Biden aides ‘scripted’ everything, allowed his faculties to ‘atrophy,’ new book claims
White House aides cut off outside access to former President Joe Biden, which ultimately backfired and worsened his cognitive function, according to a new book. The book, “Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,” published Tuesday, claims the White House kept Biden from socializing even with those he regarded as friends and allies. “Even Biden’s acquaintances were kept at bay,” Chris Whipple, a former producer for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” wrote. “Bill Daley, former White House chief of staff to Barack Obama, paid frequent visits to one of the president’s senior advisors in the West Wing. ‘I went to the White House a dozen times,’ he told me. ‘Never once did somebody say, ‘Oh, come on in and see the president.’ Never. Everything was scripted.” EX-BIDEN AIDE SAYS FORMER PRESIDENT WAS ‘FATIGUED, BEFUDDLED, AND DISENGAGED’ PRIOR TO JUNE DEBATE: BOOK Not everyone in the White House thought it was a wise strategy, according to the book. Whipple wrote that one White House aide suggested “walling Biden off from the world was a grave mistake.” “‘They were afraid he might say the wrong thing or might feed the mental acuity narrative,’ he told me. ‘And so he started seeing fewer and fewer people. They allowed his faculties to atrophy. But I think, like knives, they have to be sharpened. They get sharpened by rubbing them up against steel. And they don’t get sharpened by sitting in a drawer,’” Whipple wrote. “Uncharted” chronicles the 2024 election cycle and the aftermath of Biden’s appearance at the presidential debate with Donald Trump June 27 that prompted Biden to bow out of the race in July. CRITICS PILE ON BIDEN FOLLOWING ABC INTERVIEW, BLAST HIS REFUSAL TO COMMIT TO COGNITIVE TEST: ‘DISQUALIFYING’ The book also details how, after the debate, Biden conducted an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos July 5 in an attempt to prove to the public his mental faculties were intact amid calls for him to exit the race. But Whipple wrote that Biden sounded “semi-coherent” during the interview, which occurred weeks before Biden withdrew his candidacy July 21. “Stephanopoulos questioned the president gently, like a grandson,” Whipple wrote. “Afterward, when I asked the ABC anchor by email for his impressions, he replied: ‘Heartbreaking up close.’” A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
WATCH: Trump’s border czar gets GOP cheers, Democratic tears at Arizona state Capitol
President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, received a warm welcome from the Republican legislature in Arizona – while Democrats walked out of the special joint session in protest within seconds of his 30-minute speech. “I think this is just another reason why it just shows again that the Democrats are totally out of touch with Americans,” Arizona Senate President Warren Peterson told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We expanded our majorities because immigration is a top issue, especially here in Arizona as a border state. I guess what’s surprising is that they keep doubling down on issues that they’re completely losing on.” State Democrats walked out while holding pieces of paper with the names of people deported under the Trump administration’s mass deportation program, as Homan appeared unfazed, saying, “I love it. Thank you for making my day. I love haters, they make my day every day.” UP TO 1M MIGRANTS WHO USED BIDEN’S CBP ONE APP ORDERED TO DEPORT BY TRUMP ADMIN “We won because of the Hispanic male voting Republican, and the Democrats are completely out with their base on this issue,” Petersen said. “So, they do have some people that are extreme, that are opposed to border security. But what I am finding is that the majority of Hispanics want Arizona to be safe and they want the borders to be secure.” Instead of attending Homan’s speech, several Democrats gathered outside the state Capitol to rally and denounce the administration’s immigration policies, with Rep. Anna Abeytia reportedly in tears as she spoke about the growing “rise of anti-immigration sentiment” in her community. State Sen. Catherine Miranda, a Democrat, called it “disturbing” that Republicans would give “a platform to someone who has caused so much harm in our community.” Miranda claimed Homan is not just responsible for deporting people, but for “kidnappings, disappearances and the deportation of individuals