER ‘INCREDIBLE’ NINE MONTHS IN SPACE “For nearly 70 years, the United States has been at the forefront of space exploration,” he continued. “President Trump knows how critical it is to reinvigorate NASA so we can once again lead the world to new heights, and that’s why he chose exactly the right man for the job: Jared Isaacman.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
San Diego official faces backlash after labeling ICE agents ‘terrorists’
A California city councilmember was blasted on social media over the weekend after sharing a photo of ICE agents on Instagram with the word “Terrorists” written in red on top of the agents. In the photo, which San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera posted to Instagram with the Rage Against The Machine song “Bulls On Parade,” immigration agents appear to be in a parking lot wearing helmets and vests and carrying guns. “Look at this photo. This isn’t a war zone—it’s a neighborhood in our city,” Elo-Rivera wrote in the post. “In San Diego, they’ve targeted parents dropping off their kids at school, people following the law inside courthouses, and workers just doing their jobs at local restaurants. “These are federal agents carrying out raids on under the false pretense of ‘safety,’” he added. “This isn’t safety. It’s state-sponsored terrorism. And anyone who cares about freedom—and true safety—should be fighting back.” DHS SAYS MASSACHUSETTS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER ‘INCITED CHAOS’ AS ICE ARRESTED ‘VIOLENT CRIMINAL ALIEN’ Prior to the post Friday night, Elo-Rivera, who represents the 9th City Council District, shared a series of Instagram stories criticizing ICE action in the city. “They’ve targeted parents outside schools in my district,” he wrote in one story. “They’ve targeted people following the law at courthouses. Tonight, they targeted hard working folks in South Park and tomorrow it could be anyone in any neighborhood in San Diego. The only way we put a stop to it is by not looking away and demanding that it end.” In subsequent Instagram stories, he called ICE agents “jackbooted thugs,” “cowards” and “criminals” and said the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) action was “state-sponsored terrorism.” CALIFORNIA HOME OF SUSPECT ACCUSED OF DOXXING ICE AGENTS RAIDED AND SEARCHED After the public rant was shared by LA-based Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin Saturday afternoon, Elo-Rivera jumped back on social media again to double down on his phrasing. “A Fox ‘News’ correspondent has called attention to my choice of words… I said what I meant and meant what I said,” Elo-Rivera wrote. He then posted a screenshot from Cornell Law School’s website, which notes there is no universal definition for terrorism, and checked off a bullet-pointed list of “common elements that characterize it” before calling Instagram users “fascists.” SANCTUARY CITY LAWYERS PLOT TO HELP ILLEGAL MIGRANTS EVADE ICE IN EXPOSED GROUP EMAIL Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and a homeland security advisor, took to X to respond to Elo-Rivera’s posts, writing, “We are living in the age of leftwing domestic terrorism. They are openly encouraging violence against law enforcement to aid and abet the invasion of America.” Elo-Rivera responded by calling Miller “one of the most dishonest and worst people in America,” noting “nothing makes me more confident in my position than knowing he hates it.” The Instagram posts came just hours after Patricia Hyde, the head of ICE Boston, told Fox News sanctuary jurisdictions are beginning to escalate against ICE. Reported incidents include a group of activists trying to free a suspected illegal immigrant who was handcuffed by ICE and a crowd blowing ICE’s cover outside an alleged illegal immigrant murderer’s home. “I think the lack of cooperation is getting worse and worse, and it’s putting law enforcement lives in danger,” Hyde said. Cornell University, Cornell Law School, ICE and San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Gavin Newsom proposes $2,000 asset eligibility test to control soaring state Medi-Cal costs
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing an “asset test” for seniors to prove eligibility for Medi-Cal healthcare benefits for low-income Californians in response to a budget shortfall. To qualify, people would have to possess less than $2,000 in assets to qualify. The governor said the reasons for the increased costs include “higher overall enrollment, pharmacy costs and higher managed care costs.” In the last 10 years, he said, Medi-Cal costs have increased by $20.5 billion. NEWSOM PROPOSES FREEZE ON ALLOWING ADULT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO JOIN CALIFORNIA MEDICAID PROGRAM Newsom has also proposed freezing new enrollment for adults in the country illegally as a way to cut Medi-Cal costs. “Some of the most significant contributing factors to this growth are the COVID-19 continuous coverage requirement and the implementation of major policy changes such as the full elimination of the asset test for older adults and the full-scope expansion to all income-eligible Californians, regardless of