Former President Joe Biden's inner circle considers first lady Jill Biden one of the most powerful first ladies in history, CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson reveal in their new book, "Original Sin."

Jill Biden, a PhD whom White House staffers called "Dr. B" for short, was a reluctant political spouse in the early days of her husband's political career. During his presidential campaigns and into his presidency, the first lady became his staunchest defender and a "political partner in addition to a spouse," Thompson and Tapper wrote. 

"Dr. B was a strong, protective force in the White House. She was also, without question, one of the chief supporters of the president's decision to run for reelection, and one of the chief deniers of his deterioration," the authors wrote. 

President Donald Trump's White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Jill Biden should have to answer for her complicity in the "cover-up" of Biden's cognitive decline. 

JILL BIDEN SHOULD HAVE TO ANSWER FOR 'COVER-UP' OF FORMER PRESIDENT'S DECLINE, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

Leavitt pointed to how Jill Biden jumped in to defend her husband during their joint interview on "The View" this month as evidence the former first lady is still covering for her husband. 

'INTENSELY LOYAL' JILL BIDEN AIDE DESPISED BY WHITE HOUSE STAFFERS, NEW BOOK CLAIMS

As Biden's sister, Valerie "Val" Biden Owens, and his adult children, Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden, stayed away from Biden's 2020 presidential campaign, Jill Biden took on a more prominent role, the book revealed. 

"She weighed in on potential hires and reviewed many of the campaign ads before they were aired. She campaigned hard and peppered aides with questions about how many reporters would be at her events," Tapper and Thompson said. 

Jill Biden sat for job interviews for White House aide candidates, and she "kept score" of which staffers were most loyal, with the help of her most trusted aide, Anthony Bernal, the book revealed. 

The White House began referring to Jill Biden's "spousal programming" events on foreign trips, and her team would request talking points, which Tapper and Thompson said some national security officials found strange. 

"[Bernal] had already begun planning the first lady's 2025 international travel schedule," Tapper and Thompson said.

The first lady made an off-hand comment to French President Emmanuel Macron at a state dinner in 2022 about the difficult nature of campaigns and how she needed to stay in shape. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughter, Alexandra, overheard and found it odd, according to "Original Sin."

"Alexandra then turned to the president and asked if they should toast to another campaign. He looked back at her like he didn't understand. Alexandra thought her mom looked shocked. Everyone quickly gathered themselves. With Macron, they toasted to four more years," the authors said. 

Dr. B was particularly sensitive when asked about Biden's age and ability, according to the authors. 

After Biden's consequential debate performance in the summer of 2024, The Associated Press reported that Jill and Hunter Biden were urging the president to continue his re-election campaign. Sources told AP the family "questioned how he was prepared for the debate by staff and wondered if they could have done something better."

"Hunter privately talked about it as being the family against the world. People sensed a more manic quality in him post-debate. He was determined to save his dad," according to Tapper and Thompson. 

Soon after the debate, Jill Biden joined Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., on the campaign trail. After defending the president's re-election campaign to reporters, Stabenow brought up some of her colleagues' concerns about Biden continuing in the race. 

JILL BIDEN ACCUSED OF 'ELDER ABUSE' BY WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST FOR PUSHING HUSBAND TO SEEK RE-ELECTION

"The First Lady didn't answer the senator's implied question, but she later fumed about it to White House staffers," the book alleged. 

A week later, Gov. Josh Shapiro, from the pivotal battleground state of Pennsylvania, told the president, "I have some concerns." However, before Biden could fully respond, the first lady was ushering him away. 

"Jill fumed with resentment about all the Democrats who she considered friends now pushing Biden out. She knew she had blundered in the aftermath of the debate with her belittling praise. She was only trying to help her husband in his moment of need. In the end, she told Biden: ‘This is your decision. This is for you to decide,’" according to the book. 

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Fox News Digital has written extensively dating back to the 2020 presidential campaign about Biden's cognitive decline and his inner circle’s alleged role in covering it up.

A Biden spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

House Republicans eked out a win in May with their advancement of President Donald Trump’s "big, beautiful bill," filled with negotiations and compromises on thorny policy issues that barely passed muster in the lower chamber.