for reasons as unjust as having tattoos, protesting or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “Right now, they might only be going after the right to due process for immigrants, but soon they will be coming for you or your loved one’s due rights processes as well,” Miranda said in a statement. State Rep. Betty Villegas, another Democrat, called ICE “cruel” under Homan’s leadership, “even by Trump-era standards.” COLORADO DEMS ARE ‘POKING THE BEAR’ BY DEFYING TRUMP’S ORDERS, GOP LAWMAKER WARNS Homan was invited by Arizona Senate and House Republicans to talk about the status of illegal border crossings and missing migrant children. At the end of his speech, he signaled his support for state measure Proposition 314, the Secure the Border Act, passed by Arizona voters in November. “Congratulations on your immigration legislation. I know it’s being litigated, but you will win,” Homan said. Homan also said the administration is “not going to apologize” for deporting illegal immigrants through the Alien Enemies Act. “They came here to unsettle this country, to cause harm,” he said. “We will not apologize for sending two planeloads of terrorists out of this country.” MEXICAN MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING HIS CHILD TO BE DEPORTED AFTER ENCOUNTERING ICE OFFICERS IN MONTANA JAIL The Trump administration initiated deportation flights targeting alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Despite a federal judge’s order to ground the planes, the administration went ahead, arguing the flights were already en route and beyond U.S. airspace when the injunction was issued. The Supreme Court later ruled that the administration could continue deportations under the Alien Enemies Act but said deportees must be notified and allowed to challenge their removal.
Left-wing lawmaker calls Trump a ‘mofo,’ says some voters ‘disqualified’ Kamala Harris for ‘her race & or sex’
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a vociferous critic of President Donald Trump, referred to America’s sitting commander in chief as a “mofo” in a Wednesday morning post on X. The term stands for the profanity “motherf—er.” “Sooo… I’ve said this before. This election was the best example of why (Diversity Equity & Inclusion) matter,” the progressive lawmaker declared, apparently referring to the 2024 presidential contest between Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris. REP. JASMINE CROCKETT SUGGESTS THE UNITED STATES NEEDS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BECAUSE ‘WE DONE PICKING COTTON’ “For some, they just disqualified her simply due to her race & or sex… they never listened to what she had to say & were dismissive & disrespectful, while giving the benefit of the doubt to a mofo who literally said he had ‘concepts’ of a plan & flat out lied about project 2025,” she declared, adding, “He was & still is UNQUALIFIED & UNFIT to lead OUR Country.” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields has said the congresswoman’s constituents should vote her out of office. “Crockett and her followers in the Democratic Party are simply all hammer and no nail. When she’s leading the Democrats in ‘oversight,’ that’s when you know the party is in shambles. Her constituents should DOGE her in the next election,” Fields said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital by the White House in response to a comment request on Wednesday. The Dallas Morning News had previously reported Fields’ statement on Tuesday. ROLLING CONTROVERSY: FAR-LEFT DEM JASMINE CROCKETT FACES WEEK OF BACKLASH AMID ‘UNHINGED’ COMMENTS Crockett is the vice ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, according to her government website. Trump mentioned Crockett during his Tuesday night speech at a National Republican Congressional Committee event, saying if she is the Democrats’ “new star,” the party is in “serious trouble.” The left-wing lawmaker declared in a post last week that “Hate won the election!” JASMINE CROCKETT SETS OFF SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER TOUTING BEING BLACK AS QUALIFICATION FOR PUBLIC DEFENDER JOB “The hate, for frankly groups of people you’ve probably never met, allowed someone who is trying to hurt us all, even his supporters, ascend and make us less safe domestically, economically, and frankly mentally. WHAT WILL IT TAKE to get his supporters to see that this was wrong and that we, collectively, need to right the ship?!” Crockett asked.