immigration status,” he wrote. The assets included in the test would be salary, money in a bank account, cash on hand, a second car, home value and retirement funds. Applicants with more than $2,000 in assets would be ineligible for Medi-Cal. In his 2025-26 budget proposal, Newsom said Medi-Cal costs have increased starkly and continue to outpace revenues. The program cost $37.6 billion over the last year, and the cost is expected to increase by $10 billion over the next year without cuts. Along with low-income adults, many seniors and people with disabilities use Medi-Cal benefits that include in-home care services. For decades before 2024, the asset test was required for seniors to prove their eligibility for Medi-Cal, and Newsom’s proposal would reinstate it. Newsom wrote that the asset test would save $94 million this fiscal year and $791 million by the 2028-29 fiscal year. LAWMAKERS IN DEEP BLUE STATE DEMAND AUDIT OVER SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE COSTS: ‘ALARMING NATURE’ Disability Rights California, a nonprofit, said the proposal would do “tremendous harm” to Californians. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE COSTS IN BLUE STATE TRIGGERS INTENSE BUDGET DEBATE “While we understand the reality of budget shortfalls and that cuts will sometimes be necessary, the priorities and reality of this May revision are even worse than what we imagined,” the group said in a statement. “It demonstrates a continued willingness on the part of the governor to sacrifice the health and human services of California’s people, particularly the disabled, poor, and elderly populations of this abundant state.” The group added that the asset test “effectively demands extreme poverty in order to continue receiving critical healthcare.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The governor defended his proposals, according to the Los Angeles Times, saying, “None of this is the kind of work you enjoy doing, but you’ve got to do it. We have to be responsible. We have to be accountable. We have to balance the budget.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.
Michelle Obama facing backlash over claim about women’s reproductive health
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is facing backlash after saying that creating life is “the least” of what a woman’s reproductive system does. On the latest episode of the podcast “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson,” the former first lady and her brother were joined by OB/GYN Dr. Sharon Malone, whose husband, Eric Holder, served as Attorney General under former President Barack Obama. During the discussion, the former first lady lamented that women’s reproductive health “has been reduced to the question of choice.” “I attempted to make the argument on the campaign trail this past election was that there’s just so much more at stake and because so many men have no idea about what women go through,” Obama said. She went on to claim that the lack of research on women’s health shapes male leaders’ perceptions of the issue of abortion. MICHELLE OBAMA AND ERIC HOLDER’S WIFE BONDED OVER BEING ‘RELUCTANT SPOUSES’ TO FAMOUS MEN “Women’s reproductive health is about our life. It’s about this whole complicated reproductive system that the least of what it does is produce life,” Obama added, “It’s a very important thing that it does, but you only produce life if the machine that’s producing it — if you want to whittle us down to a machine — is functioning in a healthy, streamlined kind of way.” In the same episode, the former first lady seemed to scold Republican men by saying that the men who “sit on their hands” over abortion are choosing to “trade out women’s health for a tax break or whatever it is.” Obama also criticized Republican women, suggesting they voted for President Donald Trump because of their husbands. “There are a lot of men who have big chairs at their tables, there are a lot of women who vote the way their man is going to vote, it happened in this election.” MICHELLE OBAMA URGES PARENTS NOT TO TRY TO BE FRIENDS WITH THEIR CHILDREN The “Becoming” author’s remarks drew criticism from pro-life activists, including Danielle D’Souza Gill, the wife of Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas. The couple announced the birth of their second child earlier in May. “Motherhood is the most beautiful and powerful gift God gave women. Creating life isn’t a side effect, it’s a miracle. Don’t let the Left cheapen it,” D’Souza Gill wrote in a post on X. Isabel Brown, a content creator and author, also slammed the former first lady as a “supposed feminist icon.” “I am SO sick [and] tired of celebrities [and] elitists attempting to convince you that your miraculous superpower ability to GROW LIFE from nothing is somehow demeaning [and] ‘lesser than’ for women,” Brown wrote. At the time of this writing, Obama’s podcast is ranked 51 on Apple Podcasts and doesn’t appear on the list of the top 100 podcasts on Spotify. However, it is ranked 91 on the list of 100 trending podcasts on Spotify. The entire episode with Malone is available on YouTube, where it currently has just under 41,150 views so far.