Next week, Senate Republicans will get their turn to parse through the colossal package and are eying changes that could be a hard sell for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who can only afford to lose three votes.

INSIDE THE LATE-NIGHT DRAMA THAT LED TO TRUMP'S TAX BILL PASSING BY 1 VOTE

Congressional Republicans are in a dead sprint to get the megabill — filled with Trump’s policy desires on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt — onto the president’s desk by early July.

Trump has thrown his support behind the current product, but said during a press conference in the Oval Office on Friday that he expected the package to be "jiggered around a little bit."

"It's going to be negotiated with the Senate, with the House, but the end result is it extends the Trump tax cuts," he said.

"If it doesn't get approved, you'll have a 68% tax increase," the president continued. "You're going to go up 68%. That's a number that nobody has ever heard of before. You'll have a massive tax increase."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has an identical margin to Johnson, and will need to cultivate support from a Senate GOP that wants to put its own fingerprints on the bill.

Senators have signaled they’d like to make changes to a litany of House proposals, including reforms to Medicaid and the timeline for phasing out green energy tax credits, among others, and have grumbled about the hike to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap pushed for by moderate House Republicans.

SCOOP: HOUSE GOP MEMO HIGHLIGHTS REPUBLICAN WINS IN TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL'

Thune said many Republicans are largely in favor of the tax portion of the bill, which seeks to make Trump’s first-term tax policy permanent, and particularly the tax policies that are "stimulative, that are pro-growth, that will create greater growth in the economy."

Much of the debate, and prospective tweaks, from the upper chamber would likely focus on whether the House’s offering has deep enough spending cuts, he said.

"When it comes to the spending side of the equation, this is a unique moment in time and in history where we have the House and the Senate and the White House and an opportunity to do something meaningful about controlled government spending," Thune said.

The House package set a benchmark of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade.

Some in the Senate GOP would like to see that number cranked up marginally to at least $2 trillion, largely because the tax portion of the package is expected to add nearly $4 trillion to the deficit, according to recent findings from the Joint Committee on Taxation.

"There's just so many great things in this bill," Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital. "The only thing I would like to do is try to cut the spending, and I would love to take a little bit from a lot of places, rather than a lot from just one place."

SPEAKER JOHNSON CLASHES WITH RAND PAUL OVER ‘WIMPY’ SPENDING CUTS IN TRUMP'S BILL 

Others, like Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., want to see the cuts in the package return to pre-pandemic spending levels, which would amount to roughly a $6 trillion slash in spending.

Johnson has remained unflinching in his opposition to the current bill, and warned that "no amount of pressure" from Trump could change his mind.

"President Trump made a bunch of promises," Johnson said at an event in Wisconsin on Wednesday. "My promise has been, consistently, we have to stop mortgaging our children's future. OK, so I think there are enough [Republicans] to slow this process down until the president, our leadership, gets serious about returning to a pre-pandemic level."

Others are concerned over the proposed slashes to Medicaid spending, which congressional Republicans have largely pitched as reform efforts designed to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the program used by millions of Americans.

The House package would see a roughly $700 billion cut from the program, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and some Senate Republicans have signaled that they wouldn't support the changes if benefits were cut for their constituents.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., warned in an op-ed for The New York Times last month that cutting benefits was "both morally wrong and politically suicidal." Meanwhile, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, raised concerns about what proposed cuts to the program would do to rural hospitals in her state. 

"I cannot support proposals that would create more duress for our hospitals and providers that are already teetering on the edge of insolvency," she said. 

President Donald Trump shared a post on social media this weekend claiming that President Joe Biden died in 2020 and was replaced with clones.

Trump shared a link to the post from his personal account on Truth Social on Saturday. The post originated from a small account on the platform responding to discussions about Biden's health.

"There is no Joe Biden – executed in 2020," the post says. "Biden clones, doubles and robotic engineered soulless, mindless entities are what you see."

"Democrats don't know the difference," it adds, before listing a litany of hashtags.