‘Watermelon head’: Trump trolls Democratic Sen Schiff
Sen. Adam Schiff fired back late Tuesday after President Donald Trump mocked the California Democrat during a black-tie Republican dinner in Washington, D.C. “The President of the United States seems oddly focused on me,” Schiff posted after footage of Trump’s jokes made the rounds. “Shouldn’t he be focused on the economy he’s crashing?” he wrote. During the event hosted by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) – the House Republicans’ campaign arm – Trump wove in a few insults about the Boston-born Angeleno’s appearance into a verbal indictment of his role in the 2016 Russia collusion investigation. KASH PATEL ENRAGES ADAM SCHIFF IN CLINTONIAN BATTLE OVER THE WORD ‘WE’ “Adam ‘Schifty’ Schiff – can you believe this guy?” Trump said. “He’s got the smallest neck I’ve ever seen – and the biggest head: We call him Watermelon-Head.” Trump went on to ruminate about how Schiff’s “big fat face” could “stand on a neck” the size of the president’s finger. “It’s the weirdest thing – it’s a mystery; no one can understand it.” Trump went on to call Schiff “one of the most dishonest human beings I’ve ever seen,” and wondered aloud how people like Schiff could be able to run for office. FLASHBACK: SCHIFF, WHO REPEATEDLY CLAIMED EVIDENCE OF RUSSIAN COLLUSION, DENOUNCES DURHAM REPORT AS ‘FLAWED’ “He was in charge of the fake witch hunt – with ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ – it was a made-up story,” he said, playing off the “Brady Bunch” line “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.” In 2020, Schiff managed the House’s impeachment probe into Trump, leading off his opening remarks that January by comparing former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton’s 1792 warning to then-President George Washington about future American leaders who would rise to the executive “despotic in [their] ordinary demeanor.” “When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits… known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty—when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity—to join in the cry of danger to liberty—to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion—to flatter and fall in with all the nonsense of the zealots of the day—It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind,” Schiff said at the time. Since then, he and Trump have often traded criticisms, with Trump also referring to him in the past as a “structural marvel,” with an appearance like a “finger on a basketball.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In October, Trump compared Schiff to the “enemy from within” and called him a “sleazebag” on FOX Business before lamenting that the Democrat would likely defeat former MLB star Steve Garvey for California’s open U.S. Senate seat. For his part, Schiff has also clapped back at Republicans for their criticisms – responding in July to a report that now-Vice President JD Vance had lamented campaign name-calling after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the GOP ticket “weird.” “Shifty Schiff, pencil neck and watermelon head, would like a word, JD,” Schiff responded at the time on Facebook. Fox News Digital reached out to Schiff for additional comment but did not immediately hear back.
Harris launched ‘dark-arts operation’ against opponents for VP spot in 2020, new book claims
Former Vice President Kamala Harris engaged in a “dark-arts operation” to undercut other potential running mates for former President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, according to a new book. The book, “Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House,” published April 1 by William Morrow and Company, claims that Harris spread unfavorable information about other possible vice presidential picks for Biden. “In 2020, when she beat out a crowded field to join Biden’s ticket, Harris advisers ran a dark-arts operation to undermine the competition, circulating negative information on her rivals,” write political journalists Jonathan Allen of NBC News and Amie Parnes of The Hill. TENSIONS ALLEGEDLY RISE BETWEEN BIDEN WHITE HOUSE AND HARRIS CAMPAIGN: ‘TOO MUCH IN THEIR FEELINGS’ Specifically, the book singled out Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “‘We stabbed Karen Bass a little bit. We stabbed Susan Rice a little bit. We stabbed Stacey Abrams a little bit,” one adviser said of the effort four years earlier. ‘We stabbed Gretchen Whitmer.’” The book did not delve into the specifics Harris took to undercut her opponents as they all vied for the vice presidential nomination. But any steps Harris took to undermine those women didn’t damage their relationships enough to stop them from backing her in the 2024 election. Bass endorsed Harris, and both Whitmer and Abrams appeared at Harris campaign events in 2024. Additionally, Rice also defended Harris in July after Rep. Ted Burchett, R-Tenn., described Harris as a “DEI hire.” Rice described the comment as “incredibly insulting,” in an interview with CNN. KAMALA HARRIS WAS ‘VERY ANNOYED’ WITH OBAMA AS SHE SOUGHT HIS ENDORSEMENT, BOOK REVEALS Harris, who previously served as a senator from California, has signed with CAA Speakers, which represents high-profile celebrities. CAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. “Fight” chronicles how President Donald Trump secured the White House for a second term. Allen and Parnes conducted interviews with more than 150 political insiders for the book, according to the book’s description. The book also details how former President Barack Obama remained wary of supporting Harris in the 2024 election to replace Biden, amid concerns about his mental fitness. Likewise, the book shares that Obama doubted Biden’s political abilities as the race dragged on.