Trump posts video thanking Elon Musk as billionaire ends White House tenure
The Trump White House released a video on Friday marking the end of Elon Musk’s time working with the administration. The billionaire has been leading the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) since January. The video, which was posted on multiple social media platforms, is a highlight reel, starting with Musk’s endorsement of President Donald Trump in July 2024, just after the then-candidate was nearly assassinated, and goes up to his last day in D.C. WHITE HOUSE DISCLOSES WHO WILL LEAD DOGE EFFORTS AFTER MUSK’S DEPARTURE In addition to the video, the White House published several posts on X thanking Musk for his service, including a list of “DOGE Wins,” which include saving American taxpayers $170 billion, canceling approximately 523,000 active U.S. government credit cards/accounts it uncovered in an audit, cleaning up records at the Social Security Administration, among other initiatives. During a joint news conference on Friday, Trump awarded Musk a “key to the White House.” The White House quoted the president as saying that “Elon’s delivered a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington… Elon Musk’s service to America has been without comparison in modern history.” WHAT’S NEXT FOR DOGE AFTER ELON MUSK’S DEPARTURE? ‘ONLY JUST BEGUN’ Another Republican leader joined Trump in recognizing the changes Musk worked to implement in Washington. House Speaker Mike Johnson thanked Musk for his “selfless, patriotic service” and praised both the billionaire and DOGE, saying they “dug through the bureaucracy and shined a light on MASSIVE waste, fraud, and abuse.” “They have saved the American people BILLIONS of dollars, and are updating old and inefficient systems across the federal government — all while providing Republicans with a list of targets of pointless programs that Congressional action will address.” MUSK OFFICIALLY STEPS DOWN FROM DOGE AFTER WRAPPING WORK STREAMLINING GOVERNMENT CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP While some wonder about the future of DOGE, the Trump administration is insisting that the department will go on without Musk at the helm. The Tesla founder addressed this question as well just as Trump marked 100 days in office. He told a small group of reporters that “DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism. You wouldn’t ask who would lead Buddhism. Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?” A few days before the end of his White House tenure, Musk vowed in a post on X to go “back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms,” a big switch from the Lincoln Bedroom, where the billionaire allegedly slept multiple times. However, Trump teased that even though it was Musk’s last day, it wasn’t “really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way.”
Biden decline was so bad he got lost in White House closet, whistleblower tells Senator
As more reports emerge about former President Biden’s alleged cognitive decline during his time in office, a Republican senator has made an explosive new claim: that Biden would sometimes get lost in a closet inside the White House while serving as commander-in-chief. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., made the stunning claim on “Hannity” Friday, citing an unnamed Secret Service whistleblower who Hawley said was assigned to Biden. “He [Secret Service member] told me that Biden used to get lost in his closet in the mornings in the White House,” Hawley said. “I mean, the guy literally stumbling around in the White House residence couldn’t find his way out of his own closet. The president of the United States. I mean, this is outrageous. We were lied to.” BIDEN FAMILY MISLED PUBLIC, CONCEALED DETAILS ON SON BEAU’S CANCER DIAGNOSIS, NEW BOOK SAYS Hawley said the claims were made to him while the senator was investigating the attempted assassination of Trump at a presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. A gunman’s bullet grazed the ear of then-candidate Trump while one attendee, Corey Comperatore, was fatally struck. Hawley said the brewing scandal about the Biden administration’s use of an autopen to sign executive orders amounts to “one of the worst constitutional crises of our country’s history.” “We need to find out who actually signed off, so to speak, on all those autopen signatures and all of those pardons and all of those clemencies.” BIDEN SAYS HE COULD ‘BEAT THE HELL OUT OF’ AUTHORS OF NEW BOOK ARGUING HIS COGNITIVE DECLINE “It’s a rogue’s gallery of crooks and criminals and terrible people, rapists and others, I mean who actually was doing that, we know it wasn’t Biden, he didn’t know anything about it. “we’ve got to figure out who was actually in charge cos it sure as heck wasn’t Joe Biden.” President Trump on Friday said the autopen is going to become “one