NationalWatch

Former Vice President Kamala Harris had 107 days to convince the American people to elect her the next president. 

Tension between Harris’ team and former President Joe Biden‘s inner circle did not do her any favors, a new book by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson reveals. 

“Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” has returned questions about Biden’s cognitive decline and his administration’s alleged cover-up to the national conversation. 

The book also pulls back the curtain on the complicated relationship between Biden and Harris, spotlighting the distrust that had been brewing between their teams since Biden tapped Harris as his running mate in 2020. 

NEW BOOK REVEALS BIDEN’S INNER CIRCLE WORRIED ABOUT HIS AGE YEARS BEFORE BOTCHED DEBATE PERFORMANCE

Former Vice President Kamala Harris watches as former President Joe Biden speaks to members of the media at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (en Cedeno/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The choice for Biden’s vice president came down to Harris or Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., according to Thompson and Tapper.

NEW BOOK EXPOSES HOW TOP BIDEN COMMS STAFFER WAS ‘TIP OF THE SPEAR’ COVERING UP BIDEN’S COGNITIVE DECLINE

“Many on the Biden team felt that Harris didn’t put in the work and was also just not a very nice person. Several quietly expressed buyer’s remorse: They should have picked Whitmer.”

To Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, Whitmer represented the “next generation of Biden Democrats,” Thompson and Tapper said. 

Additionally, former first lady Jill Biden resented Harris after hitting him hard during the first Democratic primary in 2019 for opposing the Department of Education’s busing program to integrate public schools. “That little girl was me,” Harris said on the debate stage.

Former President Joe Biden shared an image of him and his wife Jill on Monday after it was announced he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. (X/JoeBiden)

“Still, Biden’s advisers did not fully trust her. Harris and her advisers felt it. Her aides got the impression that doing more than the bare minium to help was considered an act of disloyalty to Biden,” Tapper and Thompson said of Harris’ involvement in the 2020 campaign. “Some of that culture carried over into the White House.”

Biden privately called Harris a “work in progress” and was not confident she could beat then-former President Donald Trump in 2024. 

However, Harris’ team thought building up the vice president should have been a priority for Biden’s transitional presidency as a “bridge” for the next generation of Democratic leadership, as he said back in 2020. 

Former President Joe Biden reacts after his wife Jill Biden defended his record on “The View.” (ABC / Screenshot)

An excerpt of the book reads, “In the eyes of Harris’s team, the Biden White House was setting her up to fail. They gave her assignments her team considered politically toxic, such as dealing with the migration crisis, rarely offered to help, and knifed her to reporters along the way. Harris’s camp didn’t understand the hostility and the reluctance to offer her opportunities to shine.”

The Fox News Voter Analysis in 2024 found that 52% of voters said Trump was the better candidate to handle immigration, while just 36% said Harris. Additionally, it was a top issue for voters, with 20% saying it was the most important issue facing the country. 

Harris faced the brunt of criticism for the surge in border crossings during the Biden-Harris administration as the Trump campaign trolled her as the “border czar.”

When Biden dropped out of the race after his disastrous debate performance in summer 2024, Harris inherited his struggling campaign, and her old boss soon became a “liability.”

Then-Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“From the beginning of her campaign in July to the August weeks of picking a running mate, presiding over the convention, rolling out wave after wave of ads, and on through September debate prep, it was clear that Biden was a liability,” Tapper and Thompson wrote. 

Harris was caught in the crosshairs of Biden’s relentless gaffes and missteps as she tried to walk a fine line between loyalty to Biden and distancing herself from his failing campaign, as the journalists described. 

While Harris had “great affection for Joe,” her loyalty fired back when she told “The View” she would not have done anything differently than Biden as president. 

“There is not a thing that comes to mind,” Harris said – an instant attack ad for the Trump administration as they highlighted the Biden-Harris administration’s record on immigration, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and inflation. 

Then-President Joe Biden, right, and then-President-elect Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (AP)

“What is he doing?” Harris asked her team after Biden donned a Trump 2024 hat at a 9/11 memorial gathering at the Shanksville Fire Station, less than a month before the election. 

“This is completely unhelpful. And so unnecessary,” Harris told her team, according to the book. “That would be, the Harris campaign decided, the last time she would do a public event with the president before the election.”

However, Biden still wanted a role in the campaign, Tapper and Thompson said, as he saw former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama speaking at rallies on the campaign trail. 

“He didn’t seem to understand what a liability he had become.”

Then-President Joe Biden reacts as supporters greet him with a light display showing Georgians’ love for Biden at his debate watch party at Hyatt Regency Atlanta on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta. (Derek White/Getty Images for DNC)

When one of Trump’s supporters called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during a Madison Square Garden rally about a week before the election, what should have been a political layup for Democrats, became another mess for Harris to clean up. 

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said on a Voto Latino Zoom call.

While Biden was creating a political mess for Harris to clean up, Trump seized the opportunity to claim the narrative, sporting a high-visibility vest at a rally in battleground Michigan and hosting an impromptu press gaggle from the front seat of a garbage truck that was decked out in Trump decals. 

“By the end of the campaign, she had helped the Democratic Party, but her own candidacy was barely treading water. And the albatross that was Joe Biden kept getting heavier,” Tapper and Thompson said. 

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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 role in covering it up.

Representatives for Biden and Harris did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Former President Joe Biden‘s official health reports during his White House tenure did not show signs of aggressive prostate cancer, a Fox News Digital review of the health documents shows. 

Biden, who suffered two brain aneurysms in 1988 that nearly claimed his life, received clean bills of health in 2021, 2023 and 2024, according to former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor’s annual reports on the president’s state of health. 

Biden was scheduled to receive a physical by the end of January 2023 but delayed the evaluation due to a busy travel schedule, the White House reported at the time. The former president had a roughly 15-month period between his 2021 physical and one conducted in February 2023. 

Fox News Digital reviewed the three reports posted by the White House in 2021, 2023 and 2024 and found that there were no signs indicating aggressive prostate cancer was on the horizon for the 46th president — though concerns over skin cancer were a common theme throughout the three reports. 

‘SMALL NODULE’ FOUND IN BIDEN’S PROSTATE DURING ROUTINE EXAM, SPOKESPERSON SAYS

Former President Joe Biden shared an image of him and his wife Jill on Monday after it was announced he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. (X.com/@JoeBiden)

2021 

Biden’s White House physician released the president’s first annual health report in November 2021, declaring Biden a “healthy, vigorous” man. 

“President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” O’Connor wrote in the 2021 report. 

The report included routine screenings of Biden’s heart, eyes and teeth, as well as his occasional gastroesophageal reflux. 

TRUMP CALLS BIDEN’S CANCER DIAGNOSIS ‘VERY SAD’ WHILE QUESTIONING TIMELINE: ‘WASN’T INFORMED’

The report noted that Biden also underwent “routine” screenings for both colon cancer and skin cancer. Biden had multiple “localized, non-melenoma skin cancers removed” ahead of his presidency after spending a good deal of time in the sun as a youth, the report stated, but that there were “no areas suspicious for skin cancer” during the 2021 physical. 

The report did find that Biden was increasingly “throat clearing” and coughing during public events. O’Connor stated that Biden had long cleared his throat or coughed during speaking engagements, but such coughing or throat clearing “certainly seem more frequent and more pronounced over the last few months.” 

O’Connor said gastroesophageal reflux was likely the culprit behind Biden’s coughing after conducting multiple lung, oxygen and biological tests. 

The report also noted that Biden’s gait had become noticeably more stiff, which the doctor said required a “detailed investigation.” The stiffened gait was attributed to Biden’s wear and tear on his spine and mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet, which O’Connor said could be addressed with physical therapy and exercise. 

Then-President Joe Biden speaks during an event in 2021. That year, his White House physician declared him a “healthy, vigorous” man. (Carolyn Kaster/The Associated Press)

2023 

O’Connor released details on Biden’s second physical as president on Feb. 16, 2023, roughly 15 months after the release of his first presidential physical. The delay between the health assessments was attributed to the president’s busy schedule. 

Biden was notably also diagnosed with COVID-19 in July 2022 during the interim period of his first and second physicals. Biden was reported to have mild symptoms that July and was treated with the antiviral drug Paxlovid. 

The February 2023 physical report found that Biden was in good health and “fit” to serve as president. 

“President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency,” O’Connor wrote in his 2023 health memo.

OBAMA REACTS TO BIDEN CANCER DIAGNOSIS 

The report found that Biden’s gait had remained stiff since his last physical, though the issue had not worsened. The report overall found that his heart, lungs, eyes and teeth were all in good health. 

Biden underwent routine skin cancer surveillance, which found a small lesion on the president’s chest that required biopsy. The lesion was removed just a couple of weeks later without issue, a follow-up memo from O’Connor states. 

“As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma,” Biden’s doctor wrote in a memo after the lesion was removed. “All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. The area around the biopsy site was treated presumptively with electrodessication and curettage at the time of biopsy. No further treatment is required.” 