Venezuelan opposition promises reparations to Laken Riley’s family, other victims of Tren de Aragua violence
FIRST ON FOX: Venezuelan opposition leader and U.S.-recognized President-elect Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia promised to offer “reparations” to Laken Riley’s family and other Americans affected by the crimes of street gang Tren de Aragua. In a letter to Riley’s family, González and fellow opposition leader María Corina Machado wrote, “Laken’s life, full of potential and promise, was tragically cut short by an individual who should have never been allowed to cross your border.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with González and Machado in January, reaffirming that Urrutia is the “legitimate president” of Venezuela. The Biden administration had previously referred to Urrutia as the “president-elect” before leaving office. In their letter, the opposition leaders called Riley’s murder a “direct consequence of Nicolás Maduro’s regime, which has fostered an environment where criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua can flourish with impunity.” FEDERAL JUDGE POSTPONES DHS’S ATTEMPT TO END TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR VENEZUELANS Urrutia vowed that, if officially installed as president, he would “hold accountable all those responsible for the devastation they have wrought, both within Venezuela and internationally.” “We intend to establish a comprehensive framework for reparations, both for the countless Venezuelans harmed by this narco-state and also for victims abroad, including your family.” Gonzales also noted that the “vast majority of Venezuelans who have sought safety in the United States are committed to upholding the law and contributing to your nation’s economy and society.” “They long for the day they can return home to reunite with their families and work toward a free and prosperous Venezuela. We look forward to welcoming them back,” they added. “Please accept this letter as a message of our deepest condolence and a solemn promise: Laken will never be forgotten. She will be remembered as an innocent victim of tyranny and a powerful catalyst for the change we are determined to bring about.” WH MAY REVERSE DECISION TO KILL BIDEN-MADURO OIL DEAL, APPLY TARIFFS INSTEAD TO AVOID HURTING US FIRMS The Trump administration was allowed to move forward with a plan to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime immigration law dating back to 1798, to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals believed to be affiliated with Tren de Aragua. Legal battles over the deportation effort intensified when a federal district court temporarily blocked the policy – prompting Trump allies to call for the impeachment of Judge James Boasberg. According to United Nations estimates, roughly 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country over the past decade, escaping economic collapse marked by hyperinflation, which peaked at 130,000% in 2018, and widespread poverty. Since taking power in 2013, Nicolás Maduro’s regime has been plagued by allegations of corruption, authoritarianism, money laundering and drug trafficking. While many nations recognized González’s election victory in July, Maduro has refused to relinquish power. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Maduro has issued an arrest warrant for González, who fled into exile in Spain last September. Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus in February 2024. The suspect, José Ibarra – a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. illegally – was arrested and charged with her murder. The killing sparked nationwide outrage and led to new immigration legislation that Trump signed into law shortly after taking office this year.
