Democrats dig in for spending bill fight: ‘Not going to let Elon Musk run the government’
Top Senate Democrats, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., made clear they only intend to move forward on the original stopgap spending bill plan that Republicans scrapped after pressure from billionaire Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump.
Murray said she is prepared for a partial government shutdown and to stay in Washington, D.C., for the Christmas holiday if Republicans do not return to the original short-term spending bill that was released earlier this week and subsequently killed after Musk and others publicly opposed its provisions.
“I’m ready to stay here through Christmas because we’re not going to let Elon Musk run the government,” she said in a Friday morning statement, hours before the government could be sent into a partial shutdown if a bill is not passed.
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As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continues to climb rapidly.
“Put simply, we should not let an unelected billionaire rip away research for pediatric cancer so he can get a tax cut or tear down policies that help America out-compete China because it could hurt his bottom line. We had a bipartisan deal-we should stick to it,” Murray said.
In floor remarks on Friday morning, Schumer said, “if Republicans do not work with Democrats in a bipartisan way very soon, the government will shut down at midnight.”
“It’s time to go back to the original agreement we had just a few days ago. It’s time the House votes on our bipartisan CR. It’s the quickest, simplest and easiest way we can make sure the government stays open while delivering critical emergency aid to the American people.”
He also said that if House Speaker Mike Johnson were to put the original bill on the House floor for a vote, “it would pass, and we could put the threat of a shutdown behind us.”
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Murray added, “The deal that was already agreed to would responsibly fund the government, offer badly needed disaster relief to communities across America, and deliver some good bipartisan policy reforms. The American people do not want chaos or a costly government shutdown all because an unelected billionaire wants to call the shots — I am ready to work with Republicans and Democrats to pass the bipartisan deal both sides negotiated as soon as possible.”
After Musk and conservatives railed against the 1,547-page bill, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance ultimately condemned it as well, killing whatever chance it had left.
Murray’s Friday statement came shortly after it was revealed that House Republicans were planning a new continuing resolution vote in the morning on a different proposal. It is unclear whether negotiations are taking place across party lines or bicamerally, however.
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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told reporters Friday morning that House Republicans were “very close to a deal” and that a vote could happen in the morning.
However, if that deal is not the original stopgap spending bill, it sounds like Murray and Democrats in the Senate would be prepared to oppose it.
Murray also is not the only one who saying they are prepared to let the government’s funding expire before the holiday. Several Republicans have expressed their willingness to let it shut down if Republicans are not able to get a better deal.
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Trump himself wrote on Truth Social Friday morning, “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!”
Congress must pass a measure, and it must be signed by President Biden by midnight on Saturday morning in order to avoid a partial shutdown.
Details emerge about teenage girl’s deadly shooting spree inside private Christian school
More details are emerging about the 15-year-old girl who police say killed a teacher and teen student in a shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, with school officials revealing she was in her first semester at the school and that the terrifying attack lasted eight minutes.
Police say Natalie Rupnow opened fire inside a study hall inside Abundant Life Christian School (ALCS) just before 11 a.m., killing a fellow student and a teacher, while six people were injured, including two students with life-threatening injuries. A motive for the slayings is unknown, with Rupnow taking her own life during the incident.
Barbara Wiers, the school’s director for elementary and communications, said Rupnow was a new student at the school and that teachers had no significant concerns about her.
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Wiers added that the attack lasted eight minutes — shorter than the school’s regular snack break. She said the community’s faith and connection to one another has sustained them as they struggle with the possibility that the shooter’s motive might remain undetermined.
Police say they received a 911 call at 10:57 a.m., and the first law enforcement officer entered the building at 11 a.m.
“Are we broken right now? Yes. Are we bruised and battered? Yes,” Wiers told The Associated Press. “But we will laugh again, and He will turn our mourning into joy again. And we will go on.”
The news comes amid revelations that Rupnow was in contact with a 20-year-old man in California, whom authorities say was plotting a mass shooting with her.
The Carlsbad man, according to a restraining order obtained by the AP, told FBI agents that he had been messaging Rupnow about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives. The order does not say what building he had targeted or when he planned to launch his attack. It also does not detail his interactions with Rupnow.
Police in Madison say that discovering a motive for the killings is still a top priority and that there is nothing to suggest the suspect’s gender played a factor.
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Police, with the assistance of the FBI, were scouring online records and other resources and speaking with the shooter’s parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said Wednesday.