The 2023 physical health report also provided updates on Biden’s COVID-19 recovery, which the White House doctor said went smoothly in part due to Biden receiving the coronavirus vaccine and two booster shots before the infection. 

BIDEN HEALTH SUMMARY RELEASED BY WHITE HOUSE, PRESIDENT CALLED ‘HEALTHY, ROBUST’

The February 2023 physical report found that then-President Joe Biden was in good health and “fit” to serve as president. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/The Associated Press)

2024 

The report on Biden’s final physical examination as president was released Feb. 28, 2024 and again found the president in good health and able to serve as president. 

“President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” the most recent memo stated. 

Again, vital organs such as the heart and eyes received a clean bill of health, while Biden’s stiff gait did not worsen in the interim since 2023, though the doctor noted “arthritic changes” that were moderate to severe. 

O’Connor reported that he conducted a neurological exam and determined that no cerebral or neurological issues were compounding the president’s stiff gait. The test did support previous findings of peripheral neuropathy of the feet, the report stated. 

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

The 2024 physical additionally noted that the lesion removed from Biden’s chest the year prior needed no additional treatment, as basal cell carcinoma typically does not metastasize. 

The report added that Biden had been using a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine when sleeping after he showed symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. The president had previously reported similar symptoms in 2008 and 2019, O’Connor stated, but that they subsided after sinus and nasal passage surgeries before his presidency.

He also underwent a root canal that year with no complications. 

Then-President Joe Biden, right, and President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office in 2024. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

Who is Dr. O’Connor? 

Dr. O’Connor has overseen Biden’s health since 2009 and built a close relationship with the president and his family, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

“I have never had a better commander than Joe Biden,” O’Connor said in a profile interview with his alma mater, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, when Biden served as vice president. “All politics aside, he approaches his craft with such honor. He’s 100 percent ‘family first.’ He’s ‘genuinely genuine.’”

FLASHBACK: WHITE HOUSE PRESS SEC KARINE JEAN-PIERRE LAUGHS OFF QUESTION ON BIDEN’S HEALTH IN 2022

O’Connor overwhelmingly remained out of the spotlight during Biden’s tenure until the spring of 2024, when speculation mounted among both conservatives and Democrats that the president’s mental acuity was slipping, with pundits and the media subsequently demanding to hear directly from O’Connor on the state of Biden’s health. 

Physician Kevin O’Connor has overseen former President Joe Biden’s health since 2009. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

The White House physician is affectionately known to Biden and his family simply as “Doc,” and was requested by Biden in 2009 to stay on as his physician after serving in the White House Medical Unit under the President George W. Bush administration, according to the profile. 

O’Connor was first appointed to the White House Medical Unit in 2006 for what was intended to be a three-year military assignment, according to his profile published by the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, from which he graduated in 1992. 

Instead, “Vice President Biden asked O’Connor to stay on,” the profile continues. 

O’Connor complied, marking the beginning of their doctor-patient relationship that has reportedly evolved into a close relationship with the president’s large family. 

Biden’s 2017 memoir, “Promise Me, Dad,” features the president reflecting on his close relationship with “Doc,” including O’Connor joining the family on their annual vacation to Massachusetts’ Nantucket in his capacity as the White House physician and balking at the family’s “browsing extravaganza” on the island. The White House medical unit always travels with a president to best protect his health and safety.  

The physician’s relationship with the family seemingly grew closer, according to the memoir, when the president’s son, Beau Biden, was diagnosed with brain cancer — which ultimately claimed his life in 2015. 

“Doc was good with Beau, who was still trying to get his bearings in those first few days. Real fear was starting to creep in. Sometimes Beau would grab him when everybody else was out of earshot to get his honest assessment,” Biden wrote in the memoir. 

“‘Whatever it is, this is bad,’ he told Beau, ‘but we’re gonna find out what it is. And once we find out what it is, we will have a plan.’” 

“‘Promise?’ Beau asked.”

“‘Promise.’” 

WHO IS WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN DR. KEVIN O’CONNOR AND WHAT ARE HIS CLOSE TIES TO THE BIDEN FAMILY?

In another excerpt, Beau Biden requested O’Connor “promise” to take care of his father if he should die. 

“‘Seriously, Doc. No matter what happens,'” Beau Biden said to O’Connor, according to the book. ‘”Take care of Pop. For real. Promise me. For real.’”

Back in 2018, Joe Biden’s sister-in-law, Sara Biden, described O’Connor as a “friend” who provided medical advice to members of the Biden family beyond the eventual commander in chief. 

“Colonel O’Connor was actually a friend and he — we would frequently ask for his recommendations if any of us had a medical issue, so it was not uncommon to ask him if he had a recommendation,” she said in a deposition related to a New York state medical malpractice case involving her daughter, Fox News previously reported. 

The state of Biden’s health now?

Biden’s office announced May 18 that the former president had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer, which set off concern that such a cancer should have been discovered sooner. 

“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” Biden’s team shared in a statement. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.” 

Former President Joe Biden’s office announced May 18 that the former president was diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP)

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” the statement said. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.” 

Physicians have remarked that they are “shocked” that the cancer had not been discovered sooner. 

“Thank God they found it. (Biden is) a fighter. He’s been through a tremendous amount in his life… with his son, with (his) wife, with (his) daughter,” Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said May 19. “Two aneurysms, atrial fibrillation. He’s been through a lot health-wise, but I am absolutely shocked that they didn’t find this earlier.” 

A spokesperson for Biden confirmed to Fox News on May 20 that Biden’s last known prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which screens a patient for prostate cancer, was conducted in 2014. 

“President Biden’s last known PSA was in 2014,” a Biden spokesperson told Fox News. “Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Biden posted to X on May 19 in his first message since publicly revealing the diagnosis to thank supporters. 

“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” Biden wrote on X, accompanied by a photo with former first lady Jill Biden. “Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.” 

Outgoing United States Capitol Police (USCP) Chief J. Thomas Manger has sounded off on President Donald Trump’s pardons of the Jan. 6 defendants – calling the day of the sweeping pardons one of the most troubling moments of his career, according to a report. 

Manger, who will retire later this week, has been a vocal critic of those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and lamented Trump pardoning nearly all defendants shortly after his inauguration this year.

He told WTOP “I was angry and as frustrated about that as I’ve ever been professionally.”

U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger has criticized President Donald Trump for pardoning Jan. 6 defendants. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, left, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, right.)

TRUMP PARDONS NEARLY ALL JAN. 6 DEFENDANTS ON INAUGURATION DAY

Manger told the outlet that as discouraging as that was, it made him determined to continue to make improvements. “What it made me feel like is somebody’s got to stay here and stand up for these cops,” Manger said.

Manger has served as USCP chief since July 2021 and was hired to rebuild the force and implement reforms to enhance security and preparedness in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot. The more than 100 reform recommendations included expanding intelligence, training and riot-response capabilities.

He has often condemned the attack, referring to it as an “insurrection” and an attack on democracy. Trump has referred to those who were imprisoned as “hostages.” 

“Some people in this country believe January 6 wasn’t that bad,” Manger told WTOP. “My cops know what happened on January 6. They know what happened. They were here.”

Manger’s police career stretches back to 1977, when he started out as an officer with the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia. He rose to chief of department in 1998 and remained in that role until 2004. Manger became chief of police in Montgomery County, Maryland, in 2004 and held the position until his retirement in 2019. 

Americans loyal to then-President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

US CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF TOM MANGER UPSET COLBERT CREW WAS SPARED

On July 23, 2021, he was appointed chief of the United States Capitol Police, succeeding Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman.

When news broke that the Justice Department had agreed in principle to pay $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt, a former Air Force veteran who was shot dead during the Capitol Riot, Manger sent a message to his department’s officers writing that he was “extremely disappointed.”

“In 2021, the DOJ said that there was no evidence to show that law enforcement broke the law. After a thorough investigation, it was determined to be a justified shooting. “This settlement sends a chilling message to law enforcement officers across our nation — especially those who have a protective mission like ours,” Manger wrote, according to the Washington Post.

In December 2022, the USCP were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal — the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress — for their bravery on Jan. 6, 2021. Manger accepted the honor on behalf of the department.

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger is sworn in to testify before a Senate Rules and Administration Committee oversight hearing on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, in Washington. Manger has sounded off on President Donald Trump’s pardons of the Jan. 6 defendants. (Tom Williams/Pool via AP)

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The USCP dates back to 1800, when the Congress moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., and a lone watchman, John Golding, was hired to protect the Capitol Building, according to USCP website.

After a number of incidents in 1827 that could have been prevented with sufficient security and surveillance, then President John Quincy Adams asked that a regular Capitol Police force be established. On May 2, 1828, Congress passed an act that expanded the police regulations of the City of Washington to include the Capitol and Capitol Square. It is on this date that the USCP commemorates its founding.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., called Russian President Vladimir Putin “crazy,” expressing support for Ukraine and advocating for “Secondary sanctions & arms support NOW.”