POLITICAL WORLD REACTS TO FORMER PRESIDENT BIDEN'S 'AGGRESSIVE' CANCER DIAGNOSIS: 'INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT'

Trump added no words of his own to the post, merely sharing the link on his personal account.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Trump shared several links to Truth Social posts without offering his own commentary Saturday night. Most of the posts detailed Trump's efforts to return steel manufacturing to the U.S.

JOE BIDEN DIAGNOSED WITH 'AGGRESSIVE FORM' OF PROSTATE CANCER WITH METASTASIS TO THE BONE

The Saturday post comes amid new controversy over Biden's health while in office. Speculation has exploded in the days since Biden announced he has stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer, a diagnosis that typically takes years to develop.

The nature of the diagnosis has led to speculation that members of the previous administration were aware of the cancer but withheld information about it from the public, even as they attempted to run Biden for a second term.

Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump were "saddened" to learn of Biden's diagnosis and wished him a "fast and successful recovery" in a post on social media this weekend.

"Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis," Trump wrote. "We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery."

With the early moves heating up in the 2026 battle for the House majority, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's (DCCC) chair argues President Donald Trump and the Republican majorities in the House and Senate are "doing incredible damage to working families and to our country."

And with the GOP defending a razor-thin majority in the House in next year's midterm elections, Rep. Suzan DelBene, the DCCC chair, noted, "We only need three more seats."

"We have 35 districts in play across the country where we have opportunities," DelBene said in a Fox News Digital interview last week in the nation's capital, pointing to the Republican-held seats the DCCC is targeting.

"We are on offense. We are fighting for the American people and for the important issues they care about, and Democrats are united in doing that."

HOUSE DEMOCRATS PREDICT REPUBLICANS WILL PAY PRICE FOR PASSING TRUMP'S ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’

While the party in power after a presidential election — currently the GOP — typically faces political headwinds and loses House seats in the following midterms, the 2026 map appears to favor Republicans.

"The battlefield is really laying out to our advantage. There are 14 Democrats who won seats also carried by Donald Trump. There are only three Republicans in seats that were carried by [former Vice President] Kamala Harris. So, that tells me we're going to be on offense," Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) chair, told Fox News Digital at the start of the 2026 cycle.

WHAT THE HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT TRUMP'S ROLE IN THE MIDTERMS

DelBene countered that "the reason we have opportunities is because people are outraged, because they do want to see someone come into office who is going to fight for their communities and not just be blindly loyal to a president."

And pointing to the small bite House Democrats took out of the GOP's majority in the 2024 elections, she added that "those are the types of candidates that won in our districts last cycle. It's a reason we actually gained seats in 2024 and is absolutely the reason why we're going to take back the majority in 2026."

But Hudson noted he has a powerful ally as he works to keep control of the House.

"The president understands that he's got to keep the House majority in the midterm so that he has a four-year runway instead of a two-year runway to get his agenda enacted," Hudson said. "He's been extremely helpful to us, and we appreciate it."

And the Democrats are facing a polling dilemma because the party's ratings have been sinking to historic lows in a number of national surveys so far this year.

The Democrats' ratings in a Fox News poll stood at 41% favorable and 56% unfavorable in a survey conducted April 18-21.

HEAD HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLS

That's an all-time low for the Democrats in Fox News polling. And for the first time in a decade, the party's standing was lower than that of the GOP, which stood at 44% favorable and 54% unfavorable.

The figures were reversed last summer, when Fox News last asked the party favorability question in one of its surveys.

But there is a silver lining for the Democrats.

The Fox News poll indicated that if the 2026 midterm elections were held today, 49% of voters would back a generic Democrat in their congressional district, with 42% supporting the generic Republican candidate.

The Democrats also have another problem — the possibility of primary challenges against longtime and older House lawmakers in safe blue districts.

Recently elected Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg last month pledged to spend millions of dollars through his outside political group to support primary challenges against what he termed "asleep at the wheel" House Democrats who he argued have not been effective in pushing back against Trump.

The move by the 25-year-old Hogg, a survivor of the shooting seven years ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, to spend money against fellow Democrats ignited a firestorm within the party.

In response, DelBene said, "Democrats across the country are united in taking back the House."

