Biden uses former President Jimmy Carter’s death to criticize Trump in a verbal spar

President Biden addressed the nation on Sunday in the wake of former President Jimmy Carter’s death, commending the late statesman while also taking a swipe at the current president-elect during his speech.

Biden, who sounded hoarse during the speech, said he “lost a dear friend” on Sunday, noting that he had known Carter for more than 50 years. Carter passed away in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 100, after nearly two years of being in hospice care.

During his remarks, Biden said Carter is a model “of what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose, a life of principle, faith and humility.”

“Some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era with honesty and character. Faith and humility mattered, but I don’t believe it’s a bygone era,” Biden said. “We’d all do well to try to be more like Jimmy Carter.”

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100

Biden said his fondest memory of Carter happened in the 1970s when the then-Georgia governor asked Biden for help with his presidential campaign.

“He grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘I need you to help with my campaign,'” Biden recalled. “I said, ‘I’ve only been around a couple of years, Mr. Governor.’ He said, ‘No, it’ll make a difference.'”

“I said, ‘I’m not sure it will,” Biden added. “When I endorsed him for president, I told him why [I] was endorsing him and that it was not only his policies but his character, his decency, the honor he communicated to everyone.”

JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER’S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LEGACY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS

When a reporter asked Biden what President-elect Trump should take from Carter’s legacy, Biden replied, “Decency.”

“Decency, decency, decency. … Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking by someone who needed something and just keep walking? Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by the way they look or the way they talk?”

Biden’s speech came after Trump issued his own statement about Carter’s death.

 CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Trump later wrote that although he “strongly” disagreed with Carter philosophically and politically, he realized that the former president “truly loved and respected” the U.S. and all it stands for.

“He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect,” Trump said. “He was truly a good man and, of course, will be greatly missed. He was also very consequential, far more than most Presidents, after he left the Oval Office.”

Hillary Clinton’s former adviser names Biden’s ‘disgraceful’ actions

Former Hillary Clinton adviser and CNN contributor Karen Finney argued on Sunday that President Biden’s record “will stand the test of time” as he leaves office.

“I think in the longer term, we will remember that this is a president and vice president who helped us come back from the brink during COVID, when people were dying by the hundreds of thousands on a daily basis,” Finney said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We were in our homes, and companies and small businesses were falling off a cliff, and he helped to get vaccines, get us out of our homes, get us back to work and invested in this country.” 

She added, “I think one of the things that you‘ll see him doing with the time that he has left is more around investments in the Chips and Science Act. I think that‘s actually going to be transformational in communities around the country. I think Donald Trump will take credit for it. But Joe Biden‘s record with regard to the things that he‘s accomplished, I think will stand the test of time.” 

CNN REPORTER PREDICTS BIDEN WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE ‘GUY WHO WAS JUST IN BETWEEN THE TRUMP TERMS’

Finney conceded that some critics, such as her fellow panelist Scott Jennings, have called out the administration “rightfully so” over not disclosing Biden’s mental state. However, she quickly dismissed it in lieu of Biden’s foreign policy. 

“It was very disturbing to learn late in the year about just how poor his health has become. And I, like many, did not realize that it had gotten to that point,” Finney said. “That being said, I think…he showed up for the job. He got the work done. I think some of the accomplishments also in the Middle East and foreign policy will also stand the test of time.”

Jennings pushed back at this claim, particularly her argument that Biden got “a number of hostages” home from the Middle East.

“Look, I think he’s going to leave office in disgrace,” Jennings said. “The Hunter Biden pardon was disgraceful. He’s going to be remembered largely for inflation and for the disastrous Afghanistan pullout. And I think…we’re just getting the first draft of this now.” 

He continued, “But as we continue to learn about the massive cover-up that went on, not about his health, but about his mental acuity to cover that up, the efforts that were undertaken by the White House staff, by his family, not in the last couple of months, but for all four years. I think it’s going to be a really ugly chapter. It’s a diminished presidency because of it.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

A Fox News poll found Biden having only 41% approval before leaving office and only 7% of those polled believe he is “one of the greatest” presidents.