“I agree with President Trump, war criminal Putin is crazy. The civilized world will not sit by for Putin’s imperial tantrum at the cost of more children’s lives. Secondary sanctions & arms support NOW. Grateful to stand with Ukraine as they continue to repel this unprovoked INVASION and work for peace in their homeland,” Wilson wrote on X on Monday.

President Donald Trump asserted in a Sunday night Truth Social post that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY!” and is “needlessly killing” many people. 

GERMANY’S CHANCELLOR ENDS WEAPONS RANGE LIMITS FOR UKRAINE DESPITE RUSSIAN NUCLEAR THREATS

Left: Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., leaves the Capitol Hill Club after a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Tuesday, March 25, 2025; Right: President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks at the National Memorial Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheatre in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on May 26, 2025 (Left: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Right: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump, who has been aiming to help bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, blasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the post as well, declaring, “Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop.”

In a Monday night post on X, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, urged President Trump to act. 

“I’ve had enuf of Putin killing innocent ppl. Pres Trump Take action AT LEAST SANCTIONS,” Grassley said in the post.

GOP LAWMAKER BLASTS ‘DUMB’ TRUMP COMMENT ON ZELENSKYY DESPITE ‘PERFECT’ CRITICISM OF PUTIN

A massive bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators is supporting a proposed sanctions measure. Grassley is an original cosponsor on the Senate measure and Wilson is an original cosponsor on the House edition.

Zelenskyy is also advocating for sanctions.

RUSSIA, UKRAINE SWAP HUNDREDS OF PRISONERS HOURS AFTER MOSCOW LAUNCHES MASSIVE AERIAL ASSAULT

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“New and strong sanctions against Russia — from the United States, from Europe, and from all those around the world who seek peace — will serve as a guaranteed means of forcing Russia not only to cease fire, but also to show respect,” Zelenskyy declared Monday in a post on X.

I didn’t recognize the “917” New York number that called me.

But there was no question about who phoned after they left a message.

The caller on the voicemail was utterly unmistakable.

They didn’t say their name.

They didn’t have to.

“Chad, you’re the only one who missed me,” croaked the voice.

FORMER NY DEMOCRATIC REP CHARLIE RANGEL DEAD AT 94

It carried the sleekness of a stone crusher working over basalt in a West Virginia quarry.

The voicemail was from the late Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y. And he was essentially calling to assure me that he wasn’t dead.

After all, I was apparently the only member of the congressional press corps who noticed that the New York Democrat hadn’t voted nor been anywhere near the U.S. Capitol in several weeks.

There was no article in Roll Call. Nothing in Politico. No statement from his office.

Rangel just wasn’t around.

Former Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y. — a man whose tenure on Capitol Hill I have many fond memories of — died Monday. He was 94. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

So I called and wound up speaking to his communications director Hannah Kim and chief of staff George Henry.

I inquired if Rangel was all right. They assured me he was. But they didn’t quite give me the full story. That was for Rangel to do.

And then Rangel himself called — from his sickbed — so I could hear his signature jackhammer-chopping-through-the-asphalt-of-Manhattan voice to prove to this reporter he was still among the living.

“I wanted you to hear it from me,” said Rangel.

EX-REP. CHARLIE RANGEL, 94, QUESTIONS WHETHER BIDEN BELONGS IN NURSING HOME, NOT WHITE HOUSE

It was 2012. Rangel was out because of a back injury and a viral infection, which made it difficult for him to stand for long periods of time. From 2008 through late 2010, I dogged Rangel through the halls of Congress on a daily basis as the veteran congressman grappled with an ethics scandal. The ethics case culminated in the House censuring Rangel, permanently smudging his record as a war hero, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

First elected to the House in 1970, Rangel’s star had dimmed after the ethics scandal. But in 2012, any information about an elderly, legendary congressman like Rangel was newsworthy. So, as a reporter on the Capitol Hill beat, I appreciated the phone call as he described the excruciating pain that beset him.

It’s possible the Ethics Committee investigation and censure by the House were more agonizing for Rangel than the back problem. Rangel was so confident that he didn’t violate House rules that he referred himself to the Ethics Committee.

Rangel’s woes with the Ethics Committee might as well have been more painful for him than his back problems. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Rangel started to feel the ethics heat in 2008. He used his position as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee to solicit funds for a school in his name at City College of New York. He failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes or rental income on a villa he owned in the Dominican Republic. 

A rent-controlled apartment in Harlem doubled as a campaign office. He improperly parked his broken-down, 1972 silver Mercedes-Benz in the garage of the Rayburn House Office Building. The House prohibits lawmakers from using the garage for storage. The Benz lacked plates, wasn’t registered and apparently hadn’t been driven in about four years. A Falls Church, Virginia, towing company lugged the car out of the garage on Sept. 19, 2008.

Video of the tow-truck hauling away the Mercedes-Benz from Rayburn would have made a juicy story the next morning on TV. But Rangel caught a break.

Sort of.

VIRGINIA DEMOCRATIC REP GERRY CONNOLLY DEAD AT 75

Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., summoned then-Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson to Capitol Hill that night. The U.S. economy teetered on the verge of an epic financial collapse. By nightfall, it was clear just how bad the nation’s economy was. Everyone temporarily forgot about Rangel. In fact, the inoperable Benz may have been in better shape than some American car companies at that moment.

But the House Ethics Committee was investigating Rangel. An inquiry started in 2009 and culminated in his censure on the House floor in 2010. The House voted 333-79 to discipline Rangel. A somber Rangel presented himself in the well of the House chamber, hands folded in front of him as though he were about to receive Communion. Pelosi doled out her admonition from the dais and lightly rapped the gavel.

“He violated the public trust,” said then-Ethics Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.

It was the first censure of a House member in 27 years.

Years after the fact, I half-jokingly suggested that Rangel could blame his Ethics Committee problems on me. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Years later, I half-jokingly told Rangel that he could blame me for his problems with the Ethics Committee.

As stated earlier, it was Rangel who believed his actions were beyond reproach. So he sent himself before the Ethics Committee to review his conduct.

I entered the Capitol one morning in 2008 and discovered his longtime aide, Emile Milne, wandering the basement. I asked Milne what he was looking for. He waived an overstuffed envelope at me.

“The Ethics Committee,” said Milne.

DEMOCRATS’ BOILING POT: A LOOK AT THEIR 2026 GAME PLAN

This was the actual “self-referral” to the Ethics Committee. And Milne was the courier of a dossier Rangel would use to defend himself.

I knew exactly where the Ethics Committee was located in those days in the Capitol catacombs. So I escorted Milne to the door.

As I said, I told Rangel he could blame all of his problems on me.

I recall one instance in which Rangel, hounded by the press, fired back at them with his name, rank and serial number — the only things a prisoner of war is obliged to provide. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

Between 2008 and 2010, I staked out Rangel somewhere at the Capitol nearly every day. The day Pelosi summoned him to her office. The day Pelosi removed him as Ways and Means Committee chairman. The day he spoke at length on the House floor to defend himself against the allegations after the ethics panel formalized its inquiry.

One night, a scrum of reporters caught Rangel in the hallway off the House floor and pelted him with a barrage of questions. Rangel briefly answered. Then deflected. He then decided he had enough as scribes fired questions at him with the speed of a Gatling gun.

Rangel sighed, exasperated at what to do.

“Sergeant Charles B. Rangel. 85718162!” hollered Rangel. “And that’s all I’m going to say about it!”

It’s unclear if the other reporters understood what just happened. But I did.

BY DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT: BATTLES TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ WILL FACE IN THE SENATE

Rangel served in the Army during the Korean War. He was wounded in the back by shrapnel and eventually led dozens of men out of a firefight and to safety. Multiple soldiers died, and others were taken prisoner. Rangel received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with valor.

Rangel survived that day. But back on Capitol Hill, the news cycle had effectively taken Rangel prisoner. So he complied with the terms of the Geneva Convention. A prisoner of war is only compelled to provide enemy captors their name, rank and serial number. And after absorbing heavy fire from the press corps, Rangel had only one option.

It’s notable that someone with Rangel’s military record and Army service passed away on Memorial Day.

Rangel, a decorated veteran, died on Memorial Day. (Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)

In August 2008, Rangel published his autobiography entitled “And I Haven’t Had a Bad Day Since.” The book chronicles how a high school dropout joined the Army and was wounded on the battlefield. Rangel chose to continue — eventually winding up in Congress as one of the most important lawmakers of the last 50 years. But Rangel then faced one of the harshest punishments Congress could dole out. It cost him his chairmanship and upended his reputation.

But Rangel was often philosophical about his fate and transgressions in Congress. He argued that despite the trouble, he still hadn’t had a bad day since that fateful battle in Kunu-ri, Korea in late 1950.

Back in 2012, I may have been the only one who noticed that Rangel was absent when he was suffering from a back issue and viral infection.

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But I certainly won’t be the only one today.

A Republican lawmaker from Tennessee is calling for a federal investigation into Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s handling of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, adding he will not back down.

Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said in a post on X that with support from the House Judiciary Committee, he is formally requesting all documents and communications from O’Connell’s office pertaining to his alleged protection of illegal immigrants.

Specifically, Ogles is requesting documents related to “the amendment of Executive Order 30,” which he referred to as “an outrageous directive requiring Nashville employees and first responders to report all communication with federal immigration authorities directly to the mayor.”

Ogles also said he is requesting any internal discussions or documents concerning ICE enforcement actions in Nashville or Davidson County and all correspondence involving Metro employees and affiliated nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) pertaining to the arrests or detention of criminal illegal aliens within the city or county.

HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) is calling on federal agencies and committees to investigate Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s alleged obstruction of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. (Michael M. Santiago)

Along with his post, Ogles shared a video of his announcement.

“We’ve heard it: the individuals that the mayor is standing with are murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, sexual predators, child traffickers…the list goes on,” he said. “Which is why I will always stand on the rule of law and with ICE. And I don’t just stand with ICE; I’ll stand in front of ICE because we the people have had enough.

“I choose my community, my state and my family over this type of nonsense, which is why, due to the remarks of Freddie O’Connell and the potential for aiding and abetting illegal immigration, the Homeland Security and the Judiciary Committees will be conducting an investigation into the mayor of Nashville, his conduct and whether or not federal dollars have been used in criminal enterprise,” Ogles continued. “I will not back down. I will not relent, and I will always stand with law enforcement. I want my community, and I want my country back.”

DHS FIRES BACK AT BLUE-CITY MAYOR UNHAPPY ABOUT ICE OPERATION, PROVIDES RAP SHEETS FOR THOSE CHARGED

Ogles’ announcement comes 10 days after he sent a letter urging for an investigation into O’Connell, whom the Trump administration has accused of supporting “pro-illegal policies.”

O’Connell’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.

Earlier this month, ICE agents working with the Tennessee Highway Patrol arrested nearly 200 people who the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said were illegal immigrants – many of them criminals with gang affiliations or other sordid pasts.

ICE CRACKS DOWN ON DC-AREA BUSINESSES, NEARLY 200 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), agents detain an immigrant on October 14, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)

A DHS news release targeted O’Connell by name over comments he made in early May. “What’s clear today is that people who do not share our values of safety and community have the authority to cause deep community harm.”

After the arrests, O’Connell signed an executive order aimed at tracking peoples’ interactions with federal immigration authorities, according to WSMV4.

O’Connell also wrote a letter to the city about the ICE arrests.

“Our top priority is keeping people safe, and we’re deeply concerned that what appear to be federal actions are making that harder,” O’Connell wrote. “Overnight, we understand that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents detained people during enforcement actions in Middle Tennessee. As we learn more, I want to be clear: No [Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD)] personnel were involved in last night’s enforcement action.”

BLUE CITY MAYOR SAYS ICE ARRESTS OF DANGEROUS CRIMINALS ARE NOT ‘FOCUSED ON MAKING US SAFER’

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell criticized ICE raids in Nashville, saying they are not focused on making the city safer, but instead leave the community fearing law enforcement interaction. (Getty Images)

He added that the city’s police department does not have federal immigration authority, nor are its members trained to conduct immigration enforcement.

O’Connell also said the police department lacks access to federal immigration databases.

“This type of federal enforcement action is not focused on making us safer and leaves people in our community fearing any interaction with law enforcement when there is a crime occurring,” he added. “We will be seeking the names of those detained.”

DHS said the Nashville operation resulted in the arrests of a convicted child sex predator, an alleged member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, an individual convicted of aggravated assault and multiple illegal aliens on drug charges.

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“The Nashville Mayor should want these criminal illegal aliens off American streets,” DHS posted on X. “Attacks and demonization of our brave law enforcement is wrong. ICE officers are now facing a 413% increase in assaults. President Trump campaigned on immigration enforcement, the American people voted for it, and DHS is delivering.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has put forth legislation amending the International Bridge Act of 1972 that would ​​expedite the presidential permitting process for all international bridges and land ports of entry.

The bipartisan bill from Cruz and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., will expand on legislation previously written by Cruz and passed into law that streamlined permits for international bridges in Eagle Pass, Laredo and Brownsville.

The new bill will streamline all permits for international bridges and ports of entry for Mexico and Canada.

TED CRUZ MOCKS ‘CRAZY TOWN’ DEMS, AS MARYLAND SENATOR GETS DEFENSIVE ABOUT ADVOCACY FOR ALLEGED MS-13 MEMBER

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has put forth legislation amending the International Bridge Act of 1972 that would ​​expedite the presidential permitting process for all international bridges and land ports of entry. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

In a news release, Cruz discussed how this new bill has been a top priority for him.

“This bill builds on and expands our success in securing presidential permits for four major international bridge projects in South Texas by streamlining the approval process for all future international bridges along the Texas–Mexico border,” Cruz said in a news release.

Cruz strongly urged his colleagues “to pass this bill so it can be sent to the President for signature.”

BIPARTISAN SENATE BILL TARGETS BORDER HUMAN, DRUG TRAFFICKING WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., has co-authored a bill to expedite the presidential permit process for international bridges and ports of entry on the southern and northern borders. (Andrea Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Lujan said in a news release that he was proud to introduce bipartisan legislation that would deliver real investments to New Mexico.

“Ports of entry and international bridges are vital to the economic success of our border communities, supporting trade, business, and tourism,” Lujan said. “Yet, new border crossings are too often held up by the presidential permit process.”

Dr. Victor Treviño, Mayor of the City of Laredo, thanked both senators for putting this bipartisan bill together that strengthens the northern and southern border.

This new bill will streamline all permits for International Bridges and Ports of Entry for Mexico and Canada. (Matthew Busch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“This bill marks a critical step toward modernizing the development and expansion of cross-border infrastructure by bringing much-needed efficiency and predictability to the presidential permitting process—an essential reform for communities like Laredo, which continues to be on the front lines of international commerce as the #1 Port of Entry in the United States,” Trevino said in a news release.

Trevino also urged Congress to pass this bill so that President Donald Trump can sign it.

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The bill also includes a bar on future administrations from considering environmental documents, including documents created as part of the National Environmental Policy Act.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Cruz’s office for comment.

Nick Butler is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Do you have any tips? Reach out to Nick.Butler@Fox.com.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation on Monday which he said makes it “crystal clear” that only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in elections in his state.

“I just signed off on a joint resolution to make it crystal clear under the Texas Constitution that if you are not a citizen of the United States of America, you are not allowed to vote in Texas,” the governor said in a video posted to X.

Texas State Senator Brian Birdwell, a Republican, introduced Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 37 in January, and in the resolution, he proposed a constitutional amendment clarifying that voters in Texas elections must be citizens of the U.S.

Prior to the resolution, the constitution prohibited people who are under the age of 18, along with those who were determined mentally incompetent by a court or who were convicted of a felony, from voting in elections.

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER REQUIRING PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS: ‘AN HONOR TO SIGN THIS ONE’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a joint resolution to amend the state constitution and make it a requirement for U.S. citizens to only be allowed to vote in elections in Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

But the amendment proposes adding a line to the classes of people who “shall not be allowed to vote” in Texas, which reads, “persons who are not citizens of the United States.”

Birdwell’s joint resolution was approved by the state senate in April, then by the state house in May.

Abbott signed the joint resolution on Monday, but it still has one more step. In fact, Texas citizens will have the final say in November on whether the state constitution can be ratified to include the requirement in the state constitution.

TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON VOTING BLOCKED BY FEDERAL JUDGE AMID FLURRY OF LEGAL SETBACKS

Texas voters will get the opportunity to have the final say on whether to only allow U.S. citizens to vote in elections in the state. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Abbott’s and Birdwell’s offices for comment.

Last month, a federal judge blocked an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that would require documentary proof of citizenship before being allowed to register to vote.

Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia handed down the order in response to lawsuits filed by three separate groups of plaintiffs over five different provisions in a March 25 Trump executive order relating to election integrity. While Kollar-Kotelly dismissed requests to block three of the provisions, requests to block two other provisions pertaining to a proof of citizenship requirement for voters were granted. 

JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ELECTION ORDER DESPITE OVERWHELMING AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR VOTER ID

A voter fills out her ballot. (GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images)

The first blocked provision sought to compel the Election Assistance Commission to amend standardized national voter registration forms to require documentary proof of citizenship. The second sought to require federal agencies offering voter registration to people on public assistance to “assess” the individual’s citizenship status before doing so.

“Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States — not the President — with the authority to regulate federal elections. Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legislation that would affect many of the changes the President purports to order,” Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton-appointee, wrote in her order. “No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order.”

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Meanwhile, 25 states, including Texas, are considering some form of proof-of-citizenship legislation, according to the Voting Rights Lab, which is tracking such legislation. In total, 15 state constitutions have explicit prohibitions against non-citizen voting.

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he will pardon a former Virginia sheriff convicted of taking more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for appointing businessmen as auxiliary deputy sheriffs within his department. 