Police say they are aware of a document and possible images of the shooter being shared online but cannot verify its authenticity, nor can they confirm any social media accounts potentially belonging to the student due to the ongoing investigation.
“Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened,” Barnes said on Tuesday. “We may never know what she was thinking that day, but we’ll do our best to try to add or give as much information to our public as possible.”
The shooter brought two guns to the school, and it is unclear how she obtained the weapons. Only one gun, however, was allegedly used by Rupnow.
Rupnow’s deceased victims, 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara and 42-year-old teacher Erin M. West, will be laid to rest over the coming days.
Vergara’s funeral is set for Saturday at City Church, which is adjacent to the school, and West’s funeral is Monday at Doxa Church in Madison, where she was a member, according to obituaries published Wednesday and Thursday.
Vergara was a freshman at ALCS, according to her obituary.
“She was an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band. She shared a special bond with her beloved pets, Ginger (cat) and Coco (dog),” the obituary reads.
West leaves behind a husband and three daughters. She worked at the school for the last four years. The first three of those were as a substitute teacher before she accepted a staff position as the sub coordinator and in-building substitute teacher.
Four of the six who were injured have been discharged from the hospital, officials said. The two students with life-threatening injuries remain hospitalized.
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“Erin enjoyed family camping trips, attending school sporting events, serving at Doxa Church, and spending time with her daughters and the rest of her family,” her obituary reads.
“ALCS is a better school for the work of Erin West,” the school said in a statement.
“She served our teachers and students with grace, humor, wisdom, and — most importantly — with the love of Jesus,” the school said. “Her loss is a painful and deep one and she will be greatly missed not just among our staff, but our entire ALCS family.”
School responds to volleyball player mass exodus after trans athlete scandal rocks program
San Jose State University has acknowledged a recent mass exodus of volleyball players who entered the transfer portal after a controversy-riddled season involving a trans athlete on the team.
The university provided a statement to Fox News Digital in which it expressed “respect” for the recent wave of players who have opted to transfer. “Student athletes have the ability to make decisions about their college athletic careers, and we have the utmost respect for that,” the statement read.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that seven of the team’s players have entered the transfer portal.
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The seven players who are transferring will be leaving the team after a season that included eight forfeited matches, regular police protection, national scrutiny and internal turmoil between players and coaches. One player even received threats of physical harm amid the controversy.
Head coach Todd Kress even spoke about how the 2024 season was one of the “most difficult” of his life after the team’s loss in the conference final to Colorado State, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“This has been one of the most difficult seasons I’ve ever experienced, and I know this is true as well for many of our players and the staff who have been supporting us all along. Maintaining our focus on the court and ensuring the overall safety and well-being of my players amid the external noise have been my priorities,” Kress said.
The transgender player, Blaire Fleming, is out of eligibility after completing a fourth collegiate season in 2024. The team’s season ended in the Mountain West Conference championship game after it advanced to the title game by virtue of a forfeit from Boise State in the semifinal round. Boise State previously forfeited two regular season games to San Jose State amid the controversy involving Fleming, accounting for three of its seven conference wins via forfeit this year.
A loss to Colorado State in the conference final ended the season and prevented the controversy from slipping into the NCAA tournament. The loss effectively ended Fleming’s collegiate career.
In September, co-captain Brooke Slusser joined a lawsuit against the NCAA alleging the program withheld knowledge about Fleming’s birth gender from her and other players on the team. Slusser alleged she was made to share changing and sleeping spaces with Fleming without knowing that Fleming was a biological male.
Slusser, along with several other players in the Mountain West, filed a separate lawsuit against the conference and San Jose State in November over Fleming’s presence. That lawsuit included testimony from former San Jose State volleyball players Alyssa Sugai and Elle Patterson alleging they were passed over for scholarships in favor of Fleming.
That lawsuit also alleges that San Jose State players spoke up about an alleged scheme by Fleming to have Slusser spiked in the face with a volleyball in a game against Colorado State on Oct. 3. Slusser was not spiked in the face in that game, and an investigation by the Mountain West concluded without finding sufficient evidence of the alleged plot.
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Assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose was suspended by the program in early November after she filed a Title IX complaint against the university for showing favoritism toward Fleming over the other players, especially Slusser. Batie-Smoose’s complaint also included allegations of Fleming’s plot to have Slusser spiked in the face.
Slusser previously told Fox News Digital that Batie-Smoose’s dismissal severely impacted the morale of the team.