Elon Musk scraps with Chuck Schumer, suggesting the senator profits from government fraud
Business tycoon Elon Musk floated the idea that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is somehow profiting off of government fraud, though the lawmaker has pushed back. “Chuck, I’m starting to think you’re getting a piece of the action with the government fraud. But no, that couldn’t possibly be the reason, could it?” Musk posted early Tuesday morning. Musk, who has been spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to expose waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, made the comment in response to a Monday post in which Schumer accused DOGE of “sabotaging” Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — the post reflected sentiments Schumer had conveyed during a Senate speech. ELON MUSK DUNKS ON SEN CHUCK SCHUMER, DECLARING ‘HYSTERICAL REACTIONS’ DEMONSTRATE DOGE’S IMPORTANCE Schumer fired back in response to Musk’s suggestion he could be benefiting from government fraud. “Another Elon lie. He wants you to think anyone who dares to stand up to him is committing fraud, meanwhile he’s taking tens of billions from the government,” Schumer declared in a post on Tuesday. MUSK SPARS WITH WHITE HOUSE TRADE ADVISOR PETER NAVARRO: ‘DUMBER THAN A SACK OF BRICKS’ Early Tuesday morning, Musk fired off a response to a post in which Schumer suggested that Musk is slashing Social Security benefits. “Make no mistake: What Elon Musk is doing at Social Security is cutting benefits,” Schumer said in a post on Monday, which echoed his speech. “The intern running Schumer’s social media account is lying,” Musk shot back Tuesday on X. SCHUMER SLAMS UNITED AUTO WORKERS UNION FOR PRAISING THE TRUMP TARIFFS HE SAYS ‘HURT EVERYBODY’ During the speech, Schumer claimed that “Elon Musk is cutting Social Security benefits.” “When offices close down, when websites crash, when phone lines shut off, that’s no different than cutting benefits,” Schumer said.
Federal judge blocks Biden nursing home staffing mandate
A federal judge in Texas threw out a national mandate on nursing home staffing from the Biden era. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk sided with nursing homes regarding a rule that would have required them to add nurses to meet minimum staffing to patient ratios. “The agency lacks authority to eliminate consideration of a facility’s nursing ‘needs’ when prescribing minimum staffing standards,” Kacsmaryk wrote, referring to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The plaintiffs, the American Health Care Association (AHCA), represented “approximately 15,000 nursing homes and long term care facilities across the country that provide care to approximately five million people each year,” according to a media release. VP VANCE BLASTS MCCONNELL’S VOTE AGAINST TRUMP PENTAGON NOMINEE: ‘POLITICAL PETTINESS’ “This unrealistic staffing mandate threatened to close nursing homes and displace vulnerable seniors,” Clif Porter, president and CEO of AHCA and the National Center for Assisted Living, said in a statement. “The court decision not only upholds the rule of law and balance of powers, but it protects access to care for our aging population.” Porter is now calling on Congress to act, but says that “federal policymakers should not be dictating staffing hours but encouraging innovation and high-quality outcomes. The staffing mandate is a 20th Century solution that should be blocked by Congress once and for all.” MORE THAN 900 ILLEGAL ALIENS CHARGED WITH IMMIGRATION-RELATED CRIMES DURING FIRST WEEK OF APRIL: DOJ In the U.S., “97.8% of nursing homes participate in Medicare and 95.4% participate in Medicaid,” Judge Kacsmaryk wrote in the ruling, meaning they must meet a “consolidated set of regulations.” “As we have said from the beginning, nursing homes would love to hire more nurses and caregivers, and despite limited resources, we are doing everything within our power to grow our workforce,” AHCA’s Porter said in a statement. “Even prior to the introduction of the staffing mandate, AHCA was offering federal policymakers a variety of workforce solutions that would help build a pipeline of new caregivers, attract them to long term care, and develop their skills and career,” he said.