Asked by Fox News if the move by Hogg would force the DCCC and allied super PACs to divert money and resources from competitive districts in order to defend incumbents in safe blue districts from primary challenges, DelBene responded, "I think everyone knows how important it is that we take back the House, and folks are focused in helping make sure that we do that in districts all across the country."

But the dispute is giving the GOP ammunition.

In response to the intra-Democratic Party feud, NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella argued, "No Democrat is safe. A political earthquake is underway, and the old guard is scrambling."

As the Department of Government Efficiency enters a new era with the departure of Elon Musk on Friday, it has caused numerous changes in recent months on matters of immigration and border security.

"DOGE has helped to transform the Federal government by eliminating waste and bloat that has been ignored for years. DOGE is playing a key role in eliminating millions of taxpayer money being misspent, including contracts for illegal alien facilities that sat empty during the Biden Border invasion and funding for hotel rooms to house illegal gang members. DOGE’s mission to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse continues!" Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital in a statement on Friday.

In February, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they had gutted an $83 million contract for "an empty illegal alien facility during an invasion at the southern border" and the $80 million in FEMA funding to provide lodging for illegal immigrants in New York City, like the Roosevelt Hotel.  

DOGE STAFFING SHAKEUP AS ELON MUSK HANGS UP HIS HAT, WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS

In March, a contract to resume wall construction along seven miles of the border was cleared by DOGE.

"Secretary Noem announced that we officially awarded the first [DOGE] approved contract to restart construction on President Trump’s border wall," DHS posted on March 17.

DOGE also posted to X in April that it had found that many illegal immigrants who were on the FBI’s terror watchlist and those who have a criminal history were taking out public benefits. Four on the terror watchlist and 901 other "paroled aliens" were "collecting Medicaid," 41 received unemployment benefits, 22 got student loans from the federal government and 409 got a "net" tax refund in 2024, according to the department. The cost of the tax refunds was $751,000, Medicaid cost $276,000, and the student loans totaled out to $280,000, the department said. 

TOP 5 MOST OUTRAGEOUS WAYS THE GOVERNMENT HAS WASTED YOUR TAXES, AS UNCOVERED BY ELON MUSK'S DOGE

"Under the Biden administration, it was routine for Border Patrol to admit aliens into the United States with no legal status and minimal screening," the post stated. "So far, CBP identified a subset of 6.3k individuals paroled into the United States since 2023 on the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center watchlist or with criminal records. These paroles have since been terminated with immediate effect. Despite having no other legal status, paroled aliens are able to file for work authorization and receive social security numbers."

Outside of immigration and border security, DHS said the Coast Guard is expected to save $32.7 million by scrapping an information technology system that was deemed "ineffective." In a video posted in May about the partnership between DOGE and DHS, it said the funds are going to "frontline operations."

"Another win for government efficiency at DHS!" DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement to Fox News Digital in April.

TRUMP, MUSK GET SUPPORT FROM FORMER NFL STAR AMID CRITICISM OVER DOGE CUTS, OTHER ISSUES

"Continuing the crucial work of DOGE, the Coast Guard eliminated an ineffective IT program, saving over $32 million and focusing its resources where they’re most needed to protect the homeland. The USCG continues to deliver on the President’s priorities, maximizing its efficiency while securing our borders and maritime approaches," Noem added.

DHS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also recently announced a planned crackdown on illegal immigrants' use of public housing benefits. 

And last month, DHS announced that, in the spirit of cracking down on "waste, fraud and abuse," it was ending FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program.

DOGE DISCOVERS THE BIDEN-MAYORKAS ILLEGAL MIGRATION FUNDING MACHINE

"The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters," a FEMA spokesperson said in a statement at the time. "Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, we are committed to ensuring that Americans in crisis can get the help and resources they need." 

Fox News reached out to DHS for additional comment. The changes come as President Donald Trump made major policy changes during the early days of his second term, which has led to a sharp decrease in encounters at the border and a continued crackdown on illegal immigrants with a criminal background in the U.S. interior. 

In total, DOGE has estimated it has saved $175 billion for taxpayers so far.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Preston Mizell contributed to this report. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, called on his fellow Democrats on Saturday to "be a little meaner" and stand up to President Donald Trump, who he described as a "bully."