“After we found out that she was released, a lot of the team just kind of broke down and was kind of freaking out, and even one of my teammates was like, ‘I don’t feel safe anymore,’ because there’s no one now that we feel like we can go and talk to about our concerns or our actual feelings and can actually speak freely in front of,” Slusser said.
Slusser added that she and other players lost trust in the coaches, including head coach Kress.
“You can’t truly voice how you’re feeling without them just trying to cover it up or act like it’s all OK. With Melissa, you could voice how you felt, and she could comfort you and validate your feelings and at least make you feel heard compared to the other coaches,” Slusser said.
Kress also blamed the team that forfeited for igniting backlash against his team, as each forfeit brought about more controversy and media attention.
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“Sadly, others who for years have played this same team without incident chose not to play us this season. To be clear, we did not celebrate a single win by forfeiture. Instead, we braced for the fallout. Each forfeiture announcement unleashed appalling, hateful messages individuals chose to send directly to our student-athletes, our coaching staff and many associated with our program.”
However, these issues did not stop the players from at least having some fun on what was their final road trip as San Jose State Spartans for most of them.
Slusser previously told Fox News Digital that the team went out to a magic show together when they traveled to Las Vegas for the Mountain West tournament, and even had a team Thanksgiving meal together at the team hotel with takeout from a local diner with many of their families.
However, that was not enough to keep the seven players who have entered the transfer portal attached to the program, as the team will be facing a major roster turnover as it looks to rebound on the court and in its reputation in 2025.
Biden Cabinet secretary already fueling speculation of 2028 presidential campaign
An appearance by Pete Buttigieg on Friday morning on New Hampshire talk radio is fueling ongoing speculation that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation in President Biden’s administration may be mulling another White House run in 2028.
Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who is considered a potential contender for the next nomination race, has made numerous radio appearances across the country during his four years steering the Department of Transportation, including a bunch in New Hampshire, which prides itself on being the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state.
But with President-elect Trump a month away from returning to the White House, and Democrats scrambling in the wake of November’s election setbacks to find a path out of the political wilderness, Buttigieg’s latest radio appearance in New Hampshire is grabbing increased attention as the extremely early preseason moves in the party’s 2028 presidential primary race will soon start.
And the guest segment by Buttigieg on the statewide morning news-talk radio program “New Hampshire Today” is bound to spark more 2028 speculation.
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“The only thing I’m sure is next is a little vacation,” Buttigieg said when asked by host Chris Ryan about his plans once his tenure as transportation secretary sunsets on Jan. 20.
Buttigieg said he and his spouse, Chasten, “are ready to spend a little time together. I’m ready to be around our three-year-old twins a little more, and I’m determined not to make any life decisions too quickly in the new year.”
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“But I will find ways to make myself useful, and maybe that’s running for office, and maybe that’s not. I’ll take the next few weeks and months to work through that,” Buttigieg shared.
And he emphasized that “I know what I care about. I care about how communities, like the place where I grew up, find a better future. I care about how to make sure technology makes us all better off and not worse off. I care about how the infrastructure issues and opportunities I’ve worked on can develop. I care about public service. I care about our democracy, and I will find ways to work on that, whatever shape that might take.”
Buttigieg, a former naval intelligence officer who deployed to the war in Afghanistan and who served eight years as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was a longshot when he launched his 2020 presidential campaign.
But his campaign caught fire, and he narrowly edged Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont to win the Iowa caucuses before coming in close second to Sanders in the New Hampshire presidential primary. But Buttigieg, along with the rest of the Democratic field, dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden as the former vice president won the South Carolina primary in a landslide, swept the Super Tuesday contests and eventually clinched the nomination before winning the White House.
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During his tenure as Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg has made a handful of official visits to New Hampshire, most recently earlier this year. And two years ago, in a political trip, he headlined the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s major autumn fundraising gala.
Asked in the interview whether he’ll be returning to the Granite State in the near future, he quipped, “I’m sure I’ll turn up before too long.”
Buttigieg, in recent years, has also made regular appearances on the Fox News Channel to highlight the Biden administration’s efforts. This year, he served as a high-profile surrogate on Fox News and elsewhere across the media landscape for Biden, and later for Vice President Kamala Harris, on the campaign trail.
After his 2020 presidential campaign, Buttiegieg moved from red-state Indiana to neighboring Michigan, which is a key battleground, and now calls Traverse City, Michigan, home.
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In recent weeks, Buttigieg has fielded calls by some Michigan Democrats urging him to consider a 2026 run for governor, to succeed Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is term-limited.