In a Truth Social post, Trump said Scott Howard Jenkins, 53, of Culpeper, Virginia, was supposed to report to jail Tuesday but “instead will have a wonderful and productive life.”

Jenkins, the former sheriff of Culpeper County, was convicted last year of one count of conspiracy, four counts of honest services fraud, and seven counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. He was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison.

JD VANCE SPELLS OUT WHAT TRUMP’S PROCESS TO ‘RECTIFY’ ‘UNFAIR’ JAN 6 PROSECUTIONS COULD LOOK LIKE

Former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins speaks during a gun rights rally in Richmond, Va. Jenkins has been granted a pardon by President Donald Trump after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for taking more than $75,000 in bribes.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In his post, Trump said the former sheriff and his wife have been “dragged through HELL by a Corrupt and Weaponized Biden” Justice Department.

“In fact, during his trial, when Sheriff Jenkins tried to offer exculpatory evidence to support himself, the Biden Judge, Robert Ballou, refused to allow it, shut him down, and then went on a tirade,” Trump wrote. “As we have seen, in Federal, City, and State Courts, Radical Left or Liberal Judges allow into evidence what they feel like, not what is mandated under the Constitution and Rules of Evidence.”

“This Sheriff is a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice, and doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail,” he added. “He is a wonderful person, who was persecuted by the Radical Left ‘monsters,’ and ‘left for dead.’ This is why I, as President of the United States, see fit to end his unfair sentence, and grant Sheriff Jenkins a FULL and Unconditional Pardon.”

HOW MY JAN. 6 CLIENTS WERE ROBBED OF FAIRNESS IN DC BENCH TRIALS

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on March 24. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Federal prosecutors alleged Jenkins accepted cash bribes and bribes in the form of campaign contributions from co-defendants Rick Rahim, Fredric Gumbinner and James Metcalf, as well as at least five others, including two FBI undercover agents.

In exchange, Jenkins appointed the people paying the bribes as auxiliary deputy sheriffs, a sworn law-enforcement position, and issued them official Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office badges and credentials, authorities said.

None of the payers were trained or vetted and did not render any legitimate services to the sheriff’s office, prosecutors said. 

The entrance to the Sheriff’s Office in Culpeper, Va. (Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images)

In April, Jenkins said he hoped that Trump would intervene in his case. 

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“I truly believe if I could get an hour of time with someone in the administration and lay out some facts with my attorney and I really believe if they could hear the other side which I couldn’t get in front of the jury — I believe wholeheartedly in the president,” he said during a webinar hosted by the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. “I believe if he heard the information, I know he would help if he knew my story.”

President Donald Trump honored fallen American heroes and praised God during a Memorial Day address at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Monday, vowing to “fix” the republic founded nearly 250 years ago. 

“We gathered today to honor the incredible service members who rest in glory in this cemetery and burial grounds around the world, and in a thousand lonely places known only to God in every hour of peril and every moment of crisis,” Trump said. “American warriors have left behind the blessings of home and family to answer their nation’s call. They’ve offered all that they had within them and given their last breaths to each and every one of us, that we might live safe and breathe free.

“This morning we pay tribute to their immortal deeds. We share in the sorrow of their beloved families, and as one nation, we give thanks for the ultimate gift they have so selflessly given to all of us, these warriors. And that’s what they are as great, great warriors picked up their mantle of duty and service, knowing that to live for others meant always that they might die for others.” 

TRUMP FIRES OFF MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE TARGETING ‘SCUM’ WHO SOUGHT TO ‘DESTROY’ THE US

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance salute during the 157th National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, in Arlington, Va.  (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The president said Memorial Day 2025 “is especially significant as we commemorate 250 years since the first American Patriots fell on the field of battle two and a half centuries ago.”

“At Lexington Green, Concord Bridge, Bunker Hill, brave minutemen and humble farm boys became the first to give their lives for a nation that did not yet have a name,” Trump said. “Those young men could never have known what their sacrifice would mean to us, but we certainly know what we owe to them. Their valor gave us the freest, greatest and most noble republic ever to exist on the face of the earth.” 

He added: “A republic that I am fixing after a long and hard four years. That was a hard four years we went through. Who would let that happen? People pouring through our borders unchecked. People doing things that are indescribable and not for today to discuss, but the republic, that is now doing so very well. We’re doing so very well right now, considering the circumstances, and we’ll do record-setting better with time.

“We will do better than we’ve ever done as a nation, better than ever before. I promise you that.”

Trump recognized the surviving family members in attendance of several fallen soldiers who he mentioned by name, including veterans who died in the line of duty in Vietnam, Iraq and Syria. 

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp attend a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday.  (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

TRUMP ACCUSES HARVARD OF BEING ‘VERY SLOW’ TO TURN OVER FOREIGN STUDENT INFO

In remembering their stories, the president also promised a “big, big celebration” next year commemorating the 250th anniversary of the nation and thanked God that he would be in office to celebrate the significant milestone. 

“These extraordinary American heroes and their immense and ultimate sacrifices. They offer only the faintest glimpse at the infinite grace we have received from all who laid down their lives for America over the past 250 years. We’re going to have a big, big celebration. As you know, 250 years,” Trump said. 

“In some ways, I’m glad I missed that second term where it was because I wouldn’t be president for that,” he added, drawing some laughter. “Most important of all, in addition, we have the World Cup and we have the Olympics. Can you imagine? I missed that four years. And now look what I have. I have everything amazing. The way things work out.”

President Donald Trump at the 157th National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

“God did that. I believe that too. He did that,” Trump said, crediting divine intervention after he lost re-election in 2020 and later was reelected in 2024. 

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“In any corner of this cemetery, at any resting place for our war dead, anywhere on Earth, you’ll find untold stories of equal heroism, heroism and heartbreak, unmatched patriotism and devotion, and acts of selflessness and courage so enormous they defy comprehension,” Trump said. “We salute them in their eternal and everlasting glory. And we continue our relentless pursuit of America’s destiny as we make our nation stronger, prouder, freer and greater than ever before.

“May God bless our fallen heroes. May God bless our Gold Star families, and may God bless the United States of America.”

President Donald Trump issued one of his signature spicy holiday greetings on Memorial Day. 

The president, who posted the all-caps tirade on Monday morning, called out the “SCUM” who he said had attempted to destroy the nation.

“HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY THROUGH WARPED RADICAL LEFT MINDS, WHO ALLOWED 21,000,000 MILLION PEOPLE TO ILLEGALLY ENTER OUR COUNTRY, MANY OF THEM BEING CRIMINALS AND THE MENTALLY INSANE, THROUGH AN OPEN BORDER THAT ONLY AN INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT WOULD APPROVE, AND THROUGH JUDGES WHO ARE ON A MISSION TO KEEP MURDERERS, DRUG DEALERS, RAPISTS, GANG MEMBERS, AND RELEASED PRISONERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, IN OUR COUNTRY SO THEY CAN ROB, MURDER, AND RAPE AGAIN — ALL PROTECTED BY THESE USA HATING JUDGES WHO SUFFER FROM AN IDEOLOGY THAT IS SICK, AND VERY DANGEROUS FOR OUR COUNTRY,” he declared in the first portion of the post.

TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘NOT HAPPY’ WITH PUTIN AFTER MASSIVE UKRAINE STRIKE

President Donald Trump departs the White House on May 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Trump, who took office a little more than four months ago, asserted that significant progress has been made.

He also appeared to refer to some judges as “MONSTERS.” 

AMERICANS SHOULD HONOR MEMORIAL DAY IN THIS WAY, MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS SUGGEST

“HOPEFULLY THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT, AND OTHER GOOD AND COMPASSIONATE JUDGES THROUGHOUT THE LAND, WILL SAVE US FROM THE DECISIONS OF THE MONSTERS WHO WANT OUR COUNTRY TO GO TO HELL. BUT FEAR NOT, WE HAVE MADE GREAT PROGRESS OVER THE LAST 4 MONTHS, AND AMERICA WILL SOON BE SAFE AND GREAT AGAIN! AGAIN, HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!” he declared.

The president has been frustrated as aspects of his agenda have been hampered amid legal wranglings. 

TRUMP TO BUILD NATIONAL CENTER FOR HOMELESS VETERANS WITH FUNDS PREVIOUSLY SPENT ON HOUSING FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS

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A little less than an hour before firing off the lengthy Memorial Day greeting on Monday morning, the president issued another post that simply read, “HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!”

President Donald Trump has accused Harvard University of being “very slow” to turn over information on foreign students. 

“We are still waiting for the Foreign Student Lists from Harvard so that we can determine, after a ridiculous expenditure of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. 

“Harvard is very slow in the presentation of these documents, and probably for good reason!” Trump wrote. “The best thing Harvard has going for it is that they have shopped around and found the absolute best Judge (for them!) – But have no fear, the Government will, in the end, WIN!” 