Walz, a 2024 vice presidential candidate, was the keynote speaker at a Democratic Party state convention in Columbia, South Carolina, where he took jabs at the Republican president and sought to energize his party's activists.

"Maybe it's time for us to be a little meaner, a little bit more fierce, because we have to ferociously push back on this," Walz told the crowd in the Palmetto State.

The comment came after he said he had been accused of being "mean" when he threw criticism in recent months at Trump administration officials, including billionaire Elon Musk, who has since left his role in the federal government.

ACTING ICE DIRECTOR DEMANDS TIM WALZ APOLOGIZE FOR CALLING AGENTS 'MODERN-DAY GESTAPO'

"The thing that bothers a teacher more than anything is to watch a bully," Walz, a former schoolteacher, said. "And when it's a child, you talk to them and you tell them why bullying is wrong."

"But when it's an adult like Donald Trump, you bully the s–-t out of him back ... This is a ... cruel man," the governor added.

The Minnesota Democrat also criticized Trump as a "wannabe dictator" and an "existential threat."

"Donald Trump is the existential threat that we knew was coming," Walz said, noting that, for Democrats, "it is going to be a challenging few years here."

"We’ve got the guts and we need to have it to push back on the bullies and the greed," he said.

Walz also appeared Friday night, along with Maryland Democrat Gov. Wes Moore, at the party’s fundraising dinner and after-party fish fry hosted by South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn. Walz and Moore are on a long list of potential 2028 presidential candidates who have been traveling to early-voting states, although the Maryland governor said ​​he would not run for the White House in the next election cycle.

"I want to be clear: We can and we must condemn Donald Trump’s reckless actions. But we would also be foolish not to learn from his impatience," Moore said in his remarks.

"Donald Trump doesn’t need a study to dismantle democracy or use the Constitution like a suggestion box. Donald Trump doesn’t need a white paper to start arbitrary trade wars that raise the cost of virtually everything in our lives," he added.

The events gave the two governors the opportunity to test out their messages in front of hundreds of Democrats in the state that has long held the South's Democratic presidential primary and, last year, kicked off the party's nominating calendar entirely.

State party chair Christale Spain has said she will renew the argument to keep the state’s number one position in the next cycle, although national party organizations have not settled their 2028 calendars yet and party officials in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada are also looking to go first.

MINNESOTA REPUBLICAN ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR, VOWS TO 'FIX' WHAT TIM WALZ 'BROKE'

Just as he did on Friday night, Walz praised his fellow Democrats in his speech on Saturday for having the "courage" to keep fighting in a largely Republican state, where Democrats have not won a statewide election in about two decades and only hold one congressional seat.

"Damnit, we should be able to have some fun and be joyful," Walz said. "We've got the guts and we need to have it to push back on the bullies and the greed."

Walz has not officially said if he will seek a third term as governor in 2026, but acknowledges he is considering it. He has also given mixed signals on a potential 2028 presidential run.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Elon Musk confirmed on Saturday he is not taking ketamine, an anesthetic drug, after suspicious reports from news outlets and a bizarre video of Musk playing with a spoon at dinner resurfaced online.

The video, filmed in March, appears to show the 53-year-old tech mogul balancing spoons at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

"Watch the video—even the Secret Service looks embarrassed," the account wrote in the post.

"I’m not on ketamine ffs," Musk replied.

TRUMP SMACKS DOWN NBC REPORTER'S SUGGESTION OF A RUBIO-MUSK CLASH, CALLS HIM A 'TROUBLEMAKER'

The public response comes days after a New York Times report claimed Musk "juggled drugs and family drama" while on the campaign trail.

NYT reporters alleged Musk overused ketamine, leading to bladder issues. 

The report also cited erratic behavior, which supporters have attributed to his Asperger's diagnosis.

MUSK OPENS UP ABOUT DINNER PARTY THAT SOURED WHEN TRUMP'S NAME WAS INVOKED: 'LIKE METHAMPHETAMINE AND RABIES'

In a White House news conference on Friday, Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Musk in the Oval Office about the scathing report.

Before Doocy could finish asking his question, Musk sarcastically shot back, "Oh, wait, wait, wait. Is the New York Times… is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on Russiagate? Is it the same organization?"