“I haven’t made any decisions about, big decisions about my future,” Buttigieg told reporters earlier this month in Detroit, in a line that he would repeat in this week’s New Hampshire radio interview.
‘Home Alone’ star gives fans behind-the-scenes look at quiet life on farm
Though he stars in one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time, Daniel Stern — who is best known for playing one of the Wet Bandits, Marv, in the classic 1990 holiday film, “Home Alone” — prefers a quiet life away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood.
Earlier this week, Stern, who spends most of his time raising cattle and creating sculptures at his farm in Ventura, California, gave fans a sneak peek at what life has been like since stepping back from the entertainment industry.
“Hello, as you will come to discover, I live on a farm, and we grow tangerines here,” Stern said in a TikTok video that has since gained a lot of attention.
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“I juice them up and then freeze them and give them away to my friends,” he continued before giving viewers a glimpse of his work station.
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Not only does Stern tend to his citrus and cattle, he is also a distinguished artist.
In another video, Stern showed off an impressive sculpture he has been working on that portrays a woman lying on a chair.
“Incredible work of art! Had no idea you were a sculptor,” one fan commented.
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“So Marv is now a sculptor and farmer. Living the dream,” another wrote.
Earlier this year, Stern, who released a memoir titled “Home and Alone” in May, opened up about his successful work in the industry.
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“I almost blew it a couple times,” he told The Los Angeles Times of certain career moves.
In fact, Stern, who starred alongside Joe Pesci and Macaulay Culkin in “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” said he almost lost out on playing Marv as a result of “the stupidest decisions in my showbusiness life.”
Stern said he initially backed out of the deal due to disagreements in the contract. The role was recast, but after a couple of days of rehearsals, the producers urged him to come back.
For that, he is eternally grateful.
“How many people in the world are stopped by perfect strangers who tell them, ‘I love you. My family loves you. You bring us joy. You are a part of our family holiday tradition,’ and all of the other wonderful things people say to me all the time?” Stern told The Times.
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Man convicted of killing two teenage girls on hiking trail learns his fate
An Indiana judge on Friday sentenced Richard Allen, who was recently convicted for the February 2017 killings of two teen girls who had been walking on a hiking trail in Delphi, known as the Delphi murders, to a maximum of 130 years behind bars.
The sentence includes 65 years for the felony murder of Abigal “Abby” Williams and 65 years for the felony murder of Liberty “Libby” German to be served consecutively.
Allen’s attorneys plan to appeal, saying in a memo filed earlier this week that Allen “maintains his innocence and his hopeful that the appellate process will provide him with an opportunity to present a full defense at a second trial.”
A Carroll County jury in November found Allen guilty of murdering Abby, 13, and Libby, 14, who disappeared during their walk along the High Monon Trail on Feb. 13, 2017. Investigators found them both brutally murdered the next day with sticks covering their bodies in a wooded area near the trail.
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Allen was convicted on two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder and faced up to 130 years in prison.
During his trial earlier this year, prosecutors placed Allen at the crime scene with evidence including an unspent bullet at the scene matching a firearm recovered from Allen’s home in 2022, as well as the dozens of confessions he made in prison, according to FOX 59 Indianapolis.
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Allen’s defense leaned largely on expert analysis showing Allen’s unhealthy mental state after his 2022 arrest, which took the Delphi community by surprise at the time. Allen had been a longtime CVS employee in the small Indiana town when police took him into custody five years after the murders.
Carroll County prosecutor Nick McLeland told jurors in his opening statement that when searchers found the two girls in a wooded area near the Monon High Bridge, Libby was naked and covered in blood. Both girls had their throats cut several times, FOX 59 reported.
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One key piece of evidence presented during the trial was a video Libby recorded on her phone at some point before she and Abby were killed.
Jurors watched 43 seconds of the video, which showed Libby and Abby walking with an unknown man wearing a hat and blue utility jacket, in court on Oct. 22. The man in the video became known over the last five years as “Bridge Guy.” Libby captured the video at 2:13 p.m., less than 25 minutes after she and Abigail’s family members dropped them off at the trail.
“Guys, down the hill,” the man can be heard saying to the girls in the video.
Prosecutors argued that Allen is “Bridge Guy,” after witnesses who testified against Allen said they saw him on the trail around the same time the girls disappeared, and authorities recovered a similar blue utility jacket from Allen’s home in 2022.