JUDGE TEMPORARILY PAUSES TRUMP MOVE TO CANCEL HARVARD STUDENT VISA POLICY AFTER LAWSUIT

President Donald Trump arrives for a House Republican meeting at the U.S. Capitol on May 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

In a separate post, Trump added Monday, “I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land.”

“What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!” he wrote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard for comment.

Judge Allison D. Burroughs – who was appointed by former President Barack Obama – granted Harvard University a temporary restraining order on Friday, preventing the government from revoking the Ivy League school’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. The program permits the university to host international students with F-1 or J-1 visas to study in the U.S.

In a letter Thursday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem informed Harvard’s leadership that the university had lost its “privilege” of enrolling foreign students as a result of the institution’s “refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security with pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ policies.” 

“This action should not surprise you and is the unfortunate result of Harvard’s failure to comply with simple reporting requirements,” Noem wrote. 

Anti-Israel protesters gather outside Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 25, 2025. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

Noem said she requested records pertaining to “nonimmigrant students” enrolled at Harvard, “including information regarding misconduct and other offenses that would render foreign students inadmissible or removable,” on April 16. 

Harvard’s counsel responded twice, but both responses were insufficient, according to the letter. 

TRUMP SAYS HARVARD’S FOREIGN STUDENTS ARE FROM COUNTRIES PAYING ‘NOTHING’ FOR THEIR EDUCATION

“Consequences must follow to send a clear signal to Harvard and all universities that want to enjoy the privilege of enrolling foreign students, that the Trump administration will enforce the law and root out the evils of anti-Americanism and antisemitism in society and campuses,” Noem wrote.

The requested records include any and all audio or video footage in Harvard’s possession regarding threats to other students or university personnel, “deprivation of rights” of other classmates or university personnel, and “dangerous or violent activity, whether on or off campus” by a nonimmigrant student enrolled at Harvard in the last five years. Noem is also asking for any and all disciplinary records and audio or video footage of any protest activity involving nonimmigrant students.

A pedestrian with an umbrella walks by Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 22, 2025. (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The letter gave Harvard another 72 hours to comply and send the requested information in order to regain its certification, but instead, Harvard filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts early Friday. 

In its court filing, Harvard said the revocation impacts more than 7,000 visa holders – more than a quarter of its student body – and “is a blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act.” 

“It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students,” the lawsuit says. 

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Burroughs set another hearing on the matter for Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in Boston federal court.

A House Republican sharply criticized comments President Donald Trump made regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, flatly calling some of them “dumb.”

In a Truth Social post, Trump first called out Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the foreign leader “has gone absolutely CRAZY!” and is “needlessly killing” — but then the president pivoted to slam Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, declaring, “Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop.”

In a statement to Fox News, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., opined, “The first half of this message is perfect, the rest is dumb. Trump is attacking President Zelensky while Putin bombs Ukrainian cities and it is misguided. Moral ambiguity while one nation invades another is hurting Trump’s credibility. Putin is making a mockery of Trump, and Trump keeps attacking Zelensky.”

TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘NOT HAPPY’ WITH PUTIN AFTER MASSIVE UKRAINE STRIKE

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., left, and President Donald Trump. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images | Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Bacon, an outspoken supporter of Ukraine, has asserted that the U.S. and “Allies must arm Ukraine to the teeth,” slap Russia with maximum sanctions and seize Russian assets.

RUSSIA, UKRAINE SWAP HUNDREDS OF PRISONERS HOURS AFTER MOSCOW LAUNCHES MASSIVE AERIAL ASSAULT

“It is a time for honesty. Peace talks are having zero effect on Putin. His goal is to dominate Ukraine & he won’t stop until he realizes he cannot win. The U.S. & Allies must arm Ukraine to the teeth, sanction Russia to the max, & confiscate the $300B in overseas Russian assets,” Bacon posted Sunday morning.

Zelenskyy discussed Russian attacks in a Monday post on X.

REPUBLICAN USES GEORGE WASHINGTON, AMERICAN REVOLUTION TO REJECT NOTION UKRAINE SHOULD SURRENDER TO RUSSIA

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“Our air defense forces and rescuers were working all night. The Russian army launched the largest number of drones against our cities and communities since the beginning of the full-scale war — 355 attack UAVs, mostly ‘Shaheds.’ There were also 9 cruise missiles. Sadly, there are injured people and damage to civilian infrastructure,” Zelenskyy noted in the Monday post.

“Like any criminal, Russia can only be constrained by force. Only through strength — the strength of the United States, of Europe, of all nations that value life — can these attacks be stopped and real peace achieved,” he declared.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report

Despite assurances from Trump administration officials that farmers will not be impacted by its attempts to reduce environmental chemical exposure from foods, agricultural leaders have been expressing concern that the move will explode costs for farmers and more than double the cost of food. 

The administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, made up of many of President Donald Trump’s political appointees and closest policy advisors, released an assessment strategizing how they will tackle childhood chronic diseases, such as obesity and mental health challenges. Part of the report’s focus is on children’s chemical exposure from our foods, which the report says is linked to developmental issues and chronic diseases.   

Amid the report’s release, farm groups have expressed concern over the MAHA agenda’s focus on pesticides. They have said that if the administration starts clamping down on widely used pesticides, crop yields would decline, input costs would surge and food costs would more than double.

DOCTOR TAKES AIM AT ‘CANCER-CAUSING’ PESTICIDES IN RESPONSE TO MAHA REPORT

Some farmers are clapping back at a recent Make America Healthy Again report from the Trump administration, arguing it will upend decades of science by going after widely used pesticides.  (Stephen Goin)

“Farmers are already facing a host of challenges—uncertainty about their access to critical crop protection products shouldn’t be added to the list,” said Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Executive Director of the Modern Ag Alliance. “Crop protection tools are not only safe, they are essential to food security, affordability, and the survival of family farms all across this country. Losing access to these critical inputs would be a devastating setback to American agriculture.”

Officials from the MAHA Commission sought to reassure farmers at an event releasing their assessment on childhood chronic diseases on Thursday. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that “at the center” of the MAHA agenda is “making American agriculture great again.”

“We love our farmers, and we want to pay respect to our farmers. And we always will,” President Trump added at the Thursday event from the White House. “We won the farmers by a lot in the election, and every election, all three elections – and we won by a lot. I will never forget that. And they are foremost in our thought.”

But some farmers are still expressing concern.

MAHA REPORT LAYS OUT ‘CHRONIC DISEASE CRISIS’ FACING AMERICA 

A soybean field is sprayed in Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

“The Make America Healthy Again Report is filled with fear-based rather than science-based information about pesticides. We are deeply troubled that claims of this magnitude are being made without any scientific basis or regard for a long history of EPA expert evaluations of these products,” the National Corn Grower’s Alliance (NCGA) said. “We call on the administration to respect the existing body of science on pesticides and, moving forward, to include America’s farmers in discussion as this process evolves.” 

According to a statement put out by the Modern Ag Alliance, pesticides are “rigorously tested” by the federal government, noting that in the case of glyphosate – mentioned multiple times in the MAHA report – it is one of the most thoroughly studied pesticides of its kind. 

They said that if the MAHA report drives future policy decisions it would hurt farmers and more than double the cost of food.

EX-YANKEES COACH RUNS FARM THAT VOWS TO ‘MAKE MEAT GREAT AGAIN’

“Without glyphosate—the most widely used weed-fighting tool by U.S. farmers—crop yields would decline, input costs would surge by 150%, and food inflation would more than double,” the group said. “When Sri Lanka prohibited the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers in 2021, crop yields fell by over 50%, forcing the government to import massive amounts of food just to meet basic needs. We should be focused on moving American agriculture—and the country—forward.”

The Modern Ag Alliance, a coalition of farmers, has said that policy decisions from the Trump administration clamping down on pesticides could more than double the cost of food.  (iSTOCK)

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been a vocal opponent against the dangerous health impacts of under-regulated pesticides even before he was the MAHA Commission’s leader, said last week in a Senate hearing that “we cannot take any step that will put a single farmer in this country out of business.”

“There’s a million farmers who rely on glyphosate,” he said. “100% of corn in this country relies on glyphosate. We are not going to do anything to jeopardize that business model.” 

FARMERS COME FIRST AS INITIATIVE AIMS TO LOWER THEIR COSTS, GET FRESH FOOD TO AMERICANS MORE EFFICIENTLY

The MAHA report reiterates the economic importance of protecting farmers, but it also lists glyphosate in an infographic of “Chemical Classes and Common Exposure Pathways” and says research studies have shown it can cause a range of health effects. It also lists atrazine and other chemicals as dangerous to childhood health.   

MAHA Commission officials have said that part of the administration’s focus will be a return to the gold standard of science, but the NCGA said the focus on certain widely-used pesticides, such as atrazine and glyphosate, goes against “decades of extensive research and testing.”

“If the administration’s goal is to bring more efficiency to government, then why is the secretary of Health and Human Services duplicating efforts by raising questions about pesticides that have been answered repeatedly through research and reviews by federal regulatory bodies?” the group questioned.