ELON MUSK OPENS UP ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE WITH 'TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME' DURING 'HANNITY' EXCLUSIVE

Doocy replied, "I've got to check my Pulitzer counter."

Musk interjected, "it is," and President Donald Trump, sitting beside Musk, agreed.

"I think the judge has ruled against New York Times for their lies about the Russiagate hoax, and that they might have to give back that Pulitzer Prize," Musk countered. "That New York Times? Let's move on."

Musk could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.

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 the general election.

The rest is history for Boehner.

Fast-forward to today. Boehner took to X after the actor’s death. The former Speaker explained how Wendt was the brother-in-law of his opponent and "went on a late-night TV show and said some tough things." 

Boehner said that Wendt was "confusing me with someone else. He called later to apologize and we had a great conversation. Raising a glass tonight to the man America will always remember as Norm."

Or, as they might say on the show, "Cheers."

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. 

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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.

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.

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"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."

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."

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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.

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.

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's budget proposal, written by the California Department of Finance, 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," the proposal said. . 

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.

The 2025-26 budget proposal 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. 

The proposal said 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." 

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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. 

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.

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

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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."

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. 

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.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino made headlines this week when he revealed the bureau was "closing in" on suspects involved in planting two pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a sign that the bureau may soon solve the nagging, four-year mystery.

"The second we got in, I put a team on it and I said, ‘I want answers on this,’" Bongino told "Fox & Friends." "And I'm pretty confident that we're closing in on some suspects."

Law enforcement discovered the two pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committees' headquarters around the same time that thousands of rioters a few blocks away began to descend on the Capitol in protest of the 2020 election results.

A faction of President Donald Trump's base has since raised questions about the timing of the pipe bomb incident and security failures surrounding it and speculated that the Biden administration was not forthright to the public about the facts of the case. Prior to being sworn in, Bongino was a leading voice perpetuating that notion.

FBI 'CLOSING IN' ON SUSPECTS IN CASE OF DC PIPE BOMBS PLACED ON EVE OF JAN 6

A former Secret Service agent and podcast host, Bongino told listeners of his popular right-wing show that the FBI lied about the pipe bomb incident because the bureau did not want people to know it was an "inside job." 

Now as deputy director, Bongino is facing pressure from supporters and critics alike to release new details about the case.

Video footage released by the FBI shows an unidentified person placing the pipe bombs near the two headquarters more than 16 hours before law enforcement found them.

The suspect is seen wearing a gray hoodie, Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers, a face mask, glasses, and gloves.

FBI REOPENING INVESTIGATION INTO COCAINE FOUND AT BIDEN WHITE HOUSE

Prior to the administration change in January, the FBI also unveiled a minor last-minute detail that the suspect's height was about 5-foot-7.

A woman who is a Capitol Hill resident alerted a security guard that she spotted the first pipe bomb in an alley behind the RNC headquarters while she was out retrieving her laundry around 1 p.m.

Security footage showed her running from the area of the washer and dryer and notifying the guard. That set off a furious search that led officers at the DNC headquarters to discover a second pipe bomb there.

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general report published last year revealed the two explosive devices were "viable" and "could have detonated, causing innocent bystanders to be seriously injured or killed."

FBI RELEASES VIDEO SHOWING JANUARY 2021 PIPE BOMB SUSPECT PLANTING DEVICE OUTSIDE DNC, RNC OFFICES IN DC

The bombs included one-hour timers. An FBI official said they did not believe the timers could have detonated the bombs since the time had already elapsed when the bombs were found, according to the DHS report.

That report and an investigative report released by House Republicans revealed that then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at one point came within feet of the pipe bomb by the DNC.

The FBI has said it has received more than 600 tips, and it continues to offer a $500,000 reward for any successful leads.

The House Republicans' report noted the FBI initially investigated a person who searched on the internet for "pipe bomb DC" and a person who had recently purchased the Nike shoes seen in the surveillance footage.

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The report noted, however, that the pace of the FBI's inquiry dropped off after about a month as a result of leads drying up.

Three women and two physicians are suing to block a Kansas law that invalidates a pregnant woman's advance medical directive about end-of-life treatment.