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Allen also admitted in one jailhouse confession that he did order the girls “down the hill.” He repeatedly confessed to killing the girls, apparently saying he wanted to rape the girls but was spooked by a van driving nearby, at which point he decided to kill them.
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His attorneys said his declining mental stability led him to make false statements behind bars.
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More than five years after their deaths, investigators executed a search warrant of Allen’s home in Delphi on Oct. 13, 2022, and they recovered a blue Carhartt jacket, a SIG Sauer P226 .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun and a .40-caliber S&W cartridge in a “wooden keepsake box” from a dresser between two closets in Allen’s bedroom, according to authorities.
The handgun recovered at Allen’s home was consistent with a .40-caliber unspent bullet police found at the site of the murders in 2017, police said.
Star quarterback shocks teammates with big Christmas gifts: ‘My mind is blown’
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy joked last Christmas that he could not afford the traditional gifts given to the offensive lineman because of his rookie contract, but this year is a different story.
The 24-year-old signal caller surprised his teammates with quite the gift this holiday season, gifting them all brand-new cars.
“Boys, I just want to say Merry Christmas. I got some gifts for you guys – sorry for the wait but if you want to follow me outside,” Purdy said in a video shared by the team on social media.
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Once outside, the team saw nine brand-new cars: five Toyota Sequoias and four Toyota Tundras.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe this,” offensive tackle Nick Zakelj said with a laugh.
“Listen to the purr,” guard Aaron Banks said as he revved the engine. “Purdy, that purr is Purdy.”
“My mind is blown, honestly,” offensive tackle Jaylon Moore added. “This is probably the greatest gift I ever got in my life.”
Last season, star running back Christian McCaffrey gifted the offensive linemen a custom golf bag, a certificate for fitted golf clubs and a bottle of tequila – a gesture usually reserved for the quarterback.
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“Financially, I wouldn’t be able to cover that right now,” Purdy joked with reporters at the time. “Shout-out to him. Everyone loved it. So, thank you, Christian.”
Purdy is still on his rookie deal, a contract that pays him $985,000 this season. However, the fourth-year quarterback is due for a massive payday.
As the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, “Mr. Irrelevant” stunned fans during his rookie season when he took over the starting role as the third-string quarterback following injuries to Trey Lance and eventually Jimmy Garoppolo.
He led the team all the way to the NFC Championship before suffering a devastating injury to his throwing arm. He returned the following season to lead the Niners all the way to the Super Bowl.
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Now, the 49ers are expected to lock down Purdy with a massive long-term contract extension in the offseason.
“I think Brock has done nothing but play at a very, very high level,” tight end George Kittle said recently of what Purdy’s new deal might look like, per NBC Sports. “The nice thing about contracts is when you play at a high level, you can compare yourself to other people in the league and when other guys are getting paid $50-60 million, and you’re a better quarterback than they are, it’s hard not to get that same amount of money.”
CNN pundit calls lies about Biden’s health ‘the biggest scandal in America’
CNN’s Scott Jennings criticized the White House for hiding President Biden’s health and age issues from the public in a segment on Thursday.
“This is the biggest scandal in America,” Jennings said on CNN. “And the level and volume of people who dedicated themselves to lying to everyone at home about this man’s condition for four-straight years up through this summer is breathtaking.”
A Wall Street Journal report from Thursday that includes interviews with nearly 50 people, including current and former White House staffers who interacted directly with the president, revealed that Biden’s stamina issues were apparent even during his first few months in office.
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“It‘s a scandal of epic proportions and it’s a fair question to ask, who is running the country?” Jennings said. “Who has been running the country?”
Jennings argued that Biden’s staffers lied about his health and age concerns for the entirety of his presidency.
“If you‘re worried about Donald Trump‘s advisers having influence — for the last four years, apparently, this president, duly elected, this president was not capable of fulfilling the duties of the office. And his staff and the White House lied about it and kept it from the American people,” Jennings said. “It‘s an absolute scandal.”
BIDEN ‘A LITTLE OLDER AND A LITTLE SLOWER’ IN THE FINAL DAYS OF HIS PRESIDENCY: NEW YORK TIMES REPORT
Some news outlets, including The New York Times, are reporting that Biden appears even “older and a little slower” in the final days of his presidency.
The NYT report revealed: “[Biden] looks a little older and a little slower with each passing day. Aides say he remains plenty sharp in the Situation Room, calling world leaders to broker a cease-fire in Lebanon or deal with the chaos of Syria’s rebellion. But it is hard to imagine that he seriously thought he could do the world’s most stressful job for another four years.”
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