Both President Donald Trump and Health and Secretary of Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have sought to reassure farmers that they will not be negatively impacted by the Make America Healthy Again agenda.  (Getty Images/Greg Nash/Pool/AFP/Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg/Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance)

Jennifer Galardi, a senior policy analyst focused on health and wellness issues at the Heritage Foundation, took a more balanced view of the MAHA commission’s strategy towards pesticides like glyphosate, noting that it appeared to thread the needle between supporting farmers and trying to ensure America’s food supply is safe and free of chemicals that could impact child health. 

“The MAHA Commission Report seems to carefully examine competing issues in a very complex agricultural debate: the potential that crop protection tools as they’re referred to in the report may cause adverse health outcomes and the desire to protect the economic interests of farmers and the country,” Galardi said. “However, everyone should agree that the companies that manufacture products such as glyphosate and GMO’s shouldn’t have undue influence over the research upon which sound policy is based. The American public should demand transparency around these decisions.”

Galardi posited that, due to the tension around the issue of pesticides, the MAHA Commission may decide to go after “low-hanging fruit,” such as improving children’s diets and lack of physical activity, which, she said, are big drivers of obesity and metabolic dysfunction.

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In response to this article, a USDA spokesperson sent the following statement from Secretary Rollins:

“We must do more to improve the health outcomes of our kids and families, and President Trump knows agriculture is at the heart of the solution. America’s farmers and ranchers dedicate their lives to the noble cause of feeding their country and the world, and in doing so have created the safest and most abundant and affordable food supply in the world. We are working to make sure our kids and families are consuming the healthiest food we produce. I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Kennedy and other members of the MAHA Commission to improve our nation’s health.”

White House spokesman Kush Desai, in a separate statement, echoed Rollins’ sentiment about the importance of agriculture and farmers when it comes to executing the MAHA mission. He also reiterated that the MAHA movement is grounded in “Gold Standard of Science.”

“The guiding principle of President Trump’s movement to Make America Healthy Again is the Gold Standard of Science, and everyone from America’s farmers to everyday parents are critical for the success of this movement,” Desai said. “The MAHA Commission’s report is a historic step by our government to, for the first time, comprehensively review the latest evidence and research of what we know – and what we don’t know – is driving the health crisis afflicting America’s children.”

Marine veteran Anthony Longo is acutely aware of the inner battles many veterans face long after leaving the combat zone. He has also experienced the healing that can come from having “man’s best friend” as a companion.

That is why Longo, who served in Fallujah, Iraq, and earned the Department of State’s Medal of Heroism in Afghanistan, founded the Warriors Choice Foundation in 2016 with the mission of helping fellow veterans heal.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Longo explained that rather than relying solely on medications or a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment, his foundation tailors care to individual veterans through counseling, wellness retreats and a truly unique treatment called “cognitive K9 rehabilitation.”

Through Warriors Choice K9 rehabilitation program, the group matches veterans with Belgian Malinois breed service dogs specially bred and trained to help people suffering from PTSD and other combat-related mental health challenges.

AMERICANS SHOULD HONOR MEMORIAL DAY IN THIS WAY, MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS SUGGEST

Through Warriors Choice K9 rehabilitation program, the group matches veterans with service dogs specially bred and trained to help people suffering from PTSD and other combat-related mental health challenges. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Matthew A. Foster and Warriors Choice Foundation)

Since 2018, Warriors Choice has helped 72 veterans and matched 46 with their own service dog.

The group has even bred a service dog named “Trump,” who Longo said was “the best” and the hardest one to let go.” “Trump,” the service dog, is now the companion to a 20-year special operations veteran, and Longo said he feels “blessed” to be a part of “what that dog has helped that man through.”

“You’re seeing complete lives transferring 180 degrees into a new direction,” he said. “It’s man’s best friend for a reason. I can appreciate my dog sometimes a lot more than humans. And to have that connection and the ability to work through complicated issues together, it was a good fit.”

While the K9 treatment program is not for everyone, Longo said that he has seen incredible results, transforming veterans’ lives.

FLORIDA VETERAN NONPROFIT SEES BEST-IN-STATE SUICIDE REDUCTIONS

Pictured on the left and right is “Trump” the service dog. Longo said Trump was “the best” and the hardest one to let go.” Trump the service dog is now the companion to a 20-year special operations veteran, and Longo said he feels “blessed” to be a part of “what that dog has helped that man through.”

Sitting by him during the interview was his own K9 companion, “Bourbon,” who he said has “set the tone” in his own healing journey as well as laid the foundation for Warriors Choice’s K9 program.

“That dynamic between handler and canine, I think it adds just a sense of more responsibility beyond ourselves,” he explained. “There are times when I wanted to be just completely left alone and isolated and not have to do anything, but someone’s got to take the dog out. Someone’s got to put food on the table. There are things that have to be done, I have to go do the training, I have to go maintain a level or a standard that I’ve imposed on myself to essentially hold myself accountable for my actions and what I’m doing in my day-to-day.”

Beyond that, Longo explained that Bourbon has helped him gain a “true understanding of what I needed to do for myself.”

Though Longo said that fighting against issues like veteran PTSD and suicide can feel like “trying to move a mountain,” he explained that the need could not be more urgent. According to Warriors Choice, veterans are 1.5 times more likely to die by suicide.

WHAT IS PTSD? SYMPTOMS THAT CAN EMERGE AFTER EXPERIENCING A TRAUMATIC EVENT

A Warriors Choice Foundation service dog in action. Longo said that “at the end of the day, you’re here not for yourself, you’re here for your brother.” “You’re here to provide somebody with an opportunity and a chance who’s reaching out for help.”

“At the end of the day,” said Longo, “you’re here not for yourself, you’re here for your brother.”

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“You’re here to provide somebody with an opportunity and a chance who’s reaching out for help. And all you got to do is just grab on, hang on, and give your best effort in assisting them in a time of need because you’ve been there with them. You understand what it’s like to be in those situations. You know the – I hate to say it – the cognitive fog of what it’s like to be overseas and to be here and to be more comfortable overseas than you are at home.”

“I wouldn’t be able to do it unless there was success involved with it. And that’s seeing guys staying out of the ground.”

Longo urged any veteran struggling with PTSD to reach out, saying, “We’ll be happy to communicate with you and assist you in mapping out what is going to be the best path and direction forward.”

FIRST ON FOX: A slew of veterans’ groups, along with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, are criticizing Senate Democrats for delaying key agency nominations over what some have called unserious or “DOGE-type” concerns.

One top nominee currently facing the collective procedural roadblock ahead of Memorial Day is wounded warrior Sam Brown, a former Nevada senatorial candidate and Army captain who was burned over more than one-third of his body when the Humvee he was riding in in Helmand, Afghanistan, hit a roadside IED that incinerated its fuel tank.

He was nominated by President Donald Trump as undersecretary for memorial affairs, which maintains cemeteries and facilitates veterans’ burial ceremonies – about 100,000 per year.

A letter from about two dozen veterans’ groups addressed to Senate VA Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., ranking member Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and caucus leaders was obtained Friday by Fox News Digital.

Doug Collins, left, Sam Brown, right (Getty)

The groups note that they respect the Senate’s advise-and-consent role, but object to the current situation. They note that the VA has the fewest presidentially nominated positions and that other agency nominees receive overnight and weekend considerations at times.

“We will be happy to bring the senators coffee and donuts during such late night and weekend sessions, of course in compliance with the Senate’s gift and ethics rules,” the groups wrote.

Brown and all other nominees since April have been held up by Blumenthal and Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. – but the lawmakers say their move is not personal and instead aimed to halt mass firings and other Trump-era actions.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, indicated that he would join the two Democrats, after a confirmation hearing for Brown, Marine Lt. Col. James Baehr for general counsel and Army veteran Richard Topping for VA CFO, was mooted in April by the procedural hold.

“We’ve had 2,400 firings so far,” King said, according to Stars & Stripes.

Vietnam Veterans of America, in a separate letter obtained by Fox News Digital, demanded Brown, Baehr and Topping be confirmed summarily.

“All three of these veterans received favorable reports following the April 9th nominations process from the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee,” wrote VVA President Jack McManus.

NEW GOP SENATOR TEARS INTO DEMS ‘SEEKING TO DELAY’ PETE HEGSETH DOD CONFIRMATION

Senate VA Chair Jerry Moran of Kansas (Getty)

McManus said that many Vietnam Vets are concerned about the hold-up and agree that Brown and the others are eminently qualified, blaming “two members of the US Senate Veterans Affairs Committee” for “affecting services to our veterans.”

Another letter from the Independence Fund, which provides resources, including trackchairs, to severely wounded veterans, said a fully staffed VA central office is crucial to its mission.

Last week, when Moran again attempted to confirm Brown by unanimous consent – a voice vote that must have no audible objections – Blumenthal rose to block him.

“The chairman and I share a bipartisan commitment to putting our veterans first. . . . I think we also share a respect for Sam Brown [and] his service to our nation as a decorated veteran,” said Blumenthal. 