The plaintiffs — one of whom is currently pregnant — are challenging the constitutionality of a clause in the state’s Natural Death Act that denies pregnant women the option to make advance directives to accept or refuse healthcare if they become incapacitated or terminally ill.

Patient plaintiffs Emma Vernon, Abigail Ottaway and Laura Stratton and physician plaintiffs Michele Bennett and Lynley Holman filed the lawsuit on Thursday. It argues that the clause violates the right to personal autonomy, privacy, equal treatment and freedom of speech by ignoring the end-of-life decisions of pregnant women.

CDC REMOVES COVID VACCINE RECOMMENDATION FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN, PREGNANT MOTHERS

Vernon, the pregnant plaintiff, wrote an advance healthcare directive stating that, if pregnant and diagnosed with a terminal condition, she would only like to receive life-sustaining treatment if "there is a reasonable medical certainty" that her child would reach full term and be born "with a meaningful prospect of sustained life and without significant conditions that would substantially impair its quality of life."

The lawsuit says her directive has not been "given the same deference the law affords to others who complete directives because of the Pregnancy Exclusion, and therefore she does not benefit from the same level of certainty that the directive otherwise provides."

All states have laws allowing people to write advance directives on the medical care they would like to receive if they become unable to make their own health decisions. Nine states, including Kansas, have clauses to invalidate a pregnant woman's advance directive.

The physicians who joined the lawsuit said the law requires them to provide pregnant patients with a lower standard of care than other patients and opens them up to civil and criminal lawsuits as well as professional penalties.

The lawsuit says the doctors "are deeply committed to the foundational medical principle that patients have a fundamental right to determine what treatment they receive, and that providing treatment without a patient’s informed consent violates both medical ethics and the law."

NEW MOM FURIOUS AT HUSBAND FOR CHOOSING FRIENDS AND BARBECUE OVER HER AND THEIR NEWBORN

"Yet Kansas law compels them to disregard their patients’ clearly expressed end-of-life decisions, forcing them to provide their pregnant patients with a lower standard of care than any of their other patients receive," it continues. "It demands this diminished care without offering any clarity on what end-of-life treatment they are required to provide—leaving them to guess at what the law expects while exposing them to civil, criminal, and professional consequences for getting it wrong."

The defendants in the lawsuit are Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, Kansas State Board of Healing Arts President Richard Bradbury and Douglas County District Attorney Dakota Loomis.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) saved over $5 million a year after discovering several agencies paid for far more software than they were actually using.

For example, the IRS was paying for 3,000 licenses for software but only used 25. Once DOGE discovered the waste, it cut the remaining 99% of the licenses.

"Agencies often have more software licenses than employees, and the licenses are often idle (i.e. paid for, but not installed on any computer)," DOGE wrote in a post on X. "These audits have been continuously run since first posted in February."

The Department of Labor slashed 68% of unused "project planning" software licenses, DOGE noted, and the Securities and Exchange Commission cut 78% of the remote desktop software programs it was paying for after finding the commission was only using 22% of the programs.

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According to DOGE, the three changes saved over $5 million a year.

DOGE raised a red flag in February that agencies were paying for more software licenses than employees when it shared a post about the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

With 13,000 employees, GSA was paying for 37,000 licenses for WinZip, a program used to archive and compress files.

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The agency also pays for 19,000 training software subscriptions, 7,500 project management software seats for a division with only 5,500 employees and three different ticketing systems.

The most recent post comes as billionaire Elon Musk steps down as the face of DOGE.

While DOGE was tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the budget, its efforts led to roughly $175 billion in savings due to asset sales, contract cancellations, fraud payment cuts and other ways to eliminate costs, according to an update on DOGE’s website. 

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The savings translate to about $1,087 in per taxpayer, the website notes.

Musk told reporters in the Oval Office Friday the savings will continue to build, and he is confident total cuts will amount to $1 trillion in the coming years.

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"The DOGE influence will only grow stronger," Musk said. "I liken it to a sort of person of Buddhism. It's like a way of life, so it is permeating throughout the government. And I'm confident that, over time, we'll see $1 trillion of savings, and a reduction in $1 trillion of waste, fraud reduction."

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.