His ratings fared even worse in a Marquette Law School national poll conducted Dec. 2-11 where he stood at only 34% approval, the lowest approval rating for Biden since he took office.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump slams former speaker for ‘one of the dumbest political decisions made in years’

President-elect Donald Trump took aim at former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, describing the debt ceiling suspension approved in 2023 as “one of the dumbest political decisions made in years.”

But while targeting the former top House GOP lawmaker, Trump tempered the criticism by describing McCarthy as a friend and a good person.

“The extension of the Debt Ceiling by a previous Speaker of the House, a good man and a friend of mine, from this past September of the Biden Administration, to June of the Trump Administration, will go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years. There was no reason to do it – NOTHING WAS GAINED, and we got nothing for it – A major reason why that Speakership was lost. It was Biden’s problem, not ours. Now it becomes ours,” Trump declared in the post. 

DEBT CEILING IS ‘LAST TOOL’ IN DEMOCRATS’ TOOLBOX TO OBSTRUCT TRUMP AGENDA: KAROLINE LEAVITT

“I call it ‘1929’ because the Democrats don’t care what our Country may be forced into. In fact, they would prefer ‘Depression’ as long as it hurt the Republican Party. The Democrats must be forced to take a vote on this treacherous issue NOW, during the Biden Administration, and not in June. They should be blamed for this potential disaster, not the Republicans!” he added.

A deal passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year suspended the debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025, but Trump has been calling for the ceiling to be increased before he takes office. 

“In June 2023, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 was enacted, suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025.  On January 2, 2025, the new debt limit will be established at the amount of outstanding debt subject to the statutory limit at the end of the previous day,” Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen wrote in a recent letter to congressional leaders. “Treasury currently expects to reach the new limit between January 14 and January 23, at which time it will be necessary for Treasury to start taking extraordinary measures. I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.”

PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS STOPGAP FUNDING BILL INTO LAW, NARROWLY AVERTING SHUTDOWN

Earlier this month, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance pressed for the limit to be raised as part of a stopgap government spending proposal.

“The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans was allowing our country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025. It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed,” the two men said in a statement. “Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch. If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration?”

But the measure that eventually passed did not raise the ceiling.

Responding to Trump’s post about McCarthy, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote in a post on X, “Sadly, this bad debt ceiling extension was opposed by only 71 House Republicans 18 months ago (notably opposed by virtually the entire @freedomcaucus).”

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS HOUSE VOTE

“Democrats did vote on the recent debt ceiling increase proposal on 12/19: 197-2 against it (their price to support is very high – more spending/taxes),” Roy added. “Yes, we can & should address the debt ceiling – thru reconciliation in January with mostly GOP votes – but with real, meaningful spending cuts.”

Biden fundraiser calls Trump a ‘f—ing genius’ as Democrats wonder if their brand is broken

Some Democratic politicians are openly questioning their party’s damaged brand after losing again to President-elect Donald Trump, according to a new report. 

“I don’t know if Trump is a stable genius, but he’s a f—ing genius,” Biden fundraiser John Morgan told Politico. “He tapped into something the Republicans never saw, which was anger and populism on that side.”

Trump’s victory in the 2024 election has prompted soul-searching among Democrats after the party was sent reeling following a series of electoral setbacks. Republicans recaptured the White House and both chambers of Congress just four years after losing power in 2020.

CNN REPORTER PREDICTS BIDEN WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE ‘GUY WHO WAS JUST IN BETWEEN THE TRUMP TERMS’

As a result, some Democratic Party donors and political strategists are taking independent tickets and other alternatives to traditional party branding more seriously, per Politico. 

“I reached the conclusion that if you call yourself a Democrat, all the Republicans automatically line up against it,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan told the outlet. “You call yourself a Republican, all the Democrats automatically line up against it. And I really don’t think there’s a path forward for this state if you don’t get the reasonable folks in both parties to work together.”

Duggan won three terms as mayor of Detroit, reaching high levels of popularity in 2020 as a Democrat. However, Duggan is running for governor of Michigan as an independent. 