Blumenthal, whose own service was criticized by Trump with the nickname “Da Nang Dick” after a Vietnamese province, said that Brown’s nomination lacked unanimous support in committee, citing a 10-9 vote.

TRUMP VA PICK DOUG COLLINS ADVANCES TO FULL SENATE VOTE

“This issue is bigger than Sam Brown. It is about information that has been denied to our committee and to us as senators. The secretary of the VA is actively working to undermine our bipartisan oversight efforts.

Blumenthal told Fox News Digital he had a message for Collins: “Before you hire new top VA bureaucrats, you should be rehiring the dedicated veterans you fired.”

“Secretary Doug Collins is denying us essential information that is necessary for our oversight, and we want accountability. All Americans, especially veterans, deserve votes by the full Senate on top nominees—not rubber stamp unanimous consents,” he said, adding Collins can ask the Senate to hold floor-debate on the nominees through regular order.

In comments to Fox News Digital, Collins rejected Blumenthal’s claims and lambasted the delays.

“Imagine how much better off America’s veterans would be if Senators Blumenthal and Gallego cared as much about fixing the department’s broken bureaucracy as they do about preventing wounded combat veterans from coming to work at VA,” he said.

“Despite their obstruction, we will reform the department to make it work better for veterans, families, caregivers and survivors.” 

Gallego said he also does not object to Brown personally, and that he is instead seeking agency accountability – saying in a recent statement he wants to reverse “hack-job firings.”

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Primaries were held on Tuesday night to fill the seat being vacated at the end of this year by Rep. Ruben Gallego. (Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Gallego said Collins is “more concerned with three political appointees than the thousands of veterans who are going to lose their jobs and care.”

“I served this country and received care at the VA. I know how important it is for veterans. Abandoning them, like Secretary Collins wants to do, is reckless and un-American. Show Congress the plan on how care won’t be impacted. Anything short of that is political posturing,” he said.

In Gallego’s Arizona, the Phoenix VA hospital is letting go 800 employees, and a 2024 inspector general report found that the site already faced staffing shortages.

Recent surveys of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans show an elevated concern that VA cuts could impact benefits and health care.

Fox News reached out to King for comment for purposes of this story. 

President Donald Trump backed several House Republicans for reelection in Truth Social posts on Sunday, expressing support for Reps. Andrew Garbarino of New York, Troy Downing of Montana, Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania, and Bryan Steil of Wisconsin.

Each lawmaker received an individual post from Trump, and each post declared that the given lawmaker has Trump’s endorsement.

Republicans currently hold the majority in the House, but the 2026 midterms will determine whether the GOP maintains control of the chamber during the tail end of Trump’s second term in office.

TRUMP ENDORSES JACK CIATTARELLI FOR NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: ‘A WINNER’

Left: President Donald Trump arrives for a House Republican meeting at the U.S. Capitol on May 20, 2025 in Washington, DC; Right: Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., makes his way to a House Republican Conference meeting with President Donald Trump on the budget reconciliation bill in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Left:Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images; Right: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Trump’s show of support for Garbarino comes after the congressman failed to cast a vote on the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that passed the House last week. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson said that “Garbarino did not make it in time,” but had fallen asleep.

“I am proud to have been the leading voice on Long Island during negotiations on this key reconciliation bill. I fought to lift the cap on SALT and ensure hardworking Long Island families see the benefits of this important legislation. I was moments away from the House floor, to vote ‘yes,’ when the vote was closed,” Garbarino said in a statement, according to reports. 

HOUSE GOP LEADERSHIP TAKES VICTORY LAP AFTER PASSING TRUMP’S ‘ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“While I am frustrated that the vote was closed before I was able to cast my vote, I am proud of the work we accomplished to deliver huge results for Long Island. I congratulate President Trump on getting this bill passed and look forward to voting ‘yes’ when it comes back to the House floor from the Senate,” Garbarino said in a statement.

Fox News Digital reached out to Garbarino’s office on Monday morning but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

BY DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT: BATTLES TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ WILL FACE IN THE SENATE

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“Thank you, Mr. President, it’s an honor to serve NY-02,” Garbarino said in a Sunday night post on X in response to the president’s endorsment.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday evening.

Noem met the Israeli leader in Jerusalem, where she voiced “strong appreciation for the Prime Minister’s policies, particularly the construction of the border fence with Egypt and the conduct of the ongoing war,” Netanyahu’s office said. 

Others who attended the meeting were Israeli Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman; Foreign Policy Advisor Dr. Ophir Falk; Prime Minister’s Spokesperson Dr. Omer Dostri; and U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.

NETANYAHU ACCUSES THE UK, FRANCE AND CANADA OF ‘ENABLING HAMAS’

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Sunday in Jerusalem. (Kobi Gideon / GPO)

Earlier in the day, Netanyahu met with Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nv.

“The U.S.-Israel alliance is strong and steadfast. The United States stands with the people of Israel!” Huckabee wrote on X.

The visit came on the eve of Jerusalem Day, which celebrates the reunification of East Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, with West Jerusalem. It also came days after a Chicago man shot and killed two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington D.C., last week. 

Yaron Lischinsky, 31, was an Israeli citizen who had been granted “official guest” status by the U.S. State Department. The other victim, Sarah Milgrim, 26, was also employed by the Israeli Embassy. The young couple was set to be engaged.

TRUMP EYES ABRAHAM ACCORDS EXPANSION, GAZA REBUILD WITH NETANYAHU MEETING ON DECK

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with American officials, including Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu has vowed to continue to go after Hamas and its leadership amid the terror group‘s failure to agree to a ceasefire and return its hostages. 

In a video statement released Thursday, he criticized U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney after all three countries issued a joint statement demanding that Israel end its military campaign in Gaza.

Netanyahu said Hamas does not want a Palestinian state; rather, the terror group wants the destruction of the state of Israel. 

Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet. (Kobi Gideon / Israeli Government Press Office)

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He questioned how this “simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others.” 

President Donald Trump told journalists that he was “not happy” with Russia’s recent large-scale strike against Ukraine while speaking to the press on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey, Trump accused Putin of “killing a lot of people” in the attack, which was launched on Sunday afternoon.

“I’m not happy with what Putin is doing,” Trump explained. “He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin.” 

“I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” he added.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM TERMINATING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ LEGAL STATUS

President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One from Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, May 25, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump said that Putin was “shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities” in the middle of negotiations.

“I don’t like what Putin is doing. Not even a little bit,” the president emphasized. “He’s killing people. And something happened to this guy.”

Trump’s comments came after Russian forces launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight. The attack, which has been called the largest aerial attack of the war so far, targeted the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS NEW WAVE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISA REVOCATIONS: ‘NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO A VISA’

President Donald Trump walks to speak to journalists before boarding Air Force One from Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, May 25, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian officials said that at least 12 people were killed and dozens more were injured.

Though past strikes have proven more deadly, the attack is the largest-scale aerial assault of the war in terms of the number of weapons: 298 drones and 69 missiles were launched.

In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for an international response to the attack.

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President Donald Trump steps off Marine One in Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, May 25, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

“The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin,” he wrote on Telegram. “Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia.”

Reuters and Fox News Digital’s Brooke Curto and Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.

House Speaker Mike Johnson went to battle with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., over spending cuts and the national debt in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” this weekend. 

Johnson made the comments during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream, after Paul had called the spending cuts in the current version of the bill “wimpy.”

“It sounds like his biggest objection is the fact that we are extending the debt ceiling. That’s a critically important thing to do. We have to do it. We’re not going to get any Democrats to assist on that,” Johnson said Sunday.

“So to get it through the Senate and make sure we don’t crash the U.S. economy and default on our debts for the first time in history, it has to be part of the reconciliation package. And that’s why President Trump and all the other Republicans in Congress, House and Senate understand the necessity of this,” he added.

MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, May 6, 2025, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)

Paul himself also appeared on “Fox News Sunday” later in the show, and he continued to blast what he said was a lack of real spending cuts.

GOP HOLDOUTS SOUND ALARM ON $36T DEBT CRISIS AS TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ PASSES HOUSE VOTE

“I supported the tax cuts in 2017. I support making them permanent, so I support that part of the bill. I support spending cuts. I think the cuts currently in the bill are wimpy and anemic, but I still would support the bill, even with wimpy and anemia 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. The House’s is $4 trillion. The Senate’s actually been talking about exploding the debt by $5 trillion,” Paul said.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is standing in the way of passing President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

He went on to say that there is no way he can vote for a version of the bill that raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion.

“There’s got to be someone left in Washington who thinks debt is wrong and deficits are wrong and wants to go in the other direction,” he said.

Paul instead proposed raising the debt ceiling for a period of three months, or $500 billion, on a rolling basis. He argued that voting on the issue every three months would force leadership to take the issue seriously by placing the lack of progress center stage in U.S. politics.

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“The deficit is a threat to our country. I think it’s the greatest threat to national security. And so I think you can’t do this,” Paul said.