of the great scandals of all time” and said he can’t’ believe that a competent Biden would have ever signed off on many of his executive orders, particularly in terms of the border. House Republicans, led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, launched an investigation earlier this month aimed at determining whether Biden, who was in declining health during the final months of his presidency, was mentally fit to authorize the use of the autopen. Comer said this week he was “open” to dragging Biden before the House to answer questions about the matter if need be. Last week, Comer sent out letters to five of the former president’s closest confidants, including his former doctor in the White House, seeking further answers about Biden’s cognitive health while in office. All five have made contact with the Oversight Committee, but Comer has threatened subpoena power if they refuse to testify. Hawley, meanwhile, also railed against left-wing media for failing to press the president or his office on instances of physical and mental lapses Biden showed while in public. The news comes as a new book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson details the length at which those closest to Biden apparently went to cover up his limitations while in office. “The press has a huge role in this… They’re supposed to report the truth,” Hawley said. “It’s what you do every night. It is not what the liberal media did though. They sold this country out for years and they did it for power and they need to be held accountable as well.” Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Trump calls out Putin, accuses China of not honoring trade deal terms during 19th week in office
President Donald Trump put Russian President Vladimir Putin on notice, and issued some harsh words to China and their ongoing trade negotiations during his 19th week in office. “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Tuesday morning. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia and former Russian president, responded in kind and issued his own words of caution to the U.S. “Regarding Trump’s words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!” Medvedev wrote. WHITE HOUSE REVEALS POSSIBLE PENALTIES ON PUTIN AMID PEACE PUSH: ‘WHATEVER IT TAKES’ Trump’s remarks come as Russia has ramped up its attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks, and as the U.S. has sought to distance itself from the conflict between the two countries. Meanwhile, Trump said on Wednesday that time is limited for Putin to get serious about coming to the negotiating table and engage in peace talks. Otherwise, the U.S. might adopt a different approach, he said. “We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently, but it will take about a week and a half to two weeks,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday. Here’s what also happened this week: Trump accused China of violating an initial trade agreement that Washington and Beijing were hashing out in May. Following those negotiations, both countries agreed that the U.S. would cut down its tariffs against Chinese imports from 145% to 30%, and China would reduce its tariffs against U.S. imports from 125% to 10%. But Trump said that China hasn’t followed the terms of the agreement, without disclosing specifics. “The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump said in a social media post Friday. “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” ‘NO REASON’ FOR NEW NUKES: TRUMP FLOATS DISARMAMENT TALKS WITH CHINA, RUSSIA U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said after Trump’s post in an interview with CNBC that China had failed to remove its non-tariff barriers, as outlined in the deal. “The United States did exactly what it was supposed to do, and the Chinese are slow-rolling their compliance which is completely unacceptable and has to be addressed,” Greer said on Friday. Meanwhile, China pressed the U.S. to reverse course and urged the U.S. to address its own mistakes. “China once again urges the US to immediately correct its erroneous actions, cease discriminatory restrictions against China and jointly uphold the consensus reached at the high-level talks in Geneva,” Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a Friday statement. Canada also could receive protection from Trump’s so-called Golden Dome — if it becomes part of the U.S. Trump has long pushed for Canada to become the 51st state, along with expressing interest in acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal. TRUMP CLAIMS CANADA ‘CONSIDERING’ OFFER OF FREE GOLDEN DOME IN EXCHANGE TO BECOME 51ST STATE “I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State,” Trump said in a Tuesday social media post. Trump has long touted setting up a Golden Dome, a defense shield initiative for the U.S. akin to the one Israel has protecting itself.