DEMOCRATS IN RETREAT, WITH VOTERS SAYING THAT THE PARTY IS NO LONGER A ‘FRIEND OF THE WORKING CLASS’: REPORT

“Anyone looking at the Senate map, not just in 2026 but over the next six years and beyond, sees that we need a path to chipping into the Republican majority,” a Democratic strategist who spoke under condition of anonymity told Politico. “And it doesn’t necessarily mean electing Democrats. But it means changing what the denominator is that we need to get to a majority.”

New research shows that some voters are also disillusioned with the Democratic Party in a study run by Democratic polling firm Navigator Research. 

One participant in the study compared the Democratic Party to an ostrich that has “their heads in the sand and are absolutely committed to their own ideas, even when they’re failing.” Another study participant said that the Democratic Party was “not a friend of the working class anymore,” in comments that have been echoed by Sen. Bernie Sanders. 

“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” wrote Sanders, following Election Day.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Jay Leno addresses rumors his facial injuries were because of the mob

Disturbing find uncovered in search for hikers missing on a hunt for ‘Bigfoot’

Two men from Portland died searching for Sasquatch during Christmas week, according to officials.

Around 1 a.m. on Christmas Day, Skamania County Communications Center received a report from a family member of two people who were searching for Sasquatch and were missing after they had planned to return home on Dec. 24, according to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).

A “flock camera,” also known as a license plate reader, located the men’s car off of Oklahoma Road, near Willard, Washington, SCSO said.

Over three days, search and rescue resources, including more than 60 volunteers, canines, drones and ground search teams and a U.S. Coast Guard air asset searched for the men. 

UTAH BROTHERS SURVIVE AVALANCHE AFTER ONE PULLS OTHER OUT OF SNOW BURIAL

“After a grueling, three-day search over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions, the 59-year-old male and 37-year-old-male, both from Portland, Oregon, who were reported missing/endangered were located, deceased, in a heavily wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.

“Both deaths appear to be due to exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness,” SCSO added.

WASHINGTON STATE TEENS CHARGED AS ADULTS IN GANG-LINKED STABBING OF BOY, 14, WHO WAS TIED TO TREE, CUT OPEN

The sheriff’s office thanked the volunteers who spent Christmas week searching for the men through “freezing temperatures, snow, high water levels, heavy rain, downfall, and heavily wooded terrain,” allowing the men to be taken home to their family. 

“The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the loved ones lost in this tragic incident,” SCSO said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The men’s names were not released. 

Back in 2019, a Travel Channel blog post said Washington was the “world’s most active region” for Sasquatch sightings. Of particular note were the Blue Mountains and Okanogan County, which the Travel Channel wrote is “the locale of one of the most aggressive Bigfoot encounters ever recorded.”

The restaurant question everyone’s asking — and now, there’s finally an answer

Restaurant portions can be enormous today, so it’s no surprise that those who dine out may feel stuffed to the gills with half their meal still on the plate. 

In these scenarios, servers often appear with a “box” or “doggy bag” ready to properly house the leftovers for customers’ convenience. 

But while taking leftovers from a restaurant is common in the United States, it is less so in other countries. And there are some places, such as buffets, where to-go boxes are not a thing. 

PILE OF ‘GARBAGE’ FOODS WITH DEBATABLE TOPPINGS IS A DELICACY IN THIS US CITY

Two restaurant industry professionals shared their views on when it is OK — and when it’s not — to ask for a to-go box after a meal.

Here are three issues that are sparking debate.

1. Is extra bread fair game? 

At some restaurant chains – think Cheesecake Factory, Texas Road House and Red Lobster – the complimentary bread served before the meal is as much of a draw as the entrées themselves.

But is it ever OK to take leftover bread home after a meal? 

At least one restaurant industry professional said it’s just fine. 

“It doesn’t bother me,” Ohio-based Brad Friedlander told Fox News Digital. 

45-PIECE BREAKFAST HELPS PUT GREASY SPOON IN FOOD WINNER’S CIRCLE

“The fact that [customers] want it, that they like it so much they want to take it home – I’m a little bit flattered by that,” he added. 

Bread, Friedlander also said, is “built into” his restaurant’s model. 

Another person disagreed with that assessment. 

Kelli Ferrell, an Atlanta-based restaurateur, said that she personally is “not a big bread person” — and that she, as a customer dining out, would not take complimentary bread home from a restaurant.