Astronauts to stand with NASA Administrator nominee Jared Isaacman at Senate confirmation hearing
President Donald Trump’s nominee for NASA Administrator, billionaire space-junkie Jared Isaacman, will face questions at Wednesday’s confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a list of civilian astronauts that will be joining Isaacman at the hearing, some of whom previously traveled on missions to outer space with the 42-year-old entrepreneur. Lt. Col. Kidd Poteeta, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and former Thunderbird pilot, will be one of the astronauts attending in support of the Trump nominee. On the recent September Polaris Dawn spacewalk, Poteet acted as mission pilot and had worked with Isaacman on previous spaceflight efforts. SPACEFLIGHT FIRST PRIVATE SPACEX POLAR MISSION SPLASHES DOWN NEAR CALIFORNIA Sarah Gillis, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX and one of the first female mission controllers at the company, and Anna Menon, a biomedical engineer and lead space operations engineer at SpaceX both worked with Isaacman on the Polaris Dawn mission and will be attending the hearing in his support. The nominee will also be joined by former colleagues behind the historic 2021 Inspiration4 mission – the first civilian-led spaceflight to orbit Earth. Dr. Sian Proctor, a geoscientist and analog astronaut who served as mission pilot, Chris Sembroski, an aerospace data engineer and U.S. Air Force veteran who served as mission specialist, and Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and a pediatric cancer survivor who became the youngest American to orbit Earth at 29. Sembroski was gifted the seat in a raffle by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during a fundraising campaign for the mission, which raised $250 million for the cancer center in addition to Isaacman’s personal $125 million donation. Isaacman will be introduced to the committee by Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, who told Fox News Digial ahead of Wednesday’s hearing that “for nearly 70 years, the United States has been at the forefront of space exploration. 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.” “A successful innovator, entrepreneur, pilot, and astronaut, Jared believes in NASA’s core mission,” the Montana Senator 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.” ACTRESS OLIVIA MUNN RIPS UPCOMING ALL-FEMALE SPACE FLIGHT WITH KATY PERRY, GAYLE KING AS ‘GLUTTONOUS’ STUNT Additional Senators have already spoken out ahead of the hearing, including Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who posted on X Monday saying, “During our meeting, Mr. Isaacman committed to having American astronauts return to the lunar surface ASAP so we can develop the technologies needed to go on to Mars.” “The moon mission MUST happen in President Trump’s term or else China will beat us there and build the first moonbase,” Sen. Cruz continued. “Artemis and the Moon-to-Mars Program are critical for American leadership in space!” Fox News Digital also obtained Isaacman’s opening remarks for the nomination hearing, where he intends to highlight the importance of multi-planet travel and his plan to “prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars. Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and 3 national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface.” The Trump nominee’s remarks also touch on the value NASA brings to the U.S. “not just to expand our knowledge or strengthen our national security, but to improve all life on Earth and inspire the next generation to reach even further.” “This is why America needs NASA—why the world needs NASA—because there is no more important investment than inspiring our children to build a better, more exciting future. And the best way NASA can do that is by delivering on our mission and ushering in a new Golden Age of Science & Discovery—and we will not fail.” Isaacman may face questions about recent reports that SpaceX founder and DOGE head Elon Musk intends to “take over” the space administration, and Congressional Democrats have also been critical of Musk’s involvement in space travel. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Florida) and Rep. Gery Connolly (D-Virginia) sent a letter to NASA Chief Legal Officer Iris Lan in an attempt to snuff out any association between the world’s richest man and U.S. space funding. But a senior official at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. told Fox News Digital Tuesday, “NASA’s acting administrator, Janet Patro, is leading the agency under the Trump administration. Neither Elon Musk nor SpaceX holds any influence over the agency’s priorities.” RESCUED NASA ASTRONAUTS DELIVER MESSAGE TO TRUMP, MUSK AFTER ‘INCREDIBLE’ NINE MONTHS IN SPACE Isaacman amassed his $1.3 billion fortune as founder and CEO of Shift4 payments, a credit card payment processing company. The entrepreneur dropped out of high school at just 16 after working at a payment processing firm, and would eventually use a $10,000 check from his grandfather to build a tech empire. In comparison to the previous NASA Administrator, former U.S. Senator and Astronaut Bill Nelson, some critics have referred to Isaacman as an outsider. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital spoke with NASA Spokesperson Bethany Stevens in March, who pushed back, saying, “President Trump was also once considered an outsider, and the American people have put him back into office, just showing how much they appreciate the business side that he brings to the table. And Mr. Isaacman also has a background as an entrepreneur of an extremely successful business.”