“I get it,” she said, noting that the rolls served at Texas Roadhouse are “one of her favorites.” 

MOM CHARGES FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER AND MORE: ‘IT’S JUST SO EXPENSIVE’

“I think it’s like a little treat,” she told Fox News Digital.

But she added that for her, taking bread from a restaurant is “a no-go.”

2. How many boxes is too many? 

Some restaurant patrons wonder if they’re being too needy if they ask for separate boxes for separate items, rather than piling everything into one large box. 

This is not a big deal, both Ferrell and Friedlander told Fox News Digital.

“In my business, I tell my employees I don’t want them to say ‘no’ to anything as long as we can possibly do it,” Friedlander said. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Ferrell, whose restaurants focus on breakfast, brunch and lunch, said that she’s begun to order smaller boxes to accommodate these requests from customers.

“I don’t think it’s more of an inconvenience,” she said. “I think it’s more about knowing — about just making the guest experience more comfortable for [people] and making sure they are feeling appreciated.”

Plus, with these accommodations, said Ferrell, customers are more likely to actually enjoy their leftovers the next day. 

3. What should not be boxed to go?

While Ferrell said most items are perfectly fine to be packaged to-go, there’s one exception: eggs.

“Eggs are always kind of a no-no. I can take everything else but that.”

“Eggs for me are always kind of a no-no,” she said, in terms of being wrapped to go. “I can take everything else but that.”

Eggs, she said, are best served hot and freshly cooked.

“The moment that you warm up [eggs] in the microwave — it’s just not going to be the same,” she said. “They’re not going to be as soft and fluffy.” 

Friedlander said he would trust the customer’s judgment when it comes to boxing things to go. 

“There are certain things that lend themselves to taking out [after a meal] more than other things,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“A simple broiled item [reheats better] than, let’s say, a cream pasta of some kind, which would get all sticky if you took it home,” he said. 

Award-winning actress and beloved sitcom star dies after health battle

Linda Lavin, an award-winning actress known for starring in the beloved sitcom “Alice,” has died. She was 87.

Lavin had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, and passed away on Sunday from complications of the disease, a representative told the Associated Press.

She had been active in the weeks leading up to her death, making an appearance earlier this month at the Los Angeles premiere of the Netflix series “No Good Deed,” in which she appears.

HOLLYWOOD STARS WHO DIED IN 2024: PHOTOS

Lavin seemed to know from an early age that she was destined for life as an actress, moving to New York City after graduating from college. Her first big break came when she was cast in a musical on Broadway called “It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman.”

In 1969, she was nominated for her first Tony for her work in “Last of the Red Hot Lovers.”

By the 70s, she made the move to Los Angeles, where she began getting jobs as a TV actress. She appeared in an episode of “Rhoda,” then landed a small recurring role in “Barney Miller.”

It was in 1976 that she was chosen to star in a new CBS sitcom based on Ellen Burstyn’s Oscar-winning waitress comedy-drama, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”

The title was shortened to “Alice,” and Lavin became a role model for working moms as Alice Hyatt, a widowed mother with a 12-year-old son working in a roadside diner outside Phoenix. The show, with Lavin singing the theme song “There’s a New Girl in Town,” ran from 1976 to 1985.

The show turned “Kiss my grits” into a catchphrase and co-starred Polly Holliday as waitress Flo and Vic Tayback as the gruff owner and head chef of Mel’s Diner.

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

The series bounced around the CBS schedule during its first two seasons but became a hit leading into “All in the Family” on Sunday nights in October 1977. It was among prime time’s top 10 series in four of the next five seasons. Variety magazine listed it among the all-time best workplace comedies.

When “Alice” ended, Lavin continued working in Hollywood, though she did head back to Broadway for a bit. In 1987, she won a Tony Award for best actress after appearing in Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound.”

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

She took several roles on stage in the years following her success on “Alice,” including a turn in the musical “Gypsy” in 1990. Her most recent role there was in 2016 in “Our Mother’s Brief Affair.”

Lavin continued working up until her death. In addition to her work in “No Good Deed,” she appeared in an episode of “Elsbeth” this year. Last year, she did voice work for an episode of “Bob’s Burgers.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

She is survived by her husband, Steve Bakunas.