Where are they now? Hunter Biden’s ex-business partners praise Trump, MAGA following Biden departure
Hunter Biden’s former business partners are no longer under the same scrutiny now that investigations into whether the former president’s son used his family name for financial gain are over. Devon Archer and Jason Galanis, who both collaborated with Biden on various business ventures between 2012 and 2015, received pardons and commutations, respectively, from President Donald Trump after he took office. Archer, who has worked over the years to gain favor with Trump’s world, signaled he would be interested in working for the Trump administration were a position offered to him, according to the New York Times. “I’m full MAGA now,” he told the Times. “They’re more my people.” HUNTER BIDEN’S EX-BUSINESS PARTNER REVEALS CONVERSATION WITH TRUMP THAT REPORTEDLY INCLUDES A PARDON Archer was reportedly given the cold-shoulder by the Biden family during President Joe Biden’s tenure in the Oval Office, and as he protested his innocence amid Republicans’ probe into the Biden family, Archer quietly made inroads with the Trump administration. While Archer awaits a potential job in the Trump administration, he is reportedly working on a book and documentary chronicling his experiences. Archer is also reportedly working on a business project in the crypto industry as well. As a result of their pardons, both Archer and Galanis did not have to serve prison sentences handed down to them in relation to defrauding investors and a Native American tribal entity of tens of millions of dollars through a company for which Hunter Biden was listed as the vice chairman. In an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity” this month, Galanis thanked President Trump and lauded Republicans, such as Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, for bringing “the proof” to light about “the Biden crime family.” JONATHAN TURLEY: BIDEN DOJ BEHIND EVEN THE TIMES IN PURSUING ALLEGED HUNTER CORRUPTION Galanis said during the interview that his “legitimate” businesses became “illegitimate” after they were aligned with the president’s son. “100% of it was influence peddling,” Galanis said when asked about his view of the Biden family’s business practices. “I saw it firsthand.” Meanwhile, James Biden, Hunter’s uncle, is not sailing so smoothly, with Republicans requesting that the Trump administration prosecute the former president’s brother for lying to Congress. James Biden allegedly denied that his brother, the former president, met in May 2017 with his son’s business associate Tony Bobulinski while pursuing a deal with a Chinese-owned energy company, CEFC China Energy. Bobulinski, a key witness during the GOP’s impeachment inquiry on account of claims he was privy to unethical business dealings by the Biden family, recently lost a defamation battle in court against Fox News host Jessica Tarlov. ‘MOST DAMNING EVIDENCE’: HUNTER BIDEN’S FULL PARDON RESURFACES DECADE OF CONTROVERSIES, ‘INFLUENCE-PEDDLING’ Bobulinski was seeking $30 million in damages after Tarlov claimed during an episode of “The Five” that Bobulinski’s legal fees were being paid for by a Trump-aligned political action committee. Another notable ex-business partner of Hunter Biden, Eric Schwerin, has kept a low profile ever since Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released his testimony from the GOP’s impeachment inquiry. In his testimony, Schwerin stated he was “not aware of any financial transactions or compensation” that Joe Biden received as vice president related to his family’s business dealings. Hunter Biden’s “Sugar brother” and lawyer, Kevin Morris, who helped finance the first son’s legal fees with a reported $6.5 million, later told associates that his generosity left him financially tapped. According to a report by the N.Y. Post, Morris faced his own ethical issues when he was accused of spying on a movie production about President Biden called “My Son Hunter” that was being made in Serbia. The filmmaker involved with the project, filmaker Phelim McAleer, hit Morris with a bar complaint in 2022. “He used deceit to secure such access by not disclosing he was Mr. Biden’s lawyer. Mr. Morris used his cover as a documentary filmmaker to conceal his true purpose: performing legal investigative work on behalf of his client, Mr. Hunter Biden,” McAleer said in his bar complaint. The California Bar Association declined to disbar Morris in late 2024. Ye Jianming, a Chinese billionaire and former chairman of CEFC China Energy, one of the companies Republicans alleged Hunter Biden sought to gain favor with using his family name, has reportedly disappeared from public view, Reuters reported in 2023. While his whereabouts are unknown, according to Reuters, Jianming’s name has appeared in graft trials of senior Chinese Communist Party officials and state